The Pond
And here we have a little pond. I call it The Pond. It doesn’t actually have a name that I know of. I’ve done a little digging (not in The Pond), and it’s part of a much larger network of wet marshy waterways that drain off of the Slough of Despond. The Slough is small lake left over from the last ice age. This guy explains its origins to a degree that you will either find facinating or cause you to quickly close your browser window. I am in the first group (hopefully it’s a group).
I enjoy meandering over to this literal hole in the ground because there’s always some flourish of beastly activity afoot. The first thing I usually see is a group of ducks go ballistic out and take flight the second they become aware of my obscene presence. Sometimes there’s a raccoon lurking around for what I can only presume is fish to eat. The fish? I know they’re there because I see them launching themselves out of the water in an attempt to eat whatever flying invertebrate they fancy eating. I take pleasure in knowing that some of those same doomed invertebrates were potentially the ones that thought they could make me into their meal. Hakuna Matata! It’s the whole circle of life in this little puddle of creation.
There’s obviously many more critters getting down to whatever it is they happen to get down to in this neck of the wetlands, but lets ignore them for a second and talk about the various flora that come into season with the passing summer. There’s all kinds of wild flowers, not to mention ferns, and of course let’s not forget the Cattails. According to Wikipedia Cattails are also known as Water Sausages. Just picture that for second. It just doesn’t seem right does it? It sounds like something a four year old would think up. If we’re going to get wild with the names, why not just call them Fur Weiners or Fuzzy Dicks? But I digress. The Pond is always a pleasant place to visit.