Time to call it quits...

  Well, as much as I loved my little Frog Pond, the time has come to call it quits.  Even though the whole pond was tiny, it was a lot of work.  What started out as a goldfish pond ended up as a home for frogs.  In the beginning, there were some nigh on a foot long goldfish living in the little pool.  Hurricane Katrina came and took the fish to parts unknown when the flood waters overtook the property.  Afterward, I did not have the heart nor energy to restock the pond.  I allowed the frogs to move in and take over.  It was not too bad as their nightly serenades entertained the lot of us and the frogs did their part in keeping the insect pests under control.  Still, there comes a time....

  Today made me realize that I just do not have the stamina to keep up this part of the yard.  It all started at dawn during my morning hike.  I had just returned the old dog to his comfy bed and went out to check the plums.  The plum tree is just beyond the Frog Pond and, as I strolled past the area, a slight movement caught my eye.  Oh, Ms. Nycto!  You startled me!  Yes, Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess cat, was lapping up water from the pond.  Then another critter caught my eye.  Just two feet from the cat, snake was silently slithering over the edge of the pond and onto the water lilies.  Uh, oh.  That did not look like a water snake.  Could it be?

  I took a few photos so I could check the snake's identity if it slipped beneath the water.  After the photos, I eased my way to the opposite side of the little pond.  Yep.  There was that snake and it was not a good one to have this close to the Little Bayou House.  The Frog Pond is just beyond the back porch.  It may be a good ten feet from the house, if that.  The snake was none other than a cottonmouth.  While I stood watching, the snake caught one of the little green tree frogs and was attempting to swallow it.  Ms. Nycto hightailed it due to the commotion and upset the snake.   At this point, the snake regurgitated the little frog but I could tell that the wee thing was gravely injured. 

  Ok, so I needed to get that snake out of the pond with as little danger as possible.  First thing I could think to do was drain the pond.  This is done often by means of a small electric pump.  I watched as the snake settled in to catch another frog so I made a quick dash to the shed, grabbed the pump and coil of hose.  The pump was set up and dropped into the pond.  It immediately begin to drain but was far to slow.  At that rate, it would take half the day so there was nothing else to do but help it out a bit.  By this time, the snake was fully aware of my presence and had slipped into a hollow stump near the south edge of the pond.  It watched as I used a five gallon bucket to bail the water.  It took nigh on an hour of bailing to make any headway but soon there was enough slippery sloped sides to keep the snake from an easy getaway.  I woke Son and we proceeded to capture our snaky fiend.

  The capturing process involved the five gallon bucket, a water hose and a potato rake. The bucket was laid on its side at one end of the pond and I used the water hose to direct the moccasin into it.  This was not an easy task as the snake only wanted out of that pond!  But, eventually, the snake complied and slithered into the bucket.  At that exact time, Son slipped the prongs of the potato rake under the handle of the bucket and set it upright!!  Aha!  The serpent was captured!  Another bucket was slipped atop to keep the critter inside.  Now...what to do.  I have this "no-kill" mantra but, in this case, that was not an option.  The snake had already found a ready supply of meals via the thousands of frogs.  I hated it but the snake had to go.  I could not take the chance that it would attempt a return.  The old dog does not see well any more and may step right on the snake.  (He did step on a turtle yesterday!  A turtle..mind you!  How do you step on a turtle?)  So, as much as it sickened me to do it, the snake was killed and tossed where the alligators could dine upon it.  

  All of this saga made me realize that it was high time for the Frog Pond to cease to exist.  The work involved in cleaning it, the upkeep of pumps, filters and liners and the potential threat of a venomous snake taking up residence was just too much for this old lady to handle.  Time to call it quits.  So, very little water was returned to the pond.  There is just enough to allow the tadpoles time to morph into frogs.  After they do their thing, the pond will be completely drained, liner and plants removed and the whole area will be filled with soil.  Grass will soon cover the spot and the pond will be nothing but a memory after twenty some odd years.  Things are changing.