The hard work is paying off. I am finally starting to see results from about a week of shoveling gravel, digging holes and running tubing. I had decided to dig out the gutter drain and turn it into a "fake" creek with a small pool at the end. Since we live on a hill, getting the water to run into the tiny pond was easy enough but digging the gravel drain to put in a liner was a ton of heavy work. Old ladies should not be doing heavy work. I found out this after just the first day! Every muscle in my body was sore! Even muscles that I did not know I had were sore!! The days after that initial go were not too bad. I guess I became used to hurting and did not feel it as bad.
All of this hard work came about because of a sweet friend. Ann came by with a gift of a garden sign dubbing the place "Ruthie's Refuge". Well, you cannot have a sign calling something a refuge without it at least being a soothing place to be. I have long wanted my little "babbling brook" back ever since it stopped flowing several years ago. The liner went bad in what I called "Puddle Pond" and I had no time nor energy to replace it. Ann's encouragement kicked me in gear and things are getting accomplished finally.
Now, all that is needed is the aesthetic touches that will bring this part of the yard to life. A bit of lighting, some flowering plants and maybe a pretty bird feeder are next on the list to find their way into the "Refuge". Then, I can pull up my comfy wicker chair and enjoy being in my own little happy spot.
Living on the Bayou, I have learned one thing. If nothing else, I have learned to watch where I step. While it is not often that I find a snake on my walks, occasionally I will cross paths with one. We will both hesitate long enough to give each other the "once over", as my grandmother used to say. After making sure neither of us has plans of harming the other, we go on our merry ways. It is a rare occasion that I will kill a snake or any critter, for that matter.
Recently, another critter and I shared the same path. This one was so well camouflaged that I almost missed it. A small toad was in an area that is filled with gravel to catch the runoff from the rooftop. The glorifed drain runoff fills with leaves and needs to be cleaned to work properly. With all of the rains that have been pelting the Bayou, this chore could not be postponed. So I tackled it. Armed with a rake and little else, I started clearing the debris from the long ditch. Had the toad not hopped, I would have never noticed it. The critter blended so well with its surroundings, when I photographed it, I still had trouble finding it!
Check the photograph! I promise, there is a toad in there! This was my happy find for the day. Yep, toad frogs and snakes do, indeed, make me happy. I am just glad that a snake did not find my little toad friend! Maybe his camouflage works!
