A Matter Of Perspective

  Oh, so many years ago, I was irritated by the sound of frogs and toads in the pond.  You see, the "Frog Pond" at that time was designated as a "Fish Pond" and was home to a dozen or so very large gold fish.  The fish had been one of my rescues!  A young man who came to visit my son for the afternoon asked if he could "float" a baggy of tiny goldfish in the pond while he was here.  Knowing he had a large aquarium at home, I agreed to let his fish stay in the cooling waters.  When he was ready to leave, I asked why he bought "plain old goldfish" when I knew he had exotic fish in the tank.  "Oh, these are to feed the other fish!".  Well, that was not happening!  Even though I knew he was going to go right out and buy more goldfish, I convinced him to let me have the little squirts.  I released them into the pond and that was only the beginning.  Those tiny (1 inch) fish quickly grew to about ten inches!  I had the most beautiful pond ever!  Then came Hurricane Katrina and the fish were never seen again.  For the longest time, the pond sat vacant until the frogs moved in to set up household.  FROGS!  Loud frogs!  And toads!  Very loud toads!  Our Fish Pond turned into a Frog Pond.

  After the frogs and toads claimed the pond, I complained of the nightly serenading.  My once quiet Bayou was now resonating with the mating calls of several thousand frogs and toads!  The noise was so intense that it sounded as if the frogs and toads were inside the house with me.  Sleep was a thing of the past.  I fretted.  I tossed and turned.  Even though I grew up with a large pond full of frogs calling at night back on the farm, there was something irritating about these rascals.  So I cajoled the sons to scoop the loud critters and haul them to a neighbor's pond (in the dead of night, no less!).  The next night, the screaming critters had found their way back to the Fish Pond (or Fish-less Pond by this time.)  Then, one night, I could take it no more and got out of bed to sit in the old porch rocker.  Something had to give. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep.  As I sat there rocking, I started noticing how many different songs there were, how the tones were different and how I would hear critters respond from far away.  

  Then came to mind a framed poem penned by my grandmother as she sat in a rocker on my folk's screened porch.  "The Froggy Symphony" was her way of coping with the loud serenading of the frogs and toads in the pond back on the farm.  It dawned on me that it was pure silliness for me to let the sounds irritate me so as, in a sense, I was a recipient of an untold blessing.  I COULD HEAR!  Yep, the critters' cacophony suddenly changed from a mishmash of calls to a "Froggy Symphony" of beautiful music.  

  Tonight, the tree frogs are calling. The toads are trilling.  The bullfrogs are adding the bass.  The nightly symphony starts with the first few warm nights and lasts until the first frost of the year.  I have learned to embrace the noise as part of the charm of the Bayou.  Add in about a billion or so crickets, a hoard of cicadas and dozens of assorted owls and the night is downright soothing!  I can hear!

Just A Froggy In A Lily

    Just a few months ago, I threatened to do away with the Frog Pond.  I had already had enough of the cleaning and upkeep of the small pond, then along came a cottonmouth that decided to make the pond its own.  Nope, not happening snaky.  There are too many little ones that play around that pond for you to be there.  After catching the snake, I figured the easiest way to rid the place of future snakes was to fill in the pond.  After all, it WAS a lot of work and I AM getting old.  The filling in didn't happen and about a bazillion frogs started laying eggs and the rest is history.  The pond is still there....along with the frogs, tadpoles and more eggs.  Along with more snakes, I am sure.

  This morning, I was out and about when I spied another lovely water lily in bloom.  Nestled down between the petals was the tiniest frog!  A baby green tree frog had decided that the bloom was the perfect hiding place.  How sweet was that??  Yep, I had to get a photograph...or a dozen.  Then I noticed another, much larger tree frog on a piece of driftwood on the other side of the pond.  Oh, my goodness!  Frogs were posing for me today!

  Needless to say, the frog pond is good for a while.  It is safe at least until I have to clean it again or another cottonmouth has to be caught.  For now, the frogs can frolic all they want.  I like them!

I've got friends in low places.....

My goodness, today was beautiful! So beautiful, in fact, that I just could not stay inside and do housework! The gardens were calling my name and I yielded to the whim to escape to the fresh air and sunshine! On the agenda today.....clean out the little pond in the backyard, fertilize the fruit trees and attempt to design the herb garden. Yep, there was a lot going on today! I asked Son which he would like to do..as if I did not already know which he did NOT want to tackle. He opted to fertilize the trees..rats..I knew he would never choose the pond! Well..I donned the oldest shoes and jeans that I own and set to work. This is never a really difficult job, it is more or less just a smelly job. I have a pump that siphons all of the water in just a short time so that makes life a lot easier. The smelly part comes from the rotted leaves and plant matter that has settled in the bottom over the winter months. I never clean the pond during the cold months so that the turtles and frogs will have enough warmth to survive. There are always several of each that hide in among the Water Lilies and Duck Potatoes. Here they have protection from the raccoons and the rotted vegetation gives them a nice hibernation spot. Today though, I never thought about the frogs or turtles ..I was a woman on a mission! I wanted the pond clean and nice smelling for the Spring! It was time to catch a few of the bull minnows from the Bayou to restock this little pond. I always toss a few minnows in for the duration of the summer merely to eat the mosquito larvae. They do well in the isolated pond since there are few predators nearby. Later, in the Fall, I release them back into the Bayou so they will not perish if the pond freezes. But for today, I just needed to remove the nasty debris in the bottom.

I gathered my tools and set the pump in action. With the garden rake, I fished out the large clumps of Water Lilies and set them to the side. They would be replaced as soon as I refilled the pond. Next, I lifted out the large pots of Duck Potatoes..OH GEEZ! Those were heavy! I had forgotten that I put rocks in the bottom to weight the pots...UGH! Now for the stinkies! No nice, neat way of doing this..I guess..so I just rolled up the sleeves and started. Handfuls of yuck were thrown out onto a pile. Oooey-goooey, nasty yuck!!!! Hey...did you know that there are worms that can live under water in the goop in the bottom of a pond???? I found them...not happy.... I continued...grab ...heave....slop.... gasp!!!! This stuff is the proverbial pond scum only worse! I was digging in sludge...I was mucking about in mire...I was EEEEEEEKKK!!!!!! Something started squirming about in the handful of junk that I was holding! Visions of anacondas ...alligators ...crocodiles... raced through my mind! I was going to be eaten alive! Not really..but it did startle me a bit! I tossed the handful onto the ever-growing pile and peered at the smelly mess. Then I spied the wiggly varmint! I have friends in low places.. all the way down in the bottom of the pond!

A Leopard Frog! This small frog peered back at me from among the leaves and slime. He appeared to be still quite groggy or at least maybe lethargic from the coolness of the morning. I thought.. "So.. my fine, froggy friend.. you are the ricocheting reptile that tried to scare the bejeebies out of me!" He stared at me with unblinking eyes. I think he was a mite miffed at me for disturbing his nap but I tried to convince him it would be ok.. "I am just cleaning up a bit..don't mind me..go on about your nap!" I said cheerfully. He stared at me as if to say.."I liked my house the way it was! LEAVE NOW!" I might be glad that frogs cannot talk! I finished cleaning the gunk out of the bottom of the pond.. replaced the plants ..added a few pieces of driftwood and started the refilling process. Mr. Frog never left his spot on the rubbish pile.. he just sat and stared (or glared) at me. After a couple of hours, the sunshine warmed the water enough that I figured he would be ok and since I needed to haul off the lovely pile of goo..I tossed my friend back into the pond. He seemed quite contented to swim around exploring the new arrangement.

And Then There Were None!

Yesterday, I told you about the water snake that visited the small pond in the yard and how it did not want to leave. This morning at daybreak, I gingerly walked around the garden afraid that I would step on this serpent, not knowing if I had scared it away or not. As I neared the pond, I could see the head of a snake poking out from underneath the waterlilies, but wait..this did not look like the same snake! Oh no..what now? Yes, there were now two snakes in this little pond. You have to understand when I say "little", I mean little..very little. The pond only holds maybe thirty gallons of water on a good day. By a good day, I mean on a day when the water has not dehydrated to a point of no return. Right now the pond is more of a puddle..a ten gallon puddle. There is barely enough water to keep the lilies from drying up to nothing, but obviously there is enough water to be home to two snakes. Enough is enough! These critters had to go! I grabbed the boat hook and slung the first of the two pests out onto the lawn. This was not the (wanna-be moccasin) water snake..this turned out to be a true Cottonmouth. One snake that you do not want to mess with because it packs a very nasty bite. I pinned it down with the boat hook and pondered what should be my next move. Oh goodness..now I had myself in a fine fix! Here I am standing in the middle of the yard, pinning a very venomous snake to the ground with a boat hook and having no means to kill it. Ok..think..think fast..but think! What could I do? Nothing was in reach..no hoe..no shovel..not even a stick. This was not what I had in mind..WHAT was I thinking..or even had I been thinking??? Then..relief..I was never so glad to hear a tractor! My hero!..also known as my brother! He came to my rescue and vanquished the dragon! This snake was dead and I was happy..now to tend to the other rascal! This dear brother flipped the water snake out of the pond into a bucket and snapped on the lid. This one was moved to the opposite side of the property near another creek, hopefully far enough away to deter his return!

This done, the rest of the morning was spent in preparation of a tropical depression. This will be a rainmaker for us and will be a good thing for the gardens. There is only a few minor things that need to be done before small storm such a this but still they must be tended. All of the fishing gear and crab traps had to be cleared from the pier. This would be stowed until after the gale winds die and then returned to be used again. While on the pier gathering the gear, I took a moment to stare over the Bay. There were a few seagulls diving in the schools of minnows, a Great Blue Heron was wading silently along the shore and both a Night Heron and an Egret were sunning on posts. I wondered if they knew what was in store for them a just a few hours from now. How would they ride out the storm? I am sure they are much better prepared than I ever will be! It always awes me that a place that I find so peaceful can turn so very violent at times. I

am one of those diehard Bayou residents that find even storms can be enthralling. There is a certain amount of respect for the weather and water

that is required to live here. Respect..not fear of the storms that push into the area. I have always said that before any storm..one must prepare for the worst and pray for the best. But for today, the Bayou is calm..we shall wait and see what tomorrow brings..hopefully just rain.

The Big Scare!

I begin each morning with a leisurely walk through the gardens just to contemplate what all needs tending. Then in the evening, the stroll takes much the same path but the day's work is inspected and plans are made for the next day. Today was much the same as any other day, I walked ..thought ..worked and then walked again. Usually the afternoon walks include a visit to the pier where I stay until just before dark so I can catch the sunset. Sunsets are amazing peacemakers and should always be enjoyed..why else are they there? After enjoying the view and the cooling breeze, I make my way back to the house. I have never thought much about walking to the house in the waning light since there is a wonderful path leading from the pier all the way to the front door. This path was created entirely from boards that were salvaged from an old piers demolished by storms. It meanders up the hill and through several gardens including one that has a small drainage pond that catches rainwater that runs off the roof.

Tonight as I passed by the pond, I noticed something slip into the water and glide under the waterlilies. Uhh oh..snake! It was already getting dark but I knew I had to find out what kind of snake was visiting my pond..the pond a mere twenty steps from my door! I backed away thinking maybe it would surface. Holding onto the dog, I waited. Sure enough, up pops a head..then out of the water slithered the serpent. It made its way to the edge of the violet garden, then through the roses. Aha! Now I could get a clear view! Still holding onto the dog's collar to keep her from tearing through the gardens to chase the new found toy, I peered into the shadows. My, how I wished it was lighter, the sun was now setting far behind the trees and it was getting quite dark. The snake was behaving at least..just staring at me as I stared at it. At first glance, I thought it was a water snake  but I did not see the telltale bars on the lower jaw.  Second thought..a Hognose Snake..here they are also called "Puffing Adders" or "Spreading Adders". I poked at it with the "walking stick" that I always carry. The snake did not "hiss" at me nor "play dead" so I knew this was no Hognose. Aha! The process of elimination now led me to know that my visitor was a cottonmouth! This venomous snake decided to come feed upon the frogs and minnows housed in the little pond. The graveled bottom evidently is the perfect place for tadpoles to survive and the waterlilies provide plenty of places for them to hide from hungry birds. Hiding from this snake is a different story though..it just waits for them to come to it. I tried my best to shoo the snake down the hill to

the marsh, but it was determined to stay. It actually seemed to enjoy this game we were playing. I could lightly drag the end of the stick on the ground and the snake would follow it, not strike..just follow. Maybe I should have tempted it to follow all the way to the marsh but it was getting rather dark. Nightfall was making me skittish about being out playing with a snake of any kind but especially a venomous one! Tomorrow as I come out the door, I suppose I will have the dickens scared out of me by this new addition to my garden. Maybe I should be like most others and just kill all snakes. Nah..can't do it..they have a right to live, too. I just wish it did not decide to live quite so close to me!