The ice is in various stages of melt on our pond, and each day that the temperature climbs and the sun shines brings more water to the surface. With it come the ducks; there are three of them, and I assume they are the ones who were here last year. I love ducks.
The advance guard for the geese has already made an appearance, just like last year. There are always two of them and they swim around the perimeter of the pond looking for a hole in the wire fence that is a barrier between the water and our lawns. They are very squawky and splashy, as if they own the pond. I hate geese.
Still I’m always glad to see these two, because if they find a hole I report it to the management company who comes and repairs it. Unlike ducks who spend most of their time in the water, geese need free access to land from the water; and they spend an inordinate amount of time eating your grass and pooping on your patio if you aren’t prepared.
I haven’t seen any goldfish yet, but I’m sure they survived the winter at the bottom of the pond, just as they’ve done since a neighbor put them there several years ago. They’re an invasive species, but they don’t eat lawns. And they attract herons. So I’m neutral about the goldfish.
It’s too early for the frogs to show up, but by May we’ll hear them croaking at each other. About the same time the two fountains will be turned on, and we’ll enjoy the sound of bubbling, burbling water all day. All of which is to say that Spring’s emergence is right on schedule in the natural world.
As for our human community, there are twelve homes that circle the pond. Currently the demographics include three couples and nine widows. But when we first moved here, it was the reverse. Time hasn’t been as kind to the people on the pond. Some moved away to be closer to their children. Others went to assisted living facilities. And more than one neighbor passed away.
I am struck with how life on the pond is – at the same time – always constant and always changing.
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