Drought = Low, Low Water & 2 New Islands

 

We've been luckier than most in the MidWest, a bit of rain has fallen in the last few months. Still, the 2nd pond at the farms has never been this low, at least in my memory. The fish are struggling to live, they hang at the edge of the pond for oxygen. The White Egret & the Great Blue Herons are finding it difficult to catch the smaller fish. You hear about this on the news in distant lands or in days gone by, but here it is right now, right here, in the middle of USA farm country.

You can smell the dust on the paths, so much so that Moby & I walk along the pond shore any chance we get. Moby does go into the pond to get cooled off & have a drink, but a very little drink. I can just see her thinking "I've got to have water, but this is really yucky." She knows, we'll stop a Panara Bread for our breakfast & Moby will drink her bowl dry of their delicious, cold, tap water.

 

Shade becomes very important during summer's heat down here. My Dad spent a few years growing up in Palatka, Florida so he had 1st hand knowledge on southern heat before air conditioning. He remembered the sweet smell of honeysuckle, slapping the water to scare away snakes before swimming in a stream's pond & walking from shade to shade down the street. The air temperature can vary up to 10* cooler in the shade than the sun on a hot summer day in the south. I've trained Moby to head of the shade anytime we are outside in the summer, then we slow down & savor the shade for as long as possible.

On the bright side, 2 islands have appeared in the center of the pond. I do love a good island, even flat islands like theses 2. There is just something about the largest island's edge, the natural curves, the water plants that break the water up in interesting ways.

If you pass our home, you may see someone twirling around & jumping up & down. I'm doing my rain dance, in hope rain will come soon. I've said a few prayers for all the farmers & creatures affected, too. This summer, we're sticking to the shade like glue, looking on the bright side, praying for rain & doing a rain dance. With a little luck, fall will bring rain sooner than later.

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