Pond Reflections...

Sitting here at the pond and reflecting on daily life is pure joy. I love this pond.

Welcome to our pond. Mr. Hubby actually went to "pond college" and built this from our land that was completely overgrown and scruffy. He built it to be a still water pond and all of the plants are special water plants that perform duties which keep the pond natural and ongoing.

He also thought of the many critters who would wander in and possibly get stuck so he built this shallow end beach for them to access a drink and be able to get out. We have numerous critters such as skunks, racoons, dogs, deer, herons, ducks, birds, squirrels and chipmonks who all enjoy this wonderful body of water. I love the lilly pads and flowers and my favorite is to see frogs sitting on the lilly pads. We have beautiful iris flowers however I missed photos this year as they come and go so quickly. It seems a shame to wait an entire year and then only have blossoms for such a few short days.

This year we had lots and lots of little frogs and they serenaded us day and night. Even our remote neighbors enjoyed the sounds. Then we had hundreds of tadpoles. Now the tadpoles are morphing into little tiny frogs and I am amazed at the transformation. I truly enjoy watching them for hours at a time. Unfortunately the tiny frogs seem to be moving on and the pond is missing them sitting on their lilly pads...or more aptly I should say I am missing them.

I think this picture is pretty good taken with my wonderful new camera I got earlier this year. Isn't it wonderful that tadpole and frog-pole both posed for me so well?!

I hope each of you enjoyed seeing a bit of our pond and the wonders of it all. The hard work was more than worth the hours of enjoyment we have now. Of course each year brings new and interesting challenges for keeping the pond healthy and sustainable. That is for Mr. Hubby to deal with. I am merely the one who watches the many colors of dragonflies as they soar over the water and the plants as they re-grow after winter and the birds who take their precious little baths in the edge of the water...

I know I am very fortunate and I am eternally grateful for this wonderment.

Lots of rain...

Hello blog readers:

We are having another couple of days of rain here in Northern California. I am happy because we so desperately need the water table. My daffodils are happy because they are just beginning to blossom. The froggies in the pond are happy and singing and swimming and singing. I even hear them singing during the night. It is a most happy sound.

As it was raining yesterday I had the opportunity to do laundry while indoors and snuggly. I also had the ambition to clean out some cupboards in the utility room. My husband and I have lived here in this home for a decade already. It is amazing what I manage to cram into cupboards. I am famous for fitting 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag but that is not always a compliment. I found things in the cupboards that had gotten shoved way into the back where no one could have seen it from a normal position. However I saw everything yesterday as I was up and down the step stool and crawling around the floor on my hands and knees. I reorganized lots of cleaning supplies and made them easier to access. I donated lots of crafty things I will never get to. I threw away lots of junk that I will never use nor need. I didn't help out my studio as I carried lots of supplies into it and shut that door. I had paper making supplies, paint, glues, finishes and other assorted crafting supplies in the utility room thinking that I would be working on those types of projects there because of the large sink with water. Well, in ten years I have not done so and decided that craft and art supplies really belong in the studio. My Saucy Chick Co-founder agreed via telephone that when we are working on a project in the studio I am always saying, "Oh, that is upstairs" and running to get whatever it is we need at the moment.

After an entire day of lots of toil and trouble I have some very nice and clean and neat cupboards. I also left some empty just to impress my husband who always complains that I have too much stuff. I definitely needed a good long Epsom soak in the air-jet tub last evening.

Today I do not have the same ambition as yesterday even though it is still raining. I am doing paperwork and correspondence at my desk. Our home office is very quiet and cave-like without even so much as a window to hear or see the rain. Fill water table, fill.

Butterflies always make me smile. They are the bearer's of 10,000 happinesses.