My Frog Pond

                                                                             
              View of my bridge over pond

The story goes that when when the cottage was for sale many would be buyers turned it down because of the pond that sits on the property and the long bridge (somewhat rickety) as the only way to reach the beach. Those are the very things that I first fell in love with (before I'd ever even been inside).  The bridge shouted romance to me and I still believe I'll see a wedding on that bridge one day...(boys? are you listening :^).  As for the pond, it is a treasure of critter life. Ducks are the first to occupy in the spring, and discovering their beautiful green eggs is better than any Easter egg hunt. Next come the Spring Peeper frogs, which happened this week. Hundreds if not thousands of them! At least that is how it sounds. Like a chorus of tinkering bells as evening sets in. The most beautiful music after a long silent winter. Its funny that for so many of them living in the pond, I rarely see them.. but there is no doubt they are there.  And if they sense you are there (like when I step onto my bridge) they all shut up.. all at once! Perhaps they all get a memo that says..."Shhhhh!!!"  Muskrats will soon be building homes on the pond and Red Wing Blackbirds will perch on the cattails but my favorite of all pond life are my Bullfrogs.  No sound, not even the Loons make me smile and laugh as I do with my "bullies" as I call them.

                                                                         
At night they engage in what sounds like a bunch of old men playing poker, farting , burping and telling jokes... one or two start with their low voices and pretty soon they all respond in unison...then quiet.. then another one speaks up... then they all chime in with baritone laughter...and I can't help but laugh along with them.  If Im working along the pond..raking or whatnot, its common for a bully to lay flat out on a log (some are a good 7 inches) with his toes dangling in the water and just watch me. They are not shy like the Peepers. Ive lost a few to snakes but they live an average of 5 years so many I have come to name and have even held their tadpole offspring.  I'm glad other buyers rejected the pond. I'm in awe and wonder every day and in a few weeks I'll be eves dropping on the bullies first poker game of summer.

    A rare moment to capture, cycle of nature