My 2009 summer spent shoveling gravel into my 12 hp lawn tractor-trailer and hauling it down to the soggy "Meadow Project" has now been somewhat flooded by the 2010 beaver's work ... it's turned into an "Island" ... needing a plank bridge to get to it ... OK, so "Cedar Pond" now has an island, with a hue of green as the grass seed has started to sprout ... hummm, do I order more gravel?
I heard on an NPR radio program that the "Dragon Fly" flies over clean water and is a good sign ... if that's the case, then all the huge helicopter-size and many wonderful tiny blue, yellow, red dragon flies that have been graciously eating our pesky mosquitoes, are a healthy water sign and I'm delighted :o)
Here at pondside, on my wonderful family "60th" birthday bench gift, rests my newest necessary foot apparell purchase (not the best of color choices) ... with the current high water level, wild "high-bush" berry pickin' is done from the "Cedar-Sage" rowboat, one of 2 kayaks or "Yup" wading to bushes wearing "high water" boots ... 14 quarts in the freezer thus far (for the pie lovers: it takes an hour plus to pick a quart and a quart to make a pie)
Willow just loves to walk the "dry" ground and graze from the many "low-bush" blueberry bushes ... attractive purple stools! Oh, and I tried kayaking with Willow and doing some berry picking ... creates quite a visual "Kodak moment" ... her mouth goes faster than my hands can pick! "Willow, get your snoot out of that berry pail!"
Where is Sutter you wonder ... lying back on the dock, waiting to be hand-fed her share of berries ... smart girl Sutter!
A wonderful benefit of the high water this late in the year is that I can kayak with each of the girls out into the quiet "Marsh" and enjoy the sound of nature ... normally the Marsh is only accessable in early Spring after the snow run-off ... approaching August, it is usually pretty dried up ... at the right of this photo, looking out into the marsh, you can see the beaver's lodge :-)
Reflecting:
back in 2007 when SunKissed Golden Retriever babies Lyric, Diva, Truly and Teller were just "lil' shavers", SunKissed friends spent a wonderful weekend at 3 days of showing in Essex Junction Vermont (Truly won "Best Puppy in Show") ... last year we returned to that fun scene and Lyric brought home 2 blue ribbons (ok, in each class by herself) ... well, it's that weekend again and the SunKissed friends are returning ... sadly, my work schedule won't let me join them this year :-(
DON'T POSTPONE the JOY ;o)
Then this past Monday Willow graduated from her "Basic Pet" class ... proudly I like to think with "HONORS", as she was pretty amazing (all of the 9 dogs made such great improvement from week #1) ... in a couple weeks she'll start a 7 week "Advanced Pet-Canine Good Citizen" class ... we both love taking class together ;o)
