Surf's Up...

Each spring, I take a photograph of the little pond in our back yard at Brynwood to document its water level. It's not what I would call a pond if we still lived up north...it's more a catch basin for excess water that might come into our yard during "The Rainy". Most of the year it looks like this (bottom lip sticking out, sad face):

But let it rain for a little while! The water that lands on our roof is carried to gutters with downspouts. They drain into a tile that moves the water to The Basin. All the water in our yard moves to The Basin and before you know it, all those water drops add up to make it a real Pond! (Doing the wet-feet happy dance!)

This photograph was taken yesterday from the same vantage point as the first (taken last April). You can see here that my beloved cypress trees now have their toes in the water. The few fish that tough it out here year-round now have more room to swim. We have resident turtles who love to bask on fallen logs. (I'll have to go back and make sure there's one in there for them now.) It even makes me happier to see all that water.

First, I know our drainage is doing its job (keeping water away from our home), but also, I love seeing the water and the life it attracts. When I was out taking this photograph, I watched flurries of dragonflies hunting the surface of the water. I love dragonflies.

We've had a drought for a couple of years here in the sunny South, and even with all this rain, the water supply is a little tenuous. For now, I'll take a chair into the yard, thank God for the water, toss a little fish food for the "residents" and enjoy our view of The Pond. (More rain, please.)