The saga continues . . . On Jicarilla Pond.
If you recall from my story yesterday, Wesley, my fancy finned friend living in Jicarilla Pond, leaped out of the water onto the netting I had placed there to protect the habitat. This act of daring (and stupidity) set in motion a tragic course of events that may affect many of us for weeks to come.
I stopped on my way home last night to purchase new netting for the pond and so was a tad bit later than usual getting home. I went out to feed the fish as I always do, but had a feeling of unease as I approached the softly bubbling waterfall. The fading evening light added a sense of eeriness that grew as I began to take in the details of my typically cheerful water garden.
As many of you know, there is a large basket in the center of the pond where water Irises and Duckweed grow. This basket was turned over into the water and Irises were floating around, torn brutally from their anchoring pot. Nothing moved.
I was staring at a lifeless pond. Sometime in the daylight hours the devious, dastardly Carnivorous Crane had launched a savage attack on my defenseless little water dwellers! Jasmine and Dimitri had failed in their mission to keep the pond puppies safe. After searching frantically through reeds and roots, it appeared that not one of my beautiful fishes had survived the murderous rampage.
I cried, I raged at the cruelty of Mother Nature, I stomped and carried on like a spoiled child, and then . . . Out of the darkness flitted a flash of color. Maybe all was not lost after all!
Now, for those of you who know me well, you know that all life is very sacred to me. I once had a fish named Angel (I’m sure you can guess what kind she was) who got the Ick and lost her ballast. I removed her from her tank and tried in vain for days to safe her little life but, sadly, she eventually gave up the fight and moved on to fishy heaven. It was the same for Dead Bob, who “died” daily for about two weeks only to come back to life and swim away. When he finally passed I poked him for twenty minutes. Just in case.
So you can imagine how I felt upon seeing signs of life. Slowly - very slowly - Valerie poked her head out from behind a pot and swam toward me, followed by Miracle Max and Buttercup. As you can imagine, I cried some more, but this time the grief was joined by relief. About the time my tears dried up one of the Pleco’s, either Fezik or Inigo I’m not sure which, went flying by and I was filled with joy. I am still hoping that Wesley and his other friends, Dreamsicle, Spot, Moe and Joe are all not really completely dead. Maybe just mostly dead and hiding away in Star Leaf Cavern until they are strong enough to venture out again. I am an eternal optimist.
With that thought, I got to work, covering the pond with netting once more. And it’s a good thing I did.
This morning Jasmine was barking and barking so I ran outside to scold her, but what did I see? That rat bastard Carnivorous Crane standing on top of the neighbor’s roof! I threw rocks and called him names until he flew away into the distance. I do wish him well as he is a quite impressive crane however, I hope with all my heart that he stays out of my back yard.