Tuesday, 5/29

     Yesterday before supper, Tricky and I hiked around the pond. It’s not a huge pond, but it was a fun hike, for both of us, and it was big enough that I burned some energy off.  It started out with the ground being a little squishy, and VERY moveable – tundra-esque in that moving, hummocky sort of way. There are clumps of grasses that stick up, and holes in between them, so you try to walk on the tufts (someone told me they used to call them “nigger heads.” Obviously not very PC, but I can see why they got that nickname) The holes in between are very wet, and boggy, so it was to my advantage to stay as much on top as I could, although I quickly gave up on expecting the tufts to be stable. You step on them, and move WITH them, because the ground under them is also very wet and boggy. I made the mistake of wearing the LOW Bog boots. Seemed like a good idea when I left. I hadn’t really planned on swimming, so…waterproof boots that come up past your ankles seemed fabulous.  Hmmm.

     For a while, I stayed on a path that seemed to wind its way along the shore, and I even found a couple of dog footballs out there, so obviously Kristin and the pups have been there many times.  There were ducks, and Canada Geese floating around, and they seemed pretty serene, initially.

 As long as we were on THIS side of the pond. We got to the west end of the pond, and it seemed to be, well, more PONDlike.  It seemed like there was more water and less path. In fact, there really wasn’t a path at all anymore, but I could still sort of step from clump to clump, although more of them were UNDER water than above it.

 At this point, I was still dry. And still thinking, somehow, despite the huge expanse of boggy water leading away from the pond on the far side, that I could SOMEHOW, SHOULD somehow, still make my way AROUND the pond. Well, in hindsight, I bet you CAN do that. In July, when it hasn’t just monsooned for several days. But in the back of my head, I kept hearing Kristin say, “You can hike around the pond, if you want, “ so I’m out there thinking, “well, ok, yeah, I WANT to, but it’s kinda wet…how do you DO this?”   And then, I saw a duck siting on one of the bigger tufts. And I thought, “Wow. Maybe it has a nest there.”  So then my focus became to get to THAT tuft.

 And I’d figure out what to do from there… maybe go back? I could, I could ALWAYS go back, but then, that wouldn’t be hiking “AROUND” the pond, which somehow had become a GOAL, goshdarnit.   Well, let me just say, I quickly became aware that the HIGHER Bog boots, the ones that are waterproof almost up to your knees, would have been the better choice. Because really, you can’t step on tufts that are clearly underwater and somehow expect NOT to get wet.  I guess.  So, water fills my left boot. And suddenly, my choices become more limited – or, maybe more expansive. I had a choice. Put my right foot forward, and get THAT foot wet, too, and continue AROUND the pond with wet feet. Or, attempt to go back, keeping ONE foot dry, and not make it around the pond. Well, heck. What a choice. After all, what good is one dry foot? And really, what harm are wet feet? So I’m truly standing there, one foot wet, one not, philosophizing, “What good is life if you never get your feet wet? You might miss the good stuff if you are only willing to venture out with dry feet.” 

     I did have a couple of moments of “Is this safe?” Kinda like the day I took that great hike, and only later realized that I probably should have worn a bear bell, or sung Christmas carols (the only songs I can remember all the words to)  or brought bear spray.  I wondered if I would sink, and drown out there. I wondered if that bogginess was really body-sucking swampiness. But I watched Tricky, and the whole time, he barely got wet, other than his feet, unless he wanted to. He never floundered, never had to swim, and was upright, on his feet, the whole time  So, I figured it was safe enough.   It was great fun after that. Once you’re not trying to stay dry, there were all kinds of things to see. Ducks, geese (not so serene when we got close to them),

no nest but I did find a feather. I found the Labrador Tea plant that Cathy and Tracey showed me last week.  I brought some leaves back to make tea with, but put them in my bag with the moose poop, so decided against tea when I got home.  

     Read and finished another book, and went to bed by 9 pm. VERY unusual for me, here. The sunlight makes it VERY hard for me to feel sleepy much before 11, and even then I have trouble GOING to sleep and staying asleep. I’m usually awake at 2, and then again around 4, although I’ve gotten so I can identify 4 am by the light change.  At 6 am, I feel like it’s probably 8, and am very happy to go back to sleep until 8. I think that 4 am is probably the darkest it gets, and I could still read a book outside by that light. And by 5, it’s much much brighter again. The dogs are quiet all night long, unless the moose wanders through (I haven’t seen her since the very first day – I kinda miss her) or one of them barks once or twice. I wake, and look forward to hanging out with them during breakfast and yard clean up again.