Lakes R Us

Our ponds that form every rainy winter and usually dry out by

every normal summer, have turned into lakes. The largest one is behind our back garden where we grow artichokes and tomatoes and a few herbs along with squash and beans, pumpkins and peas, romaine lettuces and the very occasional eggplant. It has seeped into our backyard and has made one heck of a mess, and good old handy husband person has had to dig a deep trench to try to drain it away. But in some well-traveled places the grass is completely gone and only squishy muddy pathways remain.

This year of unending rainstorms and sodden ground has made it close to impossible to walk in those low-lying areas of our garden. And this lake is flooding us further as it exceeds its banks. The other ex pond that is now a lake is in front of the house on a paddock and it has doubled in area and reaches the street just past the large hedgerow of pines. But I do enjoy hearing the ducks come in for a landing on the now deeper water as they water ski to a stop, then flap their wings energetically, probably to dry them off. I’ve taken some photos of these lakes today after we’ve suffered through a succession of very horribly windy days and I’ve noticed that the water on the front lake has receded substantially. But it will be back along with our driveway flooding by tomorrow morning after tonight’s rain.

Such is life now at the House of Cluck-Cluck in a nasty season that is producing yet another storm system tonight with temperatures dropping drastically and rain that most likely will turn into snow predicted for the next few days. I guess winter is going out with a hiss and a roar but just as long as it goes out, I really don’t care how it does it. Here in New Zealand our spring is supposed to start on the first day of September. We’ll be very lucky if that happens this year and I will kiss the ground if it does on that propitious day. Even the daffodils should be opening around that time although up north at my daughter’s house there were masses of them weeks ago with their cheerful yellow blooms. I did see that we have other bulbs open now too, those tiny snowbells or some name like that. Right now though, I’m going to sit by the fire John just lit as it gets dark around the place and the cold inside feels almost as bad as outside until the logs really catch. Again I’m reminded that this is life in Technicolor in the raw. I never thought about any of these issues in California. Silly me. What did I know then about New Zealand life? Probably just enough to fill a thimble.