I played with several titles for this post. "dead water" nearly won the thought race.
When I returned from my Great Trek, one of the first places I visited was my pond. The natural condominium for fish, birds, and crocodiles.
I knew when I left that the vegetation would undoubtedly take over the water surface in my absence. If not the water cabbage and hyacinth, the water lilies would prevail.
They may have. But just before I arrived, the authorities with backhoes broke through the sea dunes to let the laguna flush. In the hope that if hurricane Bud dropped its predicted inches of rain, it would all rush out into the ocean.
When the dunes are breached, my inlet is high enough that almost all of the water heads out to sea in the Big Flush. And that is what happened this time.
My tranquil pond is a tangle of dying vegetation and stinking mud. While I have the opportunity, I will dig up some of the water lilies to cut down on their intrusion.
But I will simply be humoring myself that I am controlling anything. After all, the water will soon return in our rainy season. As will the vegetation. And the crocodiles.
There is one upside, though. It may only be my perception, but the number of mosquitoes seems to have dwindled.
And that is a very good thing.
When I returned from my Great Trek, one of the first places I visited was my pond. The natural condominium for fish, birds, and crocodiles.
I knew when I left that the vegetation would undoubtedly take over the water surface in my absence. If not the water cabbage and hyacinth, the water lilies would prevail.
They may have. But just before I arrived, the authorities with backhoes broke through the sea dunes to let the laguna flush. In the hope that if hurricane Bud dropped its predicted inches of rain, it would all rush out into the ocean.
When the dunes are breached, my inlet is high enough that almost all of the water heads out to sea in the Big Flush. And that is what happened this time.
My tranquil pond is a tangle of dying vegetation and stinking mud. While I have the opportunity, I will dig up some of the water lilies to cut down on their intrusion.
But I will simply be humoring myself that I am controlling anything. After all, the water will soon return in our rainy season. As will the vegetation. And the crocodiles.
There is one upside, though. It may only be my perception, but the number of mosquitoes seems to have dwindled.
And that is a very good thing.
12 comments:
Ah you almost paint a picture of this adventurer, clad in shorts, kakee shirt, pith helmet, chopping his way through the jungle vines with a machete, shooting beasts, while alligators in swamps lunge at his support natives.
Man, you have a complex life, if it isn't scorpions, then it's mosquitos, hurricanes or humidity, certainly you have enough stuff to keep you occupied for another 100 years...
I like to think of myself as intrepid. The Jungle Jim of Melaque. How is that for dredging up a cultural icon of our youth?
It sounds like something out of a tarzan scene, without the apes.
I do hope you're being careful, when you're digging up those water lilies, to keep an eye out for the crocodiles.
The crocodiles are stuck down in the main stream. And will be until the water starts rising again. And that may be soon looking at today's clouds.
And why do you assume no apes?
'cause I never saw any, there anyway.
And you have? Would be nice to know so I'm made aware, as I can take precaution...
They can usually be found during the day by turning over bricks or debris.
May have to bring a shovel, next time.
which brings me to another question - with humidity at about 85% (I think I read today it was 94% there), high temps and the summer rains about to begin - how bad IS the mosquito situation there, by season? If I get there in Nov/Dec - do I need a case of repellent? It's not as bad as the jejenes in San Blas, is it? Gayle in PDX
I thought I stepped on a scorpion in the middle of the night in my bare feet. It turned out to be a little land crab.
The mosquitoes are a problem most of the year. Mainly in the evening, but they are out all day long. They seem to bother some people more than others. I use a lot of Off and always have a can of Raid at the ready. Dengue is a concern.
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