Friday, September 9, 2011

the Great Blue Heron

After wondering if the ground would ever dry up from the constant spring rains, we went directly into the driest, hottest August on record.  We had no rain the whole month while storms on the East coast poured rain into swollen rivers whose banks gave way under the crashing waves and winds of two hurricanes.

While whole towns have been evacuated and homes destroyed beyond repair I sit and look out the window and find myself grateful.  We are safe, we have electricity, air conditioning and jobs to pay for the electric bills.  We have been so blessed.

We have a little pond in our back yard, perhaps 100' in diameter, but now after no rain, it is all but dried up.  We have had ducks and Canada Geese and Great White Egrets stop by, sometimes for days, but last month a solitary Great Blue Heron came and stayed. I guess we should give him a name.  (Once my daughter lived on this property in the winter and named two geese Fred and Ginger, but they lost their lives in a fire-arms incident.)

Now, instead of finding him on the edge of the water stalking food, he is knee deep in the center of the pond. Today it is finally raining a soft gentle rain.  Probably not enough to fill the pond by any means, but the cool air and rain are as welcome today as the heron was on the day of his arrival.