On Frozen Pond

There's an artificial pond out behind our yard where the vineyard starts. It was made as a reserve in case of fire. We're fortunate to have a fire hydrant on the road by the house, but I think it's the last one on the street. The three houses around the bend aren't very close to it, so the pond would provide water to the firefighters. And I suppose that it would serve in the unlikely event of a fire in the vineyard itself.

Before and after freezing.

So this pond was dug and the town put a sign next to it that says the water is for fire emergencies. A few years ago the water level dropped severely (we've been having some drought years) and the town trucked water up from the river to re-fill the pond. Along with the water, they unintentionally brought some weeds that grow so fast that they nearly choke the pond in summer.

This past year the town came in and cleaned away all the overgrowth around the edges of the pond, leaving one apple tree, a bunch of shrubs (heavily pruned), and the tufts of grasses on the water's edge. It looks quite nice.

There are frogs and fish in the pond as well. In the spring the water is dark with tadpoles. In summer, the neighbor's grandkids bring their poles and try to catch the fish (to the chagrin of the mayor, who doesn't like them doing that; there's a story for another time).

The pond also freezes over in winter, but never enough to actually walk on. It's too bad, because I might be tempted to get myself a pair of ice skates. It's the perfect size for one or two!