En garde ! (fencing)

Last fall our town replaced the fence that surrounds the little pond outside our back gate. I believe the pond is artificial. It's fed by rain runoff from the vineyard road and drains down the slope behind our property. The pond is home to some little fish (one of our neighbors once said she stocked the pond so her children could fish in it), and a multitude of frogs. From time to time a pair of mallard ducks hangs out there, but they always fly away when Callie and I walk around the perimeter.

Dew and spiders' webs on the fence out back.

When the weather is very cold, ice will form on the surface of the pond. Since we've been here, it hasn't been cold enough for the ice layer to be thick enough to walk on. I wonder if that has ever happened? Early on, when we had a few drought years, the town trucked up tankloads of water to replenish the pond. There's a sign out there stating that the pond is reserve for fire fighting. Fortunately, it's not ever been needed for that.

By the way, the sport of fencing is called escrime in French, a word that has nothing to do with actual fences. My little joke.