Ponds and Frogs and Other Things

About a quarter mile from our house is a nice little pond that the neighbors have graciously invited us to enjoy at our leisure. The girls and I have been over a few times, but try not to wear out our welcome.

We were introduced to the pond by one of the families who owns the place and particularly enjoyed frogging along the banks with their kids. The pond predates the current owners, and the previous owner, and a recent cleanout revealed that it is quite deep. It spreads nicely up its inlets in the spring, and by now has settled into a fairly oval hole. The outlet looks like it has been aligned with a natural outcropping of granite - nice planning on someone's part.

With no fish in the pond, there are countless frogs/toads. They're among the largest I've ever seen. V particularly enjoys catching them, though has had her greatest luck in the evening with the neighbor's kids guiding her. They have a lot more experience with the local setup. As we walk the edges of the pound, the frogs let out little froggy screams, then leap into the water leaving a splash that rivals the wake of a duck's landing wake.

We swam in the pond earlier in the season, when the water was fresh and new, but with no fresh water entering the pond, and none leaving, and an ecosystem that exists almost solely of frogs and the bugs they can't catch, it's become a little less inviting at this point in the season. Sure, it's been well above 100 for more than a week now, but we have our limits.

Someday we'd like to get the old pond here back in order. It's on the long list of some-day items, each of which comes with a financial cost as well as a time commitment. We're knocking it down one paycheck at a time.

Live Oak Music Festival: Hippy Fun for the Family

Ever since 2002, with the exception of one year, the girls and I have enjoyed Father's Day weekend at Live Oak Music Festival near Santa Barbara. I considered skipping it this year due to finances, but thanks to their volunteer work-trade offerings, we were able to return to the three-day eclectic music fest. The girls earned their ticket by doing odd jobs around the farm. I earned my ticket by working several hours over the course of the weekend building marshmallow guns with Live Oak kids. The festival is well worth the effort, if you don't mind a crowd and the sounds of people having a good time.


Having attended several years, not being a big fan of heat or crowds, and having just moved, I was almost ready to skip this year, but when I mentioned that option to the girls, they were beside themselves. While most other offerings these days bring little reaction from them, Live Oak is a favorite. They love running the dirt roads with glow sticks and passels of kids who may or may not have showered, brushed their hair or even slept in the past two days. They sing songs and play games with Live Oak Friends - kids from throughout the U.S. who gather here every year. I love to watch them enjoy themselves.

This year's added fun came with a new group of kids who found our very public camping spot at a main intersection in the campground. I gave the kids some room by heading into the trailer for awhile, windows open, while they played guitar and visited outside. At one point, I heard one of the boys egging on another.

"What did you say?" he chided.

"I said, 'I like her. I mean I like-like her. I'm not afraid to say it,'" the second answered as he sat next to my pre-teen.

"Ah-hahahaha! DUDE! Her mom's RIGHT THERE," howled the first.

I'm not sure my girls were even aware what the joke was all about.

My new favorite young man turned to me sheepishly, then hid his head in a towel.

"Why are you embarrassed," I asked through the window. "So you like a girl. That's perfectly normal! It's the decisions you make from there that matter to me."

He unwrapped his head, beamed and cheered, "You're the BEST mom, EVER!"

I think we might survive this phase.

On Special People - Auntie M

She heard about the spiders, the snakes, the rodents and the heat. She doesn't like spiders. She sure doesn't like snakes. Rodents give her the heebie-jeebies. And heat has never been a friend to any of us. Yet she shared her limited time to venture south into the heat and wilds to share in our joy of place.

Thank you, Auntie M. We love you!