Blog–6/1/21 Hideaway Pond hideawaypond.com
Spring bowed graciously out of the Hideaway last night. A week of typically warm, beautiful weather preceded her flowery exit.
Just in time to stand aside as Summer came sizzling in. Hot. As in very hot–and humid. The overhead fan on the porch sufficed until early afternoon. Then we reluctantly closed the windows and turned on the AC.
The heat hasn’t deterred “Harry” the heron from his daily run on our ill starred fish population. “Harry“, so named by my lovely bride, comes in large, medium and small sizes. Or so I’ve noticed. I suspect that there may be several “Harrys”. With perhaps even a “Harriette” among them. No sexual intake gap here.
This is probably a blessing, as it keeps the bass alert until the dragon flies arrive. Whereupon they will spend the summer leaping fruitlessly at their fleet prey. Perhaps within that delicate and colorfully winged little body lies the heart of a sadist. And that knows that bass are not the smartest critters of a pisces persuasion.
The grass carp are in piscatorial paradise. A guy came with his big John Deere mower today and rendered the entire property to a cut that would bring pride to the most avid marine recruit. This process throws copious amounts of grass into the pond. A semi-weekly grass carp bacchanal.
Three does graze every evening like clockwork on the strip of grass between the ledge and the pond. Their red summer coats blaze against the grays and greens of the background. A doe and her fawn have run through the same area several times since the fawn first joined sylvan society.
A bear dropped by yesterday. He was not attracted by our delightful company and avoided us. A black bear with a beautiful healthy coat shows little detail from a distance. This makes it difficult to photograph, As in this case. So what you get instead of a black bear is a black blur. Please bear with us.
The Carolina wren that occupies one of the hanging baskets appears to be feeding her young. Though she’s only feet away we keep our distance to avoid disturbing her new family. Two other hanging baskets have been furnished with nests, but have become unused. Perhaps the wrens didn’t like the neighborhood. Another more grim possibility is that a predator has taken them. A red tail hawk with a lean and hungry look has been in the area. Mother Nature plays no favorites.
A pack of coyotes regularly yip and yowl their night time way through the adjacent creek bed. It seems to be one of their chosen paths from place to place. I’ve stolen their voices and placed them here. Be careful. They bite!
An occasional buck, aloof and regal in demeanor, will stroll through the property. Bucks are beginning to develop their seasonal antlers. A “velvet” coat will cover and nourish their “rack” as it develops. After the velvet has served its purpose, it will shrivel and fall off. The antlers will then become the buck’s weapons as he squares off against competition during the rutting season. The winner will then claim his prize. Sort of a cervidaen singles bar.
Even as I write this, two young bucks have entered the yard and begun grazing on the newly cut grass. Each head is adorned with spikes about three inches long. Thus they are called “spike bucks”. Antlers first emerge as small nubs, or buttons. And their owners are called–you guessed it–”button bucks”. Underwhelming, but we all have to start someplace.
As the bucks were grazing, two turkeys ran through the yard and disappeared into the woods.
Mother Nature, for all of her pragmatism, has choreographed an interesting afternoon. A fitting entre’ for the Hideaway’s slow slide into summer.
