DocAndersen
The first thing my wife said when I, dripping wet, carried the Kayak back up the hill to where we kept it under the deck, was “you went in that.” She pointed at the pond. My wife loved looking at the pond but seldom if ever went near it. “it smells” she announced frequently. Additionally, while she isn’t anti-goose or anti-turtles, beavers or muskrats she is anti- in any form snakes. There were some Natrix Americanus or more commonly the common brown water snake. My wife hates snakes. Brown or common water snakes don’t help. They are probably the most aggressive snakes I’ve ever encountered. Once while mowing near the pond, one rose out of the grass and lunged at the riding mower I was on. Before I could react the snake was off on a new journey.
The title enjoyed lunch that day.
We lived in that house for 11 years. There were many happy and wonderful memories in that house. The pond, not so much. I can honestly say that I only went into or onto that water one time. Shown today by the pictures taken of me kayaking on the pond. I went into the pond three other times, but those were not on purpose. While mowing, I slipped on the steep part of our yard that led into the pond and well in I was. The water was at its deepest point at our end of the pond. So I went into the water, into the mud and up to my knees pretty quickly. I would love to say it wasn’t gross but it was. I used to help my grandfather put the pier in at Lake Ripley. That never bothered me.
Lake Ripley was clean and didn’t smell like the pond did in Indiana. Or maybe I was older. I don’t know what the overall difference was. Perhaps it was that I was helping my grandfather and that was fun. I nearly, one of the times I went into the pond, lost the mower, but managed to cut the blade (it had a handle that you held so that the mower would run) and pull it to the right when I slid into the water on the left. My wife wouldn’t let me in the house, nor was I allowed to clean off in the pool. I had to stand in the backyard and use the cold hose water to get the gunk off of me. The kids, on the other hand, were laughing and wishing they had captured the moment on video or still picture. I have the one picture of me in the pond, that is enough.
Yikes! If a snack plunged at me I would probably have a stroke!
… Typo not snack… SNAKE! 🙂