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What, you thought you'd find that Madonna? The Material Girl?
Fortunately, I've never been mistaken for the celebrity. I'm a few years older. Okay, more than a few years.
And I never wear a metal bra. In Florida's heat and humidity?
Because of our name association, we do share
space on search engines. You'll find my writing credits interspersed with her music, books, and offers to enter the bawdy
side of life. Due to her lifestyle, my book, Swinging Sisters, has popped up on porn sites. Anyone
buying my book from those sites is in for a surprise. The subject of Swinging Sisters is far
removed from what it might suggest.
So, you're wondering about Worlud Pond. Or maybe not. At any rate, here's the
deal: My husband and I live in a house with a pond in the backyard, a pond with no name. Our young granddaughter, Grace, pronounces
the word "world" as worlud. In her honor, we call our view Worlud Pond.
When asked how to get to
Worlud Pond, Grace explained, "Oh, you just go to Africa and turn left and then park and there you are."
The pond is ever-changing, the water mercurial
in texture, color, form, and movement. We've seen rainbows arch the width; spectacular sunrises in a watercolor
wash of pink and lavender and orange, full amber moons that glow like lanterns in the dark; twilight's palette of
a half dozen shades of green that Crayola hasn't yet named; the rushes and reeds shrouded in a scrim of velvet fog; easy
rain dimple the water; brisk wind churn the current into frenzied ripples; dappled sunshine creating a cracked ice effect;
leaping fish break the placid surface, snatching insects and then descending again, leaving bubbling
circles in their wake; fairies dancing at dawn on mist-shrouded lily pads; a bale of thirty-some turtles swimming in early
morning; swarms of dragonflies skimming the banks, Snappy Gator silently floating, like a log with eyes, and
a great blue heron, as still as a watercolor painting, a ghostly sentinel in the marsh, its beak poised like a spear,
waiting....
Although Snappy Gator reigns, lethargic turtles doze nearby and birds saunter around
undaunted by the sinister reptillian presence. Commencing in May and running through October, a hallelujah frog
chorus shatters the night from about ten p.m. until one a.m. It's like nothing I've heard before and
I've not found words to describe the sound; you must hear it to believe it. On a recent visit, Grace discovered a baby
alligator in the pond. She named it Flower Linnet (her middle name).
The bird list so far includes: great
blue heron, lesser heron, night heron (my favorite), white egret, ibis, limpkin, gallinule, Florida mallard, whistling wood
duck, anhinga, wood stork, sandhill crane, eagle, buzzard, turkey buzzard, hoot owl, Mister Nasty (a grizzled great
blue heron), and an impressive tawny red-shouldered hawk. Away from the pond but in the neighborhood, I spotted
a bobcat dashing across the parkway. And we've seen otters at one site.
If you find yourself at
Worlud Pond, please stroll around. Watch out for Snappy. He sometimes comes ashore to bask in the sun. He might
look like he's sleeping, but he can't be trusted. He's contemplating his next meal.
Contact me at Iowagirl1@aol.com
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