Photo of "our" pond ...

This quarry pond lies between our home and and the neighbouring road. It was blasted out in the 40's or 50's, and the gravel was used to build the road bed. Over time, it has been transformed into a lovely pond. It is owned by the county, not us (they get the liability!). But the whole neighbourhood benefits from it's presence.

We are truly grateful for this pond. This pond is home to red-winged blackbirds, painted turtles, mud turtles and snappers, various kinds of fish and 8 species of frogs, American Bitterns, Green Herons and Great Blue herons; all have been spotted here since we arrived on Forty Foot Road.This pond also ensures that our home insurance rates stay low; it is the rural equivalent of a hydrant on our lawn. Were our house to catch fire, the pumper would draw from here. We sit and contemplate life here; we skate here in the winter; we sail homemade toy boats on it in the spring.

The County has been experiencing drought all summer. I don't remember the last time we had rain ... oh yes, the Sunday of the Fall Fair, although our neighbourhood experienced very little accumulation (less than 1 mm). Yesterday we were thrilled when a heavy fog rolled in. It doesn't take much precipitation to excite us. Great for a vacation spot; not so great for residents and local farmers.

The water haulage trucks have been traversing our neighbourhood for weeks. I am aware of families that have had an unbelievable 5 loads of water delivered already this summer. My friend Arnold, up on MacHill, has run out twice in the last month (only for brief periods); his house is situated on underground rivers and his well was built on a spring. The last time he ran out of water was 30 years ago.

Our well is a dug well, and is about 21 feet deep. Dug well is a bit of a misnomer, as our house is situated on bedrock. Dynamite was used to blast the well out, which also fractures the bedrock resulting in fissures that the water percolates through. Apparently the pond is also about 21 feet at it's deepest point (it was blasted out about six years ago to act as a reservoir for a local dairy farm). Right now at least a dozen farmers are drawing out of the pond to water their cattle and other livestock.

So we are thankful. Thankful for this pond, whether it is feeding our well, or whether it's just an indicator of the health of our well ... it seems as long as it has water, so do we. Thankful that we are learning to live wisely, and not waste this valuable resource like we might in the city. Thankful for the huge number of birds and wildlife we see due to our proximity to the local watering hole. Thankful ... so I thought I'd photograph "our pond" to commemorate it on this beautiful fall day.