A Duck's Life

Aargh! Thank You God for all this rain, but for Pete's sake, please stop it! We now have beach front (swamp front?) property in the back yard, and little space left to walk out front where we won't sink in up to our knees. Clay soil is great for massive puddles and lousy gardens. Oh, and Mallards.

More importantly, I"m having to use my 'special lamp' quite a lot lately, the one that recreates sunlight, not just light. It's pretty cool and weird, sort of like my dramatic need for sunlight. As a kid I used to put my face under a table lamp, hoping no one would see me. Now I know it's actually normal (though not common) to have SAD, (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

The good thing is that I'm working on redecorating some rooms, so if I'm being creative, the lamp must be working. Yes, decorating can seem shallow and frivolous, but it's not. If your yard is a mess with leaves and fallen branches, you clean it and make it better. If your bathroom is full of dirty clothes and wet towels, you do the same. Likewise with rooms that have ratty furniture and stained walls - signs of life, but no beauty. So fix them. Make them enjoyable, comfortable and worth living in.

By the way, I just looked out at the small (well, 8' x 4') "pond" that has grown out back, and you know what? With a little work, it could be permanent! As in, if I build up around the rim, I could make that clay bottomed recess between the trees a permanent area for those ducks, and some lovely water plants too. Why not? This part of MD is referred to as "The Wetlands" for a reason.

Okay, now I have to research water gardening. I can read up on it while in chemo tomorrow. The usual 48 hours of frenzied activity that follow the drugs will be spent learning how to do just that. I'll let you know if I learn anything of value.

By the way, I'll assume most ducks are content. Maybe it's time for me to be glad for the rain and the wet and the possibilities for beauty and new life my yard is offering.