I rose this morning to pouring rain. Great, I thought to myself as I put together sweet potatoes, veggies, and fresh eggs for the dogs' breakfast, we'll be soaking wet walking in this downpour. Don't get me wrong, I think we really need the rain. Last week at a little out-of-the-way duck pond that we had recently discovered, the water level was way down and the edges of the pond were foamy. I shooed the dogs away from the water and vowed not to return until fall – and it's only April. Yesterday morning another much bigger pond that has provided many swimming opportunities over the past few years, and is home to a number of ducks, geese, herons, and other waterfowl, sported large globs of florescent green scum on the edges. My human walking friend and I noted the unnatural color of the floating stuff and frantically called the dogs away, fearing an outbreak of the toxic algae that has plagued some lakes and ponds in the Portland area recently. We made our way to the Columbia River instead, where the cool running water does not collect algae and any effects of chemical run-off are not obvious to the eye.
It's a difficult world to live in these days; pollutants are everywhere – in air and water, food and soil. Contaminants are unavoidable, so once again, I have to take a cue from Nicholai. I have to have fun when and where I can. I have to make judgments – like avoiding the florescent green stuff. But given a lull in the rain, sun breaking through the clouds, a sandy beach, cool apparently clear water, and a tennis ball in play – hey – what's to complain about. As Nickel says, "Life is good." J
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