Endless Summer Ends

We had extended summer weather into the first week of October here in Chicagoland. Temperatures exceeded 80F (>26.5C), and I took full advantage of them. Outdoor pools and beaches had closed in August, but I still had my secret illegal swimming pond open all year round.

With temps cooperating, I was able to utilize my secret swimming hole in late September and into the first week of October. People do ask me if I feel it is safe to swim in a potentially polluted pond. Well, I saw this near the pond and felt much better about swimming there.

That’s evidence of a beaver working on a tree, and there appears to be a beaver lodge on one side of the pond. If the pond is good enough for a beaver, it’s good enough for me.

But then the bottom dropped out of the temperatures and summer abruptly ended. I had to fish the fish and the frog out of our pond that freezes solid in winter and find a new home for them.

I considered releasing them in my swimming pond, but I thought that might make for an awkward reunion next year when I return to swim there.

Fish: Aren’t you the asshole who ripped us from our home and deposited us in this murky mess of a pond without food all winter?

Me: Nooooo. I’m just visiting my friend, the beaver.

I chose my traditional pond for the fish & frog release. I do miss the fish. I got 2 of them about a year ago to keep me company in my home office over the winter which I consider to run from October through March. Never mind that I have a dog that stays with me all day. I needed more. I turned last year’s fish tank into a terrarium and added some pill bugs also known affectionately as roly polies.

They’re cute, and they will even eat their own poop. It’s the perfect pet. No food or clean up needed! The only problem is that they are nocturnal and spend a lot of time under other things like rocks and wood. I do pick up the wood from time to time to check on them. They seem fine and probably would be better had I not just picked up their home.

Then I had a brilliant idea. I brought a bit of the pond into my office. In a clear plastic container, I scooped some pond water, rocks, algae, and a bit of my pond’s water lily. After a day of settling, I found it to be alive with tiny white creatures swimming about. And then I discovered some baby snails and a couple types of aquatic worms (good name for a band). It has proven to be a good diversion for me from work.

But it did get me thinking. If my pond with very clear water is teeming with life swimming about, what could possibly be inhabiting my murky illegal swimming pond? Did I mention that I do not put my face in the water when swimming in my secret illegal pond. But when I do my summer open water swims in lakes, I know I swallow water. What exactly is it I’m swallowing? What are those little white things that I have undoubtedly ingested?

I guess I’ll worry about that next summer. For now I’ll enjoy my little slice of pond life in my office, although I do miss feeding the fish. I have no clue as to what to feed aquatic worms.