Monday, December 22, 2008

Souls on Ice



It takes a lot of faith to step out onto a frozen pond: faith in your own strength; faith in the universe; and most of all, faith in the people who will have to save your soggy, freezing butt if you fall through.

But if you dare, and if you trust, the earth reveals hidden wonders and delights.

This weekend the hubby announced the pond ice was thick enough for skating. He's the only one of us who actually owns a pair of ice skates, though, so for the rest of us it was thick enough for scooting.

The boys and I were timid at first, stepping gingerly on the frosty crust and listening for cracking sounds. There were none. The snow, ice storm, and arctic temperatures of the last two weeks have turned the water to stone--and the ice turned all of us into kids for the day.

Hubby tried out his old moves, zipping between us and racing circles around the edges. I scuffled off to explore the many shrubs and plants I had admired from the bank. To my surprise, the thicket behind the pond is covered in lovely red berries, and the bush that forms a little island has wonderful, spiky seed pods that hang like Christmas tree ornaments, glittering within the ice.

Ice seeds2IMG_3884

Beneath the ice itself were more surprises. There is a small circle of thinner, clear ice, like a portal into the world below. Up from the impossibly cold water, tiny creatures swam up toward the light. The guys here are examining what may be an insect nymph, no more than half an inch long, its fins beating fast as hummingbird wings.

Ice Fishing

Could this adventure have ended badly? Sure. But it didn't. It ended in great memories, a warm fire, and hot cocoa. Sometimes, faith is rewarded. Sometimes, you just have to step out onto the ice.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That sounds like it was a great afternoon. The shot of the seed pods makes them look exactly like Christmas ornaments!

spookydragonfly said...

Loved this post! I wish I had that faith to step onto our pond. It would be neat to experience the pond from a different viewpoint, rather than from the ponds' edge. Keep the faith! Looks like fun...I'll just experience it through you! Merry Christmas!!

Unknown said...

Looks like a lot of fun! Merry Christmas! Hope you're having a great one!

Anonymous said...

How wonderful...I guess we could skate on our pond..that is if any of us could skate and owned skates. LOL. Beautiful set of photos...Happy Holidays..

MyMaracas said...

Hi Sally, it was indeed a day we'll always remember. I don't know what that plant is, but I'm trying to find out.

Spooky, why not try going out on one of those big, inflatable sleds? If the ice cracks, it's a boat. Just be sure to tie a rope between it and the shore.

Lisa, merry Christmas to you too, darlin'!

Rambling, only the hubby has skates. The rest of us scoot around in our boots. It's less dramatic, but it's still fun. Happy holidays!