Two pieces of wood and a string.
And a sturdy nail into each end could save a life.
I love our pond... but not in winter.
See those footprints, they are heading straight for the thin ice.
Part of our pond never freezes, near the deep Spring where the water temperature is 65 degrees year round.
After thinking long and hard we decided to lower the pond for the winter months.
Large machinery and a friend with precise maneuvering skills made quick work of the task.
He even cleaned out the ditches which carry the water to our fields.
The water flowed so fast that many fish became stranded. I gathered them into a bucket of water and carried them back to the Pond.
An old farm Disk sat in one of the corners, getting in the way when harvesting our fields.
Because the equipment could only lift the Disk so far,
Our Friend backed up his big truck until it was level with the disk. He backed the truck into the machine (not the other way around) until it was swallowed up.
When I asked him if he was going to use it as a "sculpture", on his farm, our Friend surprised me by saying that "he would see if he could make it work again".
Not much is wasted in this small farm community.
If you live near frozen waters you must have one of these in the ready. Wear it around your neck and if you should fall through the ice, these handles can pull you up and on top of the ice.
Just in case and nearby our pond, a boat for the open water, a rake to reach with and what could be a lifesaver...a simple string with two wooden handles.
By opening the spillway, we lowered the pond by more than a foot.
Much safer.
It was minus 16 degrees Fahrenheit (-26.67 degrees Celsius) last night.
Now only a small pool open for the ducks.
And then there will be Spring and Summer
and Fall, when I love my Pond.
Have a great week my dear
Blogging Friends.
Gina
without the PicMonkey, Monkey Business. 
