#143

About a hundred yards to the immediate left of the back deck of our house, which is a condominium and therefore a big long building with other houses inside it and the deck is sandwiched between two other decks, the land drops a little and there lies the source of a creek. I have smoked a lot of cigarettes by this body of water. It springs up just past the border of the neighborhood on city land, which is wooded and separates us and the private school we share our main neighborhood road with from the next condo complex over, and marks the border of the private school's lands not directly facing us.

Some years ago the school dug out a pond on its side of the big field behind my house. The creek borders this field and strikes out into some woods further in that direction, before the highway cuts them off. The school buildings are on a rise beyond the field, their tall, square, white-tiled theater building a constant part of looking out the window. I used to catch a bus out at the front of that school, so it could take me to my school.

I thought it was a pretty arrogant thing to do, and it looked shitty for a long time, but they knew their business. A proper ecosystem now, in it and around it, native flora, flourishing algae, a colony of water rats, a relationship with the creek flow, all good stuff. They built wooden walkways out on their side of the creek and a big observation deck overlooking the pond and a little amphitheater for outdoor classes.

Anyway the morning sun was at a great angle and a couple of Canada geese were bathing, dipping their heads and jerking them back out like rearing snakes to water their backs and shaking it all back off with those great shivering wave-vibrations waterfowl employ so magnificently. Because of the bright gold light behind them, glimmering on the surface and making shining crystal out of every flying drop, they looked spectacular doing this, and the browns off-whites of their plumage shone tawny and warm, leaping out against the black, their white cheek-patches flaring.

Those birds suck to live with, but they have their moments, it must be said.

*

Also a couple of days ago I watched a water rat lazily chase a slightly nervous mallard around in the water for a couple of minutes. At least one of them was having fun.

*

The post that is actually about the creek is tomorrow's post. 

--JL