Goldie Shows Herself

Three or four years ago my neighbor, Chris, gave me a gold fish to put in the pond. It was growing out of the little bowl and he wanted it to be happy. I let it slip into the spring water and did not see it until a cold spring day last year. I thought I was looking at a beach ball or water toy submerged in the reeds - then it moved and flashed a lovely white tail. I've been looking for her ever since. Today the identical thing happened. I saw a brilliant orange flash in the reeds and thought it was one of Hannah and Luke's toys. It didn't move at all, but I quickly realized we didn't have anything quite that beautiful, brilliant orange. There she was - about a foot long without the tail and quite round at the girth. I'm not surprised. The spring fed pond is teeming with little tadpoles and plant life. I took picture after picture, but missed the one that would have been the best - she lifted her head out of the water to eat an insect! We followed her back and forth at one end of the pond when I finally decided to leave her alone. I might not see her again for another year, which makes this sighting ever so cool. I think I will buy her some young gold fish friends, but they can't be too small or she will surely eat them.