Swimming in Duckweed

Yesterday AM, I arrived at Pond One only to find that my solar boat, Yaught, had come untied during a thunderstorm and drifted off to an inaccessible corner of the pond. I had my inflatable kayak handy so I paddled out to it to retrieve the boat. I tried to climb from the “I knew this would never work” kayak up onto Yaught and “See, what’d I tell ya” fell in up to my neck in green duckweed.

“Woman drowns in duckweed pond” flashed through my mind as I sank a tentative sandaled foot down, down, down into silt at the bottom of the pond. Luckily I was hanging on to Yaught for dear life. At least the water was warm.

I developed an awkward push/kick the mud style that slowly propelled me and Yaught back to the pier. About half-way back, I suddenly realized I still had my brand-new LG Straight Talk phone in my back pocket.  This was one warranty request that was going to need some explaining.  I pulled it out, dripping with duckweed and tossed it onboard. Well, all I needed now was to get attacked by a killer snapping turtle and my day would be complete.

I climbed unscathed up on the pier, tied off the boat, and retrieved my cell phone,  I sluiced both it and myself off under a stream of warm rainwater that was draining from a portion of my new plastic sheeting roof, There’s another bright idea that is going to need tweaking.

I took the battery out of the cell phone and shook out as much water as I could. I laid it in the dash of my truck and left it there until I went home a few hours later. The cell actually started up but with a short-circuiting light display so I quickly pulled the battery and let it finish drying out on a warm kitchen stove top for another couple of hours. It is now working again. I am in awe.

There is a famous picture of a Chinese little kid with just his face showing as he floats in a duckweed pond.

Remind you of anyone?