Desert Magnolia

As I write this, I have successfully completed five out of the six exams required for licensure in Oriental Medicine. Soon I will be taking the final exam. Finally. I am terrified. I am exhilarated. I am resolute. And after that one is behind me? Shit gets real. Fast. But I like real, and fast doesn't scare me. Though, at this point, after months and months of intense study/review/exam/study/review/exam....which is a totally different pace, a totally different way of living, moving fast may take a little adjusting on my part. Just sayin'. Huge hugs, Stevie

We have had a small pond in our backyard for the last five or so years. It provides a nice water element and requisite fountain sound that adds ambiance to relaxing summer evenings. It adds a colorful element to our raised bed garden, with gorgeous goldfish (big ones) swimming lazily beneath the lily pads. Life has been lovely for the pond, its inhabitants, and us, for years. Until the predators decided that the pond was their own private buffet, and, one Fall, right before we put a mesh cover over the top of the pond to protect it for the winter, they struck. The next morning we were outside, and noticed that the fountain had been tipped over, and that there were lily pads tossed out on the patio. And the fish food had been gnawed on, then also thrown across the flagstones.  The worst part, though, is the fish were gone. All of them. We were astonished, perplexed, saddened by the seemingly random barbarism. Turns out, we have several predators in our neighborhood, including