Gentle Readers and Loved Ones,
I like to start my Gadabout Stories with a quote from my collection. I’ve been saving them almost 50 years now. I strive for either a light-hearted or an informational viewpoint. As I started composing this Gadabout, I found that I had not captured a quote appropriate to the topic I’m about to discuss. So, I wound up finding Germain Greer of all the people on the interwebz….
This was meant to be a tongue in cheek story about a
small ecological problem that I thought was confined to the lake in our
backyard. Sadly, a moment’s research and I find
it is a problem endemic – maybe even pandemic! - to the cities in much of Dakota
County, MN.
I speak of the Goldfish Infestation.
Bear with me as I wade through this story.
I took Rowdy and Rory for a walk along the path that
cuts across our backyard and the adjoining neighbors next to the lake
today. Over the last two weeks the lake
froze pretty hard and then thawed around the edges during the last four days or
so when it’s been above freezing. The
ice is thick enough for the dogs to spread their toes and walk out on it safely.
This summer, fall and just two weeks ago, the City of Eagan use their access road to lay out a system of fish traps all out in the lake. We asked "Whuffo?" and were told we are totally infested with Goldfish and I am ashamed to say I yawned at this information.
But the horror I saw on my walk today changed all that. In the thawed fringe of the lake are literally – not "literally" like a woke democrat might say – but actually, no kidding literally, hundreds of dead goldfish floating about. I’m not talking your average cute little finny goldfish in a quart tank either. I’m talking two pounder Koi Pond Gold fish.
I found these articles from the media. After you have used the requisite level of skepticism to read them - because it’s the media after all - heck one of the links is Newsweek. But, you can actually trust these accounts because I’ve seen the evidence with my own eyes. There was a Koi Population Disaster brewing just a few yards from my home!
Someone, somewhere in Dakota County set the goldfish equivalent of Mr. and Mrs. Nemo free and then them fish got busy. If you look at it from the Koi’s viewpoint, it’s a real hopes dashed tragedy. Think about it…there you are swimming around in some decorative aquarium, bored out of your fish mind eating Koi food when some human remembers to feed you. Suddenly, you are yanked up and put this this great huge interconnected aqua-system that lets you swim for miles eating and procreating! It’s Nirvana! Then it freezes and the Apocalypse begins.
The City says they are going to poison the lakes. I’m think the fact that our lake is shallow and Goldfish ain’t got the sense to swim out to where it’s deep coupled with the fact they ain’t got the nature to survive cold winter might help too.
But the real reason I’m telling this story is to tell the personal part of this disaster. I took this picture during the walk.
There are pools of thawed water that contain the carcasses of lots of Goldfish. I took this picture of a sparsely populated pool to save my Gentle Readers from the emotional impact.
Soon after, I hear a splash and Rowdy and Rory are glorying in how good it feels to wallow in the cool dead Goldfish flavored water! This is better than rolling in a dead racoon!
I think I have covered this Ichy situation in enough detail now....
On that happy image, I remain,
Dad/Geoff
No comments:
Post a Comment