Duck tales

Is there anything that inspires tranquil feelings more than watching ducks calmly paddling in a pond?  I thoroughly appreciate their gentle bobbing, and delight in their duck dives--their undercarriages suddenly on view as their tail feathers point heavenward, and webbed feet scale the water's surface upside down.

Nature at its most serene--or so I've always thought. Yet when we arrived last week at our modest lake house upstate, intent upon tidying the yard for the summer season, the ducks (pictured above) greeting me was a shock. Why? I don't have a pond on my property. Up until that weekend, I had an extra--grassy--lot in that space.

Needless to say, I didn't get the grass cleared of leaves, now that it was a pond. In the 16 years we've owned the place I've never seen it flood like that. Funny how every year is different. We had a relatively mild winter this year, until March hit. During that month we got a season's worth of snow and cold temperatures. It was followed by a few weeks of drenching April rains and, voila, we now have a pond!

It didn't take long to embrace the transformation. As I stood by my new water feature, watching the ducks' antics, I felt a familiar enjoyment wash over me. Sure, my yard probably won't recover for another month or two. I'll be clearing away leaves in late May or even early June, after the water evaporates, but that's okay. I realize the yard isn't the only thing that changed. Sometimes the best thing about nature is its unpredictability.

Think about Mother Nature's everyday surprises: the robin's nest under your eaves; daffodils popping up through the snow; a family of tree frogs suddenly taking up residence in your yard. Little marvels that are anything but mundane.

You know what? I'm really gonna miss that pond.

Basil: a versatile herb

If I could plant only one herb it would be basil (Ocimum basilcum). This member of the mint family, originating in tropical areas of Africa and Asia, has become a culinary staple worldwide. It's easily grown both indoors and out, reaches a height of 1-2 feet, flowers white to reddish from June to
September, and has leaves ranging in shade from glossy green to purple.

I have the purple variety throughout my landscape. I use it as a groundcover. When people ask what it is--and they always ask--I explain the colorful addition to the flowerbeds is wild basil. Because it has a distinctive scent, it discourages wildlife (most of whom just hate heavily scented plants), so it's more than a pretty face in the garden. In order for leaves to fill in, I sometimes nip the flowers, which

Its well-known green-leafed cousin dots my window boxes. I like the lushness of the plants, which envelope the area in a fresh, earthy scent, and produce a plethora of leaves for spicing up culinary creations. In fact, basil has also been used to flavor the liqueur Chartreuse, and is widely used as a tea. Basil tea has been known to relieve intestinal disorders, treat headaches, and even coughs. Historically, basil was given to women during childbirth to reduce labor pains. Traditional folklore entailed using basil as a good luck charm. It was said those who tucked a sprig into a pocket would have an abundance of love and money!

I don't know about that, but I always feel lucky to have this versatile herb in my garden.