Legacies are Where We Make Them

Last weekend, the queen and I hosted all nine of our grandchildren. They’d never been together at one time. Some of them hadn’t met each other. All those cousins, most of them little bitty squirts, playing in our courtyard, several catching their first fish ever—at our place. Six of them are five years old and younger, and it was a bit like herding cats. We only had one requirement—parents. Their parents did a great job of guiding them. All we had to do was cook and enjoy those youngsters. Our oldest grandpeep graduates high school soon and is headed into the Air Force. The next youngest is 13, and their sister is 9. The other six are 5, 4, 4, 3, almost two, and eight months.

Look at this photo. I’m still chuckling at all those fantastic kiddos. It makes one think about a legacy. They got to go to a nearby farm store and buy chicks, which Meems now cares for every day on their way to becoming laying hens. Now we have another reason to FaceTime. They got to catch fish. They rode around on plasma cars, played with a kickball. But, they got to hang out and get to know each other. To me, that was the biggest deal. Two live in Alabama. Two are in Houston. The other five are within 40 miles of us.

I must ask. Are we too busy being busy? You are building your own legacy. What will yours be? As landowners and keepers of our ponds, wildlife, and land, part of our legacy is stewardship. Last weekend we were stewards of our next family generation. As fun as it was, it was also a bit sobering. Sobering from the stance of realization that what we do and say impacts people. Since we all have a legacy, it seems logical to ask ourselves, “What is it?” What’s yours?

I hear from people all around the nation and other parts of the world, and at some point everyone (including myself) realizes there are things we’ve either not seen, or paid attention to, or noticed. Maybe these things—like becoming aware that I am creating or manifesting a legacy—only come with maturity. Most likely, I’m awakening to some things, but not that other kind of manifesting thing you read about.

Folks, water is a big deal. You know that. What I’m seeing with more clarity today is just how turbid general views are about water. There are two specific articles this issue that help us understand the consequences of having water impounded on our properties—and what we need to be aware of about water. Dave Beasley tackles some of the details of trying to balance nutrients on the way to balancing algae. I’ve got a story about a catastrophic failure—all because none of the team truly grasped the gravity of rapidly declining water quality. There’s also an article about clearing muddy water and some tips about what you can, and should, do. Still along the lines of water, Dr. Boyd un-muddies the topic of sediment. Mark Cornwell shares how your pond’s bottom affects what touches it. Wes Neal takes us along a path detailing how and where today’s pond management started. I’ve written a feature discussing the differences between Florida strain and Northern Largemouth bass. Otto tells a story about a pond he recently built, while Michael Gray emphasizes how different each pond is, no matter their proximity, and what those differences mean to you. Ty Kleeb is earning a nice following, and brings us his unconventional, but highly successful, thought processes in order to teach us how to adjust our technique to catch the biggest fish in our ponds. I thought it wise to emphasize just what happens when you push your pond to produce, and also warn that nature’s uninvited predators most likely will show up for the party. Eric West again searched the scientific papers and found several that help explain how fish have other senses besides the most obvious. Birdman Mel shares some tips to bring even more colorful birds into your pond or backyard setting. That guy knows birds! We’ve got all the regular columns, too. One you’ll enjoy tells about how a fellow pondmeister keeps all his stuff organized and readily available. Another, focused on northern waters, shares tips and ideas on what to do to maximize each season as you head into the long winter months. On the wild side of things, Dan V tells the latest tales of the roller coaster ride called bobwhite quail. And last, but certainly not least, Associate Editor Beth has a story encouraging folks to journal about the memories you and your family make at your ponds. How many times have you said out loud, “Someone needs to write ‘ol Uncle Henry’s stories down,” but no one ever does it? Guess what? One of these days you will be the one telling the stories your grandkids will want to have recorded. Write your stories down. Go ahead, do it now.

That brings me back to that legacy thing. We all build one. We’ll all have one. It became clear to me last weekend. Watching all those little ones, doing what small children do. Those bigger kids, watching those little ones do what they do. Smiles everywhere. But, one of the things that struck me the most was watching our kids be parents. Back in those younger days when I was reproducing, it didn’t truly register in my mind that I was creating a family legacy. It sure hit me last weekend—and it felt good.

What’s your legacy?

From our entire team at Pond Boss, we deeply appreciate your friendship, and the fact that you are willing to share these pages with us. Thanks for being part of our family and the growing Pond Boss legacy.

Fish On!