Upon seeing the enchanting, fenced in pond and garden area of Raymonde
Dixon, from the Golden Years Seniors complex, your mind conjures up images
of long ago when you were nestled safely in bed and that favorite person
was reading Fairy Tales to help you fall asleep. This lovely garden and
pond were developed five years ago by Raymonde. She says she doesn’t
know what made her get into gardening, as she never had interest in it
before. Raymonde’s garden, however, has a different twist to it. Her
pond is home, every summer, to a pair of ducks which brings a totally
different aspect to the garden! This year she purchased the pair from a
local farmer, but in the past few years she actually received them in the
mail at only a day old! She keeps them under heat lamps until their
feathers grow in and the temperature outside warms up. You can usually see
the ducks swimming around some time after May 24th.
When asked if they winter over very well, Raymonde coyly smiled and
said "I keep them until Thanksgiving". It didn’t take me long
to realize what she meant. Having been raised on a farm it’s natural for
her to see this "life to plate" reality played out each year.
She also mentions that she knows exactly what her Thanksgiving dinner has
eaten. Perhaps it’s fitting that the ducks are named "Tim Bit"
and "Nugget".
The pond has also been home to numerous goldfish, minnows and plants
over the years. Raymonde said she finally stopped adding such things, as
the ducks make short work of it all. All you see now in the pond is
artificial plant life, which thankfully, the ducks haven’t acquired a
taste for...yet! There’s also a lot of work involved in keeping the
ducks. The water in the three foot deep pond has to be changed three times
each year. Luckily Raymonde has a Point Depth that allows her the freedom
to change the water often without worrying about her water bill.
Before anyone wonders, Raymonde has checked with City officials and
there’s absolutely no by-law against having ducks in your yard.
Actually, you’re also allowed to have horses!
The beautifully planted front garden at Golden Years is planted and
taken care of by Raymonde’s 81 year old father...and there isn’t a
weed in sight!
If anyone would like to discuss the pond and ducks with Raymonde,
please feel free to contact her at gyrh@on.aibn.com.
