The Consequence of April Showers on the Duck Pond

Apriĺ in Mellowdene is an interesting month when it comes to weather. Primrose Evergreen's extensive meteorological records prove it. Every year about this time we have ten days of light showers. Not continually - alternating between an hour or so of rainfall and a couple of hours without - but every day in that ten day window will be affected. Such a high degree of predictability might be considered unusual although established villagers are used to it. It proves convenient when planning the dates for our Melting festival. With outdoor celebrations we must avoid exposing musical instruments to the elements. Also it's not a good idea to have excitable children on a chocolate bunny hunt running about, slipping on the wet grass.

With all the weird stuff I've learned regarding the so-called wild energies both beneath the nearby mountains and at the other end of the county in Tall Tree Forest, I wouldn't be surprised if the uncanny predictability of our April showers was yet another aspect of this Sylvanian anomaly. But that idea has only just òccurred to me - and it forms no part of this tale.

 

The showers tend to be quite pleasant - not too cold, light enough not to soak one through, and as I said, not overly long lasting before it pauses. Refreshing at times. I know Denzel has welcomed the odd shower when he's been doing some hot work, hard landscaping. Most crittizens incorporate the showers into their daily routine. An excuse to visit a neighbour or a shop if the rain starts to fall.

Some families enjoy an excuse to get damp - those with an affinity for water. There are a number who live on Mallard Road, close to the Duck Pond. The capital letters are there for a reason - the first villagers to have houses nearby were ducks. As simple as that! Anyway, the name stuck.

This tale involves both April showers and the Duck Pond. It was told to me by our good friend and Cecile's cousin, Coltsfoot Ivory, about this time last year.

 

o 0 O 0 o

I was chatting with our deputy mayor, Bill Waddlington. We had met up soon after the success of the plan we had hatched alongside Cecile. In case you don't recall, we had managed to manipulate my cousin Rowan into resuming his career as an (incredibly talented) architect after his years of drifting. (*See note)

"You did a good job, Bill, preying upon his community spirit. He can't abide injustice so I was confident he'd take action to avoid it. Playing the bad guy can't have been easy for you."

"Thanks, Colt. But don't worry; it was actually fun, using my acting skills from my college days. As for Rowan, I can live with him being a little wary of me for a while. In any case, that's not why I asked to see you. I have a more pressing worry and I'd welcome your advice. It concerns the Duck Pond."

As Bill explained, I could understand the reason for his concern. The level of the Duck Pond was increasing, and with the April showers there was a growing risk that the waters could overflow and reach the nearby houses. This shouldn't be happening. Let me first explain something about water in Mellowdene.

 

Even in the early days when the first houses were being built in Mellowdene, drainage was a consideration. Draining gullies were provided and these eventually became pipes that would channel excess water either into storage containers or into the river. Much later, as the village expanded further from the river, a reservoir was constructed to store water for our use. It was linked into the subterranean river network (boosted by Sweetwater Lake) that also supplies Vandyke's Waterworks, the numerous springs that irrigate our county... and the Duck Pond. 

 

The reservoir is a masterpiece of engineering - hence my interest - and it has a series of immense underwater valves that regulate the amount of water available. Stone slabs, precisely balanced, respond to water pressure, determining how much water is admitted/released from that branch of the underground river. As an engineer myself, I was fascinated by the clever design. The Silverfur beaver family are responsible for the reliability of its water management and I have had some wonderful conversations with them. They showed me the original design documents. Fascinating. Well, for me they are.

 

Because of my interest, I had learned something relevant within those old documents. The reservoir design was inspired by the Duck Pond. I mentioned this to Bill.

"I'm wondering if the natural flow out of the Duck Pond into the underground river has been compromised. Blocked, maybe."

 

"How would we check that out?" said Bill.

 

"We'd need to find the outflow channels, check them for damage and fix them if we can."

"And if we can't?"

"Remove the 'valve' - or its natural equivalent - entirely. It would mean the Duck Pond would settle at a much lower level. It would be barely a pond at all. It would prevent any flooding, though."

"Oh," said Bill. "I'd have to discuss it with the Mallard Road residents, but if flooding is the alternative, we'll have to get things moving. I can get the admin sorted with Ramsey and the rest of the council, preempting any action, but I suggest we begin the investigations before the April showers make things worse. Could I prevail upon you to get things going?"

He could - and I did. 

 

o 0 O 0 o

One of the residents was Maurice Floater and he had volunteered to swim down and have a look. He was accompanied by Miller Silverfur who had brought along his waterproof camera. 

 

When they emerged from the Duck Pond I was waiting to hear their report.

"You're right," said Miller, accepting towels from his son. "In one place the stone slab has worn and cracked. It has shifted so that the action of the murkweed has become irrelevant. It's a major outlet and I'd estimate that the water flow has reduced by around 80%. With the April showers, the Duck Pond will continue to rise. It might be okay this year but some action needs to be taken soon."

Maurice looked confused. "What's the murkweed got to do with it?"

Miller gestured for me to explain whilst he began to get dressed..

"It's like the reservoir, Maurice. The deeper the pond, the greater the water pressure, and there are some slabs of stone that tilt to allow the water to drain back into the underground river network. However, whereas the mechanism for the reservoir works through precision engineering overseen by Miller's family, the Duck Pond mechanism is totally natural. Growth of murkweed does the job.

"When the water level is too low, the murkweed gets more light and that encourages its growth. It pushes back on the stone slabs and counteracts the water pressure. Less water drains away and the Duck Pond rises. And it works in reverse. Higher water level - less light to the murkweed - the plant isn't as effective resisting the water pressure on the slab - more water drains away. The photo-reactive attribute of the murkweed makes it an efficient regulator."

Maurice nodded. "I see. And now the slab has cracked..."

 

"...it has wedged at an angle so that the water pressure cannot tilt it," said Miller. 

"What can be done?"

"Well, I'll develop the photos I've taken so that Colt can see, but I think the damage is to the extent that it can't be repaired. A new slab might be needed."

"You've seen it, Miller," I said. "I'll look at your photos but I'll bow to your experience. I'll have a word with Forest Evergreen. Warn him so that he can find some suitable stone to use."

 

Whereas Forest's mother was from a family involved in meteorology, his father was from a long line of stone masons. Forest continued the family business.

 

"You'll need a sample of the existing stone," said Miller, "and the dimensions."

Maurice was watching us with concern. "If the broken slab does need replacing, what happens to the Duck Pond during the work?"

 

"It might be worth informing the Mallard Road residents all together," I said. "I'll get Bill Waddlington to organise that. But I expect you'll see the Duck Pond level become very low once the broken slab is removed."

 

Maurice looked crestfallen. "So if we want to swim..."

 

"I'd take advantage of the current depth while it lasts," said Miller. "The April showers will give you that in the short term."

 

o 0 O 0 o

The stone did need replacing. For the few days that the outlet was fully open, the Duck Pond became very shallow and the murkweed grew significantly. Some of the plant broke the surface but the April showers kept it damp. Forest Evergreen produced a sturdy replacement slab to our specifications and many of the Mallard Road residents assisted in putting it into the correct place. 

I had suggested that an artificial mechanism was added to the slab as a failsafe. A simple one whereby a ratchet could be engaged and a group of residents could manually angle the slab as required. The murkweed would need a short time to recover before it could continue its job.

o 0 O 0 o

Coltsfoot Ivory's intervention was well timed. A possible flood was averted as he calculated the April Showers would have caused the Duck Pond to overflow. This year, Colt, Miller Silverfur and the Mallard Road residents are watching the Duck Pond carefully but reports thus far indicate the murkweed has resumed the task it had performed for hundreds of years. No manual effort was required. That said, Colt has recommended that the failsafe is tested every few months. That comes as no surprise to me. He has pride in his work.

 

o 0 O 0 o

Note: See "The Future of Cherry Blossom Park" posted March / April 2025.

Primrose Evergreen's Winter Forecast

Hello! It's Darcy again. Back at work and quite happy how business has been handled during my extended Christmas break. I hadn't decided what to write for you but inspiration came after a visit from Primrose Evergreen.

Primrose Evergreen in Upper Mellowdene

Primrose Evergreen is Mellowdene's weather forecaster. I understand she's always had an affinity for meteorological predictions but that has been honed over her life so that her accuracy is uncanny. She regularly travels to Upper Mellowdene to observe Coldmount Peak and records movements of ice particles whirling about the pinnacle. She says this helps her long-range forecasts. I've no reason to dispute that. 

 

Anyway, Primrose had visited to bring me a forecast for the next week, ready for inclusion in the Mellowdene Examiner.

"We're going to get some winter snow, Darcy," she had said. "I'm going to see HHG after I've left here. They'll need the heads up to clear the county roads."

"That bad?"

She nodded as she handed over the forecast report.

"Only a smattering of snow in the village - and that is likely to melt within a couple of hours. But further into the county the snowfall will last longer - two to three days - and as a result it will be deeper and take longer to clear. I'll update you in a few days."

She remained briefly as I went to key the report details into the newspaper's typesetting system.

With Primrose gone my thoughts turned to HHG.

HHG Enterprises' workshops and stores

HHG Enterprises are the brainchild of Magnus Hamilton. Upon moving to Mellowdene this enterprising hamster saw the need for a better organised plan for maintaining the village infrastructure. He also wanted something for his son Huckleberry to take forward should he eventually come to the village; a decision he'd have to make with his fiancée. In the meantime he took on two young partners - Perkin Harvey and Richard Grunt (hence HHG) - and created the company. Whilst these three families form the core of the organisation they have a flexible workforce to service the needs of the village, working closely with the council. Despite the growth of the company, Huck, Perkin and Ritchie were determined that they would not become purely administrators. Their time management ensures they still do plenty paws-on work! At the newspaper, my right-paw critter is Harry Hawthorn and, as Huckleberry Hamilton's brother-in-law, he keeps me updated with HHG's plans.

HHG out on a job

Winter weather provides particular challenges and HHG are prepared to meet them. Although crittizens in the village don't tend to suffer from a cold climate, those living further afield in the county can be affected. Snow cannot be allowed to isolate them. Most live within reach of the three main roads, Mellowdene Road, County Road and Rivercourse Road, so HHG consider it a primary need to keep those roads clear.

HHG clearing some snow

Of course, roads aren't the only routes through the county. Recently, Jackson highlighted our rail connection to the rest of Sylvania. You can be assured that the tracks are always kept clear. Fireglass channels run parallel to the railway lines. The Hunter-Smyth family process this resource in inventive ways and the interaction of rain or snow on a fireglass derivative within those channels keeps the tracks clean, warm and free from ice or snow. The channels are regularly maintained so that the Maple Town Express can keep running to schedule.

 

Reilly Hunter-Smyth takes Formula 4 Fireglass to the rail track

With the main routes clear, we still need to ensure that provisions are accessible to the county dwellers. Fireglass is again used to keep wells from freezing but what about food?

Timbertop Farm, Blackberry Orchards, Buttercup Dairies (with their farming of lactolia plants) all have longstanding plans to combat poor weather. Again, Primrose Evergreen's forecasts give them sufficient notice. 

Bud Timbertop takes out the tractor

Bud shifts some snow

 

Zeb, Taylor and Tyler go shoveling

Tyler Timbertop and Zebediah Cody carry some fireglass

But what about shopping for everyone else?

 

Rocky Babblebrook to the rescue. Rocky is a descendent of our first mayor of Mellowdene, his lineage extending to one of the four founding families of our village. He doesn't share his ancestors' political ambitions. Long ago the Babblebrooks became more concerned about providing food for our villagers. Not everyone can spend their time on farming, fishing and other food production tasks. Babblebrook's Store was born. A few years ago, the store was expanded and rebranded as the Village Supermarket with new managers running the day-to-day business, these being Bert, Joyes and Macey Harvey. Rocky, his father Cliff and uncle Gerald decided that their traditional smaller stores should continue in the form of branches, still bearing the Babblebrook name, peppered about the expanding village. There are three branches in Mellowdene, and one conveniently positioned in the county.

Babblebrook's county store

In bad weather, Rocky not only takes extra care to ensure the county branch of Babblebrook's is well stocked, he is known to take his four-wheel-drive car and personally deliver food to the less accessible homesteads.

 

Rocky and Cliff driving into the county

Rocky on deliveries

 

Actually, Rocky is not alone. There is the community convention where all villagers choose to pile in when there is need. The worst of winter may pose challenges for the county but we are Sylvanians through and through.

o 0 O 0 o

Speaking of the "worst of winter" I had a conversation with Ricardo Porcini about how such conditions affect Chunglewood.

"We don't get snow," he said. "It doesn't get through."

I remembered what Jackson had said about the weird spatial effects above the forest. Rain didn't have a direct path downwards to the clearing, resulting in patchy but predictable irrigated areas and even one sky cascade. There were sky pools too.

"Right," I replied. "The barrier thing. But don't the sky pools ever freeze over? Snow settling and blocking out light?"

Ricardo laughed. "I'd never thought of that. It does sound reasonable now that you mention it. But no, we don't see that happening. The sky lightens a bit from time to time and we get cold rain, that's all."

"Could the barrier be melting it?"

 

"Darcy, you do ask some crazy questions. Maybe it does. We don't think about it. In fact I don't remember snow ever coming up in conversation. Nobody's seen it since they left the Woodzeez realm. Except me, of course. With me able to leave Chunglewood and travel around Sylvania, I've witnessed my fair share of snowy landscapes. Saw a blizzard once."

Ricardo's words made me think. The Chunglewood villagers were still reticent to leave the clearing - for whatever reason, and I have my suspicions - so how would they react seeing a blanket of winter snow after well over a decade of being sheltered from the excess of weather?

Maybe they'd better stay cloistered until Primrose Evergreen gives a favourable weather forecast!

o 0 O 0 o