Drought, Rain, and Ranch Ponds

When we first visited The Ranch last spring, we were warned that there "may be a leak" in the lake. The water level had dropped more rapidly than the real estate agent/owner thought was normal. There was basically a sandbar across, creating two ponds instead of one lake. The last time it had been completely full was several years ago.  (We have a picture. It's glorious.)

As the drought continued, the water level dropped even lower. It broke my heart to see the narrow side almost completely gone.

We're still in a drought, but we've been getting rain. Quite a bit of it, in fact. I am super happy to report that we no longer have two ponds. We have one. Dare I even call it a lake? I'm so giddy about this, I don't care that I can no longer walk across the land bridge to get to the cabin. I'll have to drive. And before you scold me for not walking, I would if it was safe to. I have to always remember that we have bobcats, coyotes, racoons, deer, snakes, and bears on the property. Occasionally, we get neighbors' dogs roaming around, too. (One of them actually had a bell on his collar. It was kind of funny to hear it jingling as he and a buddy ran through the woods on the other side of the pond. He must roam a lot.)

Now I have to research how to get rid of green algae.