A Fish by Any Other Name...

     For Mother's Day my youngest daughter brought me a fish.  Not just any fish, a Koi.  My garden pond had been empty ever since the raccoons had a 17 fish buffet over the last winter.  I had just about decided to not put any fish in it.  It wasn't because the fish I had lost were expensive, they were just good ole' goldfish used for bait, but some of them were four years old and had reached an impressive size.  I missed them.  I had visions of the raccoons with their beer cooler close by having quite a good time at the fish buffet.

     I was thrilled with the Koi and as we put him in the pond, my granddaughter named him "Boots".  I read as much  as I could about the Koi.  The dictionary says they are a multi colored strain of carp believed to have been cultivated in Japan some 300 years ago.  The word 'cultivated' conjured up visions of a tractor plowing a field with bright colored fish flopping up from the ground, but that was the word the dictionary used, so who was I to argue.  The forums told great stories and showed pictures of these large colorful fish coming to the surface and seemingly glad to see their owners and to feed.  Needless to say, I was elated to have such a pet.

     Boots has proved to be anything but the above description.  He spent days hiding behind the concrete block in the bottom of the pond.  "Get him a friend!" one forum member suggested.  So I did.  Baby Boots was a bit smaller but obviously not very outgoing, it only took a day to convince him to hide behind the block too.  "It should only take a couple of weeks and then they become quite tame." another member lamented.  Well, it's been four months and yesterday there was a slight break through.

     As I sat on the bench at the end of the pond, there was Boots and Baby Boots lying on the bottom, right in front of me.  I spoke softly and made minimal movements.  Boots looked at me and I at him.  I put a little food in the water.  Nothing, just laying there staring at me.  He turned ever so slightly to let me see his full size, he's grown to about a foot long, then slowly turned back to look at me some more.  Just as I thought he may actually eat in front of me, he nudges Baby Boots and they retreat to the other side of the block.  After a minute or so, he swims out just enough to see if I'm still there, then back behind the block.

     I feel like I've made some progress, but with the forecast of an early winter, we may have to start all over in the Spring.  One thing is for certain, this fish has taught me patience.  Not to rush things and to enjoy the moment as it happens now, because now is all we have.  The coy Koi may be the one who is doing the taming.