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It felt like a cylinder, maybe one or two feet long. Like a tiny garbage can, but she couldn’t budge it with her stick and lack of leverage.

Why would anyone dump something in the pond? Litterers drove her batty. Taking care of the earth could be incredibly simple.

She needed to remove the cylinder because whatever it contained could be one reason the pond was stagnant. If it was leaking anything toxic into the water or soil, it needed to go.

She tried prying it loose with her stick, but nearly tipped the canoe.

Looked like she was going to break out the scuba gear after all. All she needed was a nearby place to fill her tanks.

Or she could simply snorkel down and find out more. The pond was so murky, even her headlamp wouldn’t help at that depth, but she should be able to tell more by touching it.

Her gear was in her car and she didn’t want to trudge all that way. She’d keep trying with the stick to dislodge it.

No garbage was allowed to mess up her pond.

Chapter12

Ford Tough

Ford grimaced at the pile of rotting wood and garbage they’d removed from the shed. It appeared a few animals had made nests in the structure over the years.

He and Knox had scoured the barns for wood to replace the rot, but they had to rebuild the structure. At least the roof was intact. It was corrugated metal and with a slope, it would keep off the snow and stop animals and birds from using it as a home.

There were more nests under the eaves, but they’d texted Thea and Jolie before they’d removed them. Apparently the birds who’d built them, built new ones yearly. There hadn’t been signs of recent animal life inside, so no animals or birds were being displaced.

He’d have always made sure the birds and animals were safe before, but knowing how important they were to Jolie meant he was more careful now.

He hadn’t dealt with many animals or bird homes when he’d been working on new corporate buildings with his family. This was a whole different part of the construction world.

As if reading his mind, Knox spoke. “How are you enjoying life on the farm? Are you missing your family and the business?”

Ford shrugged as he started laying the clean boards for the shed’s floor. “I don’t miss the business. They know building boring boxes isn’t for me.”

“Are you keeping in touch?”

Ford nodded. “We’ve got a group chat going all the time and I talk to my dad every couple of days. He wants to come up and see the farm one day. He’s thinking about retirement, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he pops up for a visit once he takes that step.”

“You know he’s welcome at any time. All of your family is welcome.”

That was Knox. Always looking out for family, even when it wasn’t his own. “Thanks. My brothers mostly think I’ve lost my mind.”

Knox chuckled. “But they’ve all wanted the urban building stuff since they were kids. You’ve said you were always different in that way.”

Ford shrugged, not surprised his friend remembered. “True. Probably the result of being the youngest boy. Will and John were already working with Dad when I was born. A couple of the others had part-time jobs with the business while they finished high school and college.”

Knox laughed. “I always thought our family of five kids was a lot. Hard to imagine another four.”

“You guys are a lot tighter than we are. Probably because we’re so spread apart in age. The oldest were out of the house before I was really old enough to know them. We get along just fine, but they were more like uncles than brothers.”

“Do you keep in touch with them, too?”

“Some more than others, but we all text a lot. Nate and Dan are helping me come up with things to cook when it’s my night to take care of things here.”

Knox sighed. “It would be nice if we could afford to bring on a cook. We’re all competent, but no one loves it.”

Ford motioned for a longer board and he rose to work on the back side of the shed. “That would be great, but we’re surviving okay. I’m glad Fiona Phail has so much homemade stuff in her store. Takes a little of the pressure off when we can stock the freezer with her stuff.”

“So you’re not planning to take off anytime soon?”