This particular spring morning found me on my back porch with a cup of coffee and my friendly canine companion. It wasn’t quite daylight, but I could barely make out the lily pads at the water’s edge. I squinted to get a better look, when I noticed something moving through the vegetation.

I looked intently for several minutes at some sort of animal swimming through the water. Must be a duck paddling around looking for breakfast. It sure is staying under water for a long time. Intrigued by the mysterious movement, I sat very still and watched. Missy spotted the rippling water and jumped off my lap. She bounded for the lake, barking all the while.

At this moment I wasn’t too worried about what was swimming in the shallow water, but I sure hoped Missy would hush before she woke up the neighbors. “Missy, hush up!” I shushed in a loud whisper.

By this time, I don’t know if my shushing or Missy’s barking were the loudest. At any rate, I probably would not get neighbor of the year award for being up so early making a ruckus in the back yard!

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Missy took her barking to a whole new level. I yelled for her to hush, but her thoughts were not on her master’s wishes. I hurried through the damp grass to retrieve my loud-mouthed pooch and see what all the commotion was about. You would have thought she had seen a bear the way she was carrying on.

I was nearing the water, when suddenly, a loud slapping sound startled me, and I let out a scream! It was a minute or two before I realized that a beaver had whacked the water with his tail. After Missy calmed down and I got my wits about me a chuckle escaped my lips. What a funny way to start the day!

There is a large lodge on the lake next to ours, but I had never seen a beaver on our lake. I guess it was only a matter of time before they moved our way, but I was startled just the same. Missy came running toward me, not at all sure of what had just transpired. As the sun peeked over the horizon, I wiped my feet and went inside, hoping the neighbors had managed to sleep through our unexpected adventure.

Jan Penton Miller can be reached at lilsisjan@yahoo.com.