My husband John and I live on a hill overlooking a meadow, woods and river, and nearly every day we take our dog Boo down to swim and explore. Over the years, generations of Beaver families in the river have slapped their tails at our generations of dogs, who embarrass themselves trying to chase them and then pretend not to see them at all.

Walking down one day this spring, we came upon a fabulous and wonderful thing: Beavers had made a dam, and the waters had grown into a big deep pond all the way from the river into the meadow.

Trees grew out of the water, some felled by beaver teeth to build their lodge and dam, feed the babies and themselves, and store for winter.

Already the water was filled with tadpoles and frogs and birds swimming and insects zipping around, the air loud with quacks, honks, squawks, buzzes, caws, chirps and song. It was a new world, full of animals we had not seen there before, and so many of them, so much life!

The world had come alive in a beautiful, exciting way.

The animals were happy in their bountiful home, John, me and Boo simply happy to be there, blessed by Beavers.

Anna Rose Benson

Weybridge