Our home on Gardner Road wasn’t far from Black Creek. During much of the year, it was a fun play area for all children. Listen to my account of one spring adventure.

I was also drawn to this creek. It refreshed memories of my childhood living next to a swamp.

Once in high school, we were supposed to bring a sample of pond water to examine under a microscope. I brought a vile of water from the swamp. My cousin George asked me what I had in the bottle. “Swamp water,” I said. Immediately, George started calling me Swamp Water Sue. Such a great nickname. Thanks, George.

In biology class, I found a minuscule creature wiggling in the droplet set up on my microscope. The teacher didn’t know what it was. Later, I found a photo in a book of a mosquito larva, which is what it was. I found it odd that the teacher didn’t recognize it.

Copyright © 2021 by Susan Manzke, all rights reserved