Getting still

I'm at the Fill, on a still, foggy morning, clad as usual in rubber boots and rain pants so I can wander through the damp grass with impunity. I've become fond of the view from the north end of the main pond, and I'm curious in how it looks now that the rains have lifted the water level a foot. Feeling impervious, I step beyond the shore, find my spot, and stand still. I have raised a ripple that has disturbed the perfect reflection that drew me, and I must wait. A couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers chat throatily from the willow, a Song Sparrow responds from the opposite shore. A pair of Hooded Mergansers flies in and land. Several Wigeon circle and are about to do the same, but they see me and veer off. I settle into the rhythm of the pond. My ripples now have echoed off the far shore and have returned, so I need to wait a little more before I lift my camera. No matter, I just settle into the spot a little deeper, sink that much more into the mud.