The current puddle - no boating -

So for scale, the top one, the grasses (which are in the foreground on the bottom one) are under water?! If so, that looks to be quite a bit different. How many feet? Or am I completely offbase?

If you mean the reeds in the bottom one, yes, they are almost totally submerged - the brown weeds sticking out of the water
are their tops (they brown out in winter). I am not sure how many feed depth.
When full - top picture - the water covers a bit more than an acre, when a puddle, perhaps city lot, and shallow.

Lilo, what amount of precipation will be needed to bring the pond back to its usual size/depth? Looks as if it might take quite a bit. Is that your house at the top of the hill? If so, you have a nice amount of privacy.

I have same question as mwheel.Another question is, where do you get water for your house use and where do you get water for your animals?

Lilo, would you give an update on your daughter. I have thought of her so often.

Good morning
To bring the pond up to top level, it takes enough rain to get the seasonal creek running, it feeds the pond. I look to three or four storms in a weeks time, about 4" total rainfall to get it going. The creek feeds the pond until it dries up in late May, if we are lucky in June, if it's a dry year as early as April, then evaporation sets in and the pond shrinks little by little, it's also spring-fed, so it doesn't dry all the way up.
For house-water and garden/animals we have a well, pretty reliable, although now we need to be careful not to run too much water at once.

Thanks for explaining, lilo. I live with city water, turn the tap on and the water flows. I have no experience with alternate water sources.
I'm really curious about "well water". How does that work?

Lilo, when I saw the title all I could think of
was that Johnny Cash song. "How High's the Water, Mama?"

I miss the lake and my boats. I miss the wildlife most of all.

Would love to have the lake, high and low water. I miss water. Here on our high plateau running water is scarce, the ponds mostly privately owned by farmers and the couple of lakes too far for a daily stroll.
Like gabriell, I too wonder how Joann is doing. Hope she healed without complications.