Once again, bit off more than I can chew

It seemed like a good idea right? There has been a week or more of hotter than usual weather, no rain to speak of, and all the water everywhere is drying up.

The pond out back is partially spring fed, and it is choked off with leaves and debris along with the drought, so it pretty much dried up. Here's where my brilliant idea comes in: why not drive the tractor into the dry pond bed and dig it deeper. If it were deep enough, it could allow fish to survive in it over the winter, we could swim in it, and it would be an overall healthier pond. Digging it out would eliminate the leaves and debris from the spring fed part, so more water would flow into it. Right?

Yeah, in theory. The part of the plan I didn't calculate was that UNDER those leaves and debris, the clay bottom of the pond is still wet with gooey, slimy mud. The kind a 4wd tractor can't quite get out of. The kind of mud that you need to call a dude with an excavator to dig your tractor out of.

Hhhmmm...a dude with an excavator...maybe I should have called him in the first place instead of driving my tractor into the pond.

I suppose that to know my limitations, I need to push them now and again to find out where they are.