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busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond

A phrase your grandparent might use to describe being busy with a futile, impossible, or endless task.

Cats like to cover their feces, but if they've done their business on a frozen pond, no matter how long they try to dig up something to cover it with, their paws will always slide on the ice. The joke is the mental image of a cat making the digging motion on ice for a long time.
I don't know why I keep weeding that garden. I've been busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond, but I tell you what, there's gonna be just as many dandelions tomorrow.

is your pond frozen?

An ambiguous phrase referring to parts unknown. In Canada and other Temperate regions that suffer a large climatic range, frozen bodies of water may not be safe for a majority of the winter months. Is your pond frozen?, has of course been turned around for more devious uses.

It is often used as a "come on" term by men to find out if the object of their desire seeks to lay with them.
John: Hey Jill, is your pond frozen?
Jill: Oh John, you are such a pervert.