Ponds 2013 III

Carolyn & Oberon what on earth have you two been up to. Pretty soon we will have a casualty list a mile long. Guess its all part of life.
Please let us know what we should pray for.

Worms: I could make a list of what I do around this place but you'd never believe it. The older my DH gets the longer my list gets. I have threatened to sell the whole place which didn't go over well. He would die early without his pets (cows) so guess we will hang in until nursing home beckons. LOL Some of our kids want us to move in with them. I keep telling them they couldn't stand it. I went thru it with 3 fam. members. Quite an education that was.
Take care all and try to stay in one piece.
Bonnie

This part seems to be key....

Mary - it was dumb, but isn't it always that way?

There is a garment rack in the bedroom that DH had removed from the laundry room when we bought a new freezer back in June. The garment rack is one of those with the high legs and I was in that front bedroom watering plants. I was carrying plants and thought I had cleared the leg of the rack with my right foot (it would have to be my driving foot ^_^). My foot did not clear the rack - I cracked my foot hard against that leg. It hurt, however I didn't really think anything about it and went about my business with the plants until my foot started bothering me some days later. I did finally go in to the doctor's office and yesterday they determined that it is broken. I have to go into orthopedics tomorrow morning. Like I said - isn't it always something stupid?

So, what did you do that you cannot bend?

I am thinking I will at least have more time to spend out with my pond. A silver lining to the cloud?



This message was edited Jul 25, 2013 10:31 AM

Bonnie, you could pray for better coordination for some DG members? lol. Carolyn I am amazed you could walk on it having cracked the bone. I have heard of that though.

Okay okay. I will fess up before God and friends. I had a tummy tuck. Okay. There it is. "Woman, thy name is vanity." It was actually more than mere vanity but no point in belaboring the whys. All is well aside from intense itching of the gosh awful corset I have to wear for 3 to 4 months and the tape they use to reduce scaring. I told them that was the least of my concerns after living with a monster scar from two C sections for 39 years (which by the way is completely gone now.) Yeah, like at my age I am going out in a bikini. Or even a two piece suit. Not likely. I only had minor repairs not a major overhaul. Although, now that I think of it. ROTFLMAO.

Oh Mary! I want one! I also want the bags under my eyes gone! I will take those over a broken foot any day!

For what it's worth it was 'fairly' inexpensive', pretty pain free (just twinges and a few aches). To be honest my stylist said that she had a friend who had it done and indicated a lot of pain. Can't say why. Different size of person, obedience to instructions, high pain tolerance, other complications? All I know is that my middle hasn't looked this good, maybe ever. However, as I said. That was not the goal, just a side benefit. Now a facelift??? Hmmmm. Well, how off topic can we get?? lol

Well girls, I had a tummy tuck about 8 years ago. And a face lift. Now I need an arm lift. LOL. I had my face lift close to 20 years ago when I was in my early 50s.

The tummy tuck came about because I had lost a lot f weight, due to depression (another story) and my stomach was yucky. Well lo and behold, after the tummy tuck, the sciatic pain went away. I had been plagued with sciatic pain for year.

Carolyn, when I had my face lift, I went in to have my eyes done. The plastic surgeon chuckled and said, "Honey, you need more than your eyes done". I even had a neck lift and that is the wonderful part. My neck is not sagging down.

But this is Las Vegas. Capital of the big bossums. And I have the breasts the good Lord gave me.

So yes, way off thread but funny. Hugs, Sharon

Ahaaa. Now it all comes out. Pretty interesting but hopefully we haven't offended others having little to no interest in physical overhauls.

I need so much work done I'd have to mortgage the farm to cover the cost. Guess I'm stuck with all the same old parts.

I say "more power to ya'll. If it makes you feel better about yourself go for it.

If I wasn't getting new sun glasses and reading glasses next week I'd break my neck from being off balance - not referring to brain thats beyond help. LOL

Oberon, will pray for better coordination for us all.

Bonnie

heat is gone and I am sitting in the open window listening to the waterfall in my pond, and decided to catch up with ya'll.........good to know I am no the only one who wishes that changes could be made to the old bod!!! but all my money is in the pond.......oh well, I love my pond so there!!!!

Lol....yah, I'm afraid my finances go into pond altering instead of body altering. Nothing wrong with it, just don't have the money to to both!

For what it's worth the decision was driven by 5% vanity and 95% a deep, let's just say, abhorrence for what age and my genetics was doing to that part of my anatomy. I am very accepting of all the other sags and lines. I earned them all right and proper. But that other was a dirty trick of nature perpetrated on women by some long ago survival mechanism that I really am not in need of now. So saying that, I have to admit that I am very satisfied with the results and I can stop obsessing on it now and turn full attention to what these weeks (and future weeks) of garden neglect has cost me.

Damien had been super great in caring for the pond and it is in great shape. Fishies are super happy and growing, well, like the weeds. lol. Baby fish are getting bigger better to make it through the winter I hope. At least a few of them. All colors. Assume goldfish, shebunkin, doubt koi, and some mix of all three.

Not to change the subject but yesterday got my 2 new pair of glasses.
Woohoo!!! I'm seeing the world in a whole different light. Fish look brighter in color, sunsets are beautiful. Even saw some grease spots underneath my stove hood this morning so had to wash them. I am so happy and thankful. Both glasses have the anti-glare feature which in Fl. is wonderful. Passing windshields on cars no longer are blinding.
Oberon glad your fish are doing well and hope they survive the winter.
Merry Mary looking forward to your making it over soon. My large koi Blondie is turning white it seems. Many new white scales. Guess she wants a change also. Got a new short haircut yesterday too as my hair is very thick and sweats in this weather something fierce. I always wear a broad brimmed hat outside also, with vents of course. Times wasting got to get outside before it turns into an oven.

Happy ponding to all.
Bonnie

Bonnie, now that u can see, do u know what this plant is in my pond.....if no one knows I will go to plant ID forum, but I thought maybe pond people would know, so I thought I'd try here first.
Also included a pic of my lily blooming and the new lotus I just put in, this unknown is to pic left of the lotus.

Could it be water Thalia?

I took your thought and searched, came up with Hardy Water Canna Thalia dealbatand. There are several varieties but mine seems to be the dealbatand. Thank you for the help. I, also now know I need to get rid of this plant. It keeps jumping out of its pot and growing in the rocks etc. I'll go for another water lily, maybe a fragrant one or a night bloomer, but this thing is out of control.
Again, thanks for the help.

My thalia is about 8 feet tall and that does look like it. We call it alligator plant also. Bad part is it gets so tall it flops over. Has very small blooms on it in a chain like your pic. shows.
I put a whole large pot full of caladium in rocks into pond last week and it has floated out and fish have nibbled on it all and it looks awful so will have to take it out again. They also love the water celery so I'm growing them some of that. Merry Mary said they need their greens like we do. They sure eat it up and leave the stems bare.
Sure is hot here but not in the 3 digits yet--- Hope it does't get there.
Our AC unit is runing constantly, with little break time.
Keep cool all,
Bonnie

I put slices of watermelon in the pond, they gobbled it down. I only have a small chunk of Thalia in my smaller pond. When I bought it they said it was red thalia, supposedly growing red stems, but it's only been green. Oh well.
I dug tons of dirt today...until it got so bloomin' hot! But at least my water fall area is starting to look like it's taking place. yay!

YIPPEY M. MARY. GLAD YOU ARE PROGRESSING ON YOUR POND AND WATERFALL.
I LOOKING FOR ROCKS FOR YOU BUT ONLY ONES AROUND ME ARE HUGE AND VERY POROUS AND WOULD NEED HEAVY EQUIP. TO MOVE THEM. I THINK YOU WANT SMALLER ONES RIGHT. ARE YOU USING THEM TO LINE PONDS?
GOT TO GO OUT AND GET INTO POND. FISH HAVE TORN ALL CALADIUM OUT OF LARGE POT AND SHREDING THEM.
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT. HOPING YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME HINT ON WATER LILLIES MITTSY GAVE ME. THEY ARE STILL IN BIRDBATH AND I HAVE TO CLEAN OUT TADPOLES ALL THE TIME PLUS GREEN SLIME.
BONNIE

wish I had tadpole problems, but alas I have not problems with baby anything in my pond ever, not in 13 years, no baby fish or frogs or snails or anything. Maybe you would like some of my rocks.....LOL......I live so far away.....but see my night view under 50 watt UV, its really cool, looks kinda like lava.

Love your lighting Q, Guess that what you call ambiance. Beautiful.
I'm from Conn. originally and we had rocks so bad you couldn't dig a post hole very easy. Rocks are shipped in here so they are $$$$. Pros still use them hence a $25,000 pond is usual. Not for me we build our own. I bought 1 flat of smoothed cobblestones for $450. and before that I had rocks in bottom of old pond and that was river rock which ws $85. for 1 yard. Now I have no rocks in either pond and much easier to clean. Cobblestones were for coping around newer pond and now plants have grown over them all I might as well remove them as use them someplace else.
Thanks for the pic. Looks lovely.
Bonnie

Its been a while since I read or posted..........sad news..........I have lost ALL my koi, all five died and none of the experts here can tell me why, so Monday my guy is coming to power wash the pond and we'll let it sit for the winter and I'll restock in the spring. My golden koi was 10 years old and I cried when I took it to the garbage........after 13 years of ponding I never lost a fish and now in a weeks time i've lost all.............see you all in the spring.

I am so very sorry for your loss. To have had them for such a long time surely built a wonderful relationship. And to not know why or how is terrible. Many here, as I am sure you know, have suffered such losses but I know that doesn't help. Spring will bring new pets and by then hopefully the hurt will have dulled.

Oh gosh....I'm so sorry to hear that! Most of us have had it happen at one time or another, for no apparent reason. It's very sad. I'm sorry for your loss...

Ditto with MerryMary. Downright shame. Very sorry.

So sorry to hear of your loss. It is so hard when we lose them.

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost about 6 last year when a rat died and fell into the pond. Not a large pond and I think it contaminated the pond. Hope your guy can help.

sorry to hear the terrible news of your loss. Wow it is strange that all. Here's to next year being a great restart for you.

Jan

I have managed to get a tank and have about 12 babies from the pond, various sizes, colors and growing fairly well. I thought it was a 55 gallon tank but now find it is only 25. Guess if I had been thinking and looking I could have figured that out. I know what a 55gallon oil barrel looks like. duh. But the guys are small, at least for now, and should make it through the winter with some comfort and should continue to grow til next spring when they go back into the pond.

Would someone remind me the ratios of salt to water. I looked it up and the ratios are pretty wild in swing.

Mary

I shoot for about 3%. In Japan they typically are at a higher percent - I believe 7%. If you are talking about a salt bath, that concentration is higher and for a shorter period of time.

Nope. Just treating the tank. Then the dose wouldn't have harmed them. We did a aprox 25% water change. I deleted two fish that were weak and small. I doubt they would have survived and if they did they would not have been very robust. Cold hearted? Maybe. But fewer fish in the tank now that I know it is much smaller in gallons than I thought. Thanks.

thank you all for your kind expressions of sorrow. I did find out what may have been the cause. I had an ionizer put in during the spring cleanup after super storm Sandy, what the installer forgot to tell me is that once the algae was gone I was supposed to lower the intensity of the unit from 5 down to 1. Well the algae went away and the machine kept cranking out the copper ions. I am told that the ions had to attach to something and the fish were it, so they all died of heavy metal poisoning, I really felt guilty but it will never happen again. I bought 8 little fish and they have disappeared into the rock wall and its two weeks now and I have only seen my two frogs, maybe in the spring they will be a bit bigger and will come out in the open.............what a painful learning experience.

Having shared what you learned you may prevent someone else from the same mistake. I had never heard of an ionizer. My fish disappear into the rocks when it first gets really cool then they come out a bit before winter really sets in. They move very slowly especially the larger (10" for me) ones. I call the biggest one a lunker as he is so much larger than his fellows. He was just 2+ inches when I bought him from Walmart along with two other koi and five shebunkin this spring. I had lost all of my koi and most of my goldfish to the winter. I have ordered something called Arctic Blend which is supposed to work down to 35F which is about what the water under the ice maintains. Perhaps that will help this winter. I am sure your little fellows will make a reappearance when they feel more secure.

I saw this this morning and thought it was pretty. It's the sunning shining through the floating water lily leaves, onto the bottom of the pond. Sort of like sunny day snow flakes! :)

Beautiful MM!

Hoping we won't have real snowflakes here anytime soon!

What a neat photo. And, OH, sunshine -- uh, I think it is. Been so long since I have seen it I'm not sure. Only kidding. But I will be saying that around January.

I was in talking with one of the smaller fish shops the other day. We got to talking about my pond and the problems I have had over wintering. He said if I brought in a water sample about mid-winter he would check it for oxygen. He also said he gets calls from time to time from people or businesses that are shutting down tanks or pond and want to get rid of fish. They just called me and asked if I would like two koi between 2.5 and 3'. I told him I would love to take them but I doubt they would survive and besides my pond is too small for them. 2800 gallons isn't enough. Wish I could box them up and send them down to you all but it would probably cost more than the fish were worth. Would have to be same day air for them to make it.

Man! When someone offers me fish that large for free, I take them! (especially if they're free!)
With oxygen and a filter, I've seen extremely large fish in very small surroundings, do incredibly well. May be worth a try?

But we are heading into winter. I would have to get them dormant. Slowly acclimate them to 40 degree water. And how the heck do you do that with 2' fish. I read how Bonnie fought with her big Momma. Those suckers are strong. I don't know how they would even transport them. Bags? Buckets? I don't want to take them just to kill them. Although I don't know who around here could accommodate fish that big. I will send a note to one other guy who has a pond here and has been successful with some of his koi. His pond might make it.

ooohhhh!!!!...... you don't need to take a bath this winter. Overwinter them in your bathtub! ^_^

Good lord. You just crack me up. No, the bathtub is too small.

I just went out at 7:30 am. Skies are just getting light; clear and cold. Ice is just forming around the eastern edge of the pond. Time to bring in the pressure filter. I got to the pond just in time to see a shebunkin loft himself out of the pond. Then did it again before going to hide. So what's up with that? Here we go. Winter is upon us and I am starting to fret. The falls are still running. It isn't oxygen depletion by a long shot. I am adding cold water bacteria every two weeks. Should I add something else in case there is a cold water bad guy active in my pond. And if so, why now. The fish were fine although I haven't seen the big guys in a day or two but that is not unusual. Maybe the shebunkin is just going for a last hurrah before the ice cap forms??