Ponds 2013 III

Hey, I read this at another site in relation to having a gazillion baby fry. Do you suppose it is true:

"If you have too many fry, I've read that Golden Orfes will take care of the problem. "

Didn't go to beach today. Too windy and cool for me. Then my friend calls me and says its 72 over there and we are supposed to dip down to around 50 tonight. Go figure.
I know what you mean Carolyn about leaving family. It sure was hard for me but we were just going to try it here. Thats was 43 years ago. Now I have no one close to me left up north so I'll just stay until I'm planted.
MM put in new UV bulbs in May of this year. I will see if they just need cleaning as I iknow they can get mucked up easily.
Happy ponding all.

Hmm....I'm not sure, my orfes have always been in a separate mini-pond area. They themselves actually bred like crazy. The guppies have been breeding like crazy all summer, but only a small group are really pretty...they rest are mud-puppy looking.
Bonnie, it was so overly windy today...and Chilly! I had a hoodie and sweat pants on today. Unfortunately, working outside means you constantly change outfits to deal with it, but never get to escape it. Put soup in the crock pot before I left to go to work...it was exactly what I needed once I got home.

Yeah. I have been making creations half recipe, half creative but all good for the time of year. Plus it reduces the meat intake and uses up the salmon in the freezer. Eating some vegies that I have not before tried. D is on board with it. Now if I could just learn not to make the entire recipe (enough for a small third world country) so we have leftovers for a week. lol Gave some of the last batch to the neighbors. She hates to cook and subsequently doesn't. Works for me.

Mary

I hear ya on cutting back recipes.... just told DH about that with regards to his KY chili, I said we don't need enough to last 2 weeks....LOL So he did manage a little less, so we will have enough for two different nights, which is perfect. He did the same with the veg beef soup he made last week...LOL

You mentioned salmon, we love it, is your caught by you or store purchased? My DH makes grilled salmon with linguine noodles with garlic butter on both..... yummy.

Stay warm, and be careful on the roads.

Jan

My husband goes to Chitna on the Copper River each year and dipnets for salmon. We cut it into filets and shrink wrap. Some we freeze and some we smoke. It lasts all year even with giving some away. Still costs more than store bought allowing for the time off from work for him, gas to and from Chitna. But we know where it came from and he rarely takes off time so this is his one big 'vacation' each year. Your husband's recipe for grilled salmon with linguine sounds luscious. We usually just steam rice or make salad to go with it.

It was a freezing rain last night and is up to 33F today so the roads are indeed slippery. Will only venture out to the store, yarn shop and home during non rush hours. May take Woody for a walk. He is seriously overdue.

Drained down old pond today and vacuumed it and it is refilling now. Almost 10PM.
Tomorrow will go to Petco and get algaeside. Hopefully it will clean up.
Skimmer was loaded with leaves so I vacuumed that out and all around pump wich was loaded also. Had to get into pond and without sunshine it was a bit cool. A little drizzle of rain but didn't amount to anything. Bigger pond with big fish is cleaner so will just add some algaeside to that just in case.
Geeze Oberon be careful on roads. Reminds me of when I was little in Conn.
My husb. loves salmon but rarely gets any. Very expensive in stores here. I don't care for it so I told him to buy a small piece for himself. Don't really know how to cook it right but he can. He is a wiz at chilli making. Makes a stock pot full and then freezes in butter bowls. I call it toxic waste. Don't like hot foods.
Take care all and happy ponding!

Bonnie - tell hubs to put the salmon on the grill. I love it that way! After it is grilled, one of my favorite ways to serve it is on top of a dinner salad - with the dressing and everything, it all just tastes so good.

I need to vacuum my pond again - Hopefully tomorrow. Today is supposed to be the nicer of the days this weekend, but I am taking my grandson to the bazaar at church so he can do his Christmas shopping. We are meeting my Dad there - I hope my grandson has fun - I think I am probably looking forward to it more than he is!

sounds like a wonderful day at the bazaar. Enjoy

Had a wonderful time at the bazaar - I saw many people I had not seen in so many years. I used to go to that church when I was a child, so it brought back many memories and thoughts of people that have passed and those that have moved. So good to see my Dad as well. He is getting on in years, but does well.

When I came home from the bazaar with my grandson, I was so pleasantly surprised - DH had gotten the rest of the leaves out of the pond. Next weekend I will probably salt and then after that, it will be a waiting game to see when the pond water is in the mid to 30's. That is when we bring in the pumps and put in the deicers - cannot believe we are to this point already, however we have generally shut down between Thanksgiving and the first week of December.

We are gradually slipping down into the mid 20's so the pond is pretty well iced. Wish it was as clear and pristine in the summer as it looks now; well, the parts that aren't covered in ice. It's just the stuff that floats on the surface, little stuff, that ruins the clarity of the pond. I can still see to the bottom but not as nicely as it is now. Just like glass.

Carolyn, glad you enjoyed the bazaar.

Down in the 20's. BRRRRRRR

4F this morning. pond totally under ice except for deicers. Even running water from pipe 2' over pond is iced in with water flowing from pipe into pond within the ice sheath. Headed toward minus degrees. Brrrrr.

Not unheard of. Made a nice irish lamb stew last night with corn bread. Nice warm comfort food.

Sounds good. I haven't had a lamb stew in forever.

lamb stew, Yummy, but I'm a fried corn bread lover....

Right after my DH and I were married I met him for lunch at his work, and he came back to the table with beef stew and what looked like pancakes, I asked him why he was eating pancakes with beef stew and he is looking all over his plate for pancakes and finally realizes I'm talking about the fried corn bread. I had never seen or heard of fried corn bread and after he made some I was hooked. The regular corn bread is just too dry for me...

Jan

MINUS DEGREES!!!?? YIPES!! Can't even imagine. Although I was born in the snow-belt, I've been in Florida for 35 years and my blood has thinned out way too much to handle the cold now.
Lamb I can handle morning, noon, and night, though!! My family came down from Ohio and we put 3 whole bone-in legs on the grill. Delicious! I've been eating lamb leftovers all week.
Should be in the low 80s for the next few days, but then on Sunday it drops 20 degrees to low 60s. That kind of temp drop overnight messes with the fish and plants. I'm going to try to get the filters cleaned before the drop, and get all plants watered very well while the sun can warm the ground.

For those that can find it, if you have every had the joy of eating Icelandic lamb, do, is the best. Years back I was interested in raising them, as they are triple purpose breed. The meat is incredible, the wool is equally wonderful, so many natural colors with two different textures. (I'm a spinner) and you can even milk them for the most incredible cheese.... a win win

Just in case you might want to find a breeder, check out www.isbona.com this is the group that list the breeders and then you can contact them to see what they might have. Mary in your part of the world your environment is the closes to their native homeland. LOL

Jan

Jan...How interesting! I vote you still get a pair! :)
My brother and sister in law, in Ohio, had alpacas. Their fur is soooo overly soft. My grandkids have teddy bears made our of apaca fur, I've never felt anything like it! When I was little, we raised chinchillas. I'm not in to fur pelts, but sheared wools from different animals always amaze me. I'm lucky to not have any alergies, so don't worry about wool or angora, etc, like others. What do you make when once you spin?

Sounds like an interesting deal. Had I more property I would surely be tempted. Love lamb, knit and could learn to spin or perhaps trade the wool for quiviut, and husband can't drink regular milk.

I just loved spinning and with their wool you can spin the fine wool into such soft skeins that you can make undergarments with it... and the outer wool you can go as far to make rope... but the best thing I found with the wool is it is the fastest felting wool I have ever worked with. I even came up with a felting technique where to felt in a zip lock baggie.

MerryMary, FL is way to humid for them to make it here, they might last for a little while, but I couldn't see putting them through it. I had a friend back in KY where we lived before having to move to northern OH and she has a small herd, but they have lots of fans running in the barns from March through October, for them as KY is very similar to FL in regards to the humidity, KY just doesn't have the wonderful sea breezes.


Mary

Their milk is good, very rich, the butter is excellent as the cheese is very delicate. I think your husband would like it. The cow milk sold in stores isn't really milk at all after all the pasteurization that has gone on with it, that is why so many people can't drink it these days. Goat and sheeps milk is the best. Goats milk will even cure stomach ulcers, well at least it did for my grandfather.


Iceland sheep have so many unique qualities and are such a beautiful breed of sheep, they even have leader sheep, which is usually a ewe, and they can sense when a storm is coming and these ewes have been credited with saving herds by getting them back to the barns before the storms hit.

I could go on for ever...lol

Jan

Jan - perhaps I would do better with the wool from the Icelandic lambs - I am so allergic to wool. I always have been - I am cotton girl - love cotton.

I don't think I could eat anything I raised though (veggies don't count). I am sure I would get so attached to the babies, but then I am attached to my fish as well.

Mary - Oberon - so I need to come to you with my crochet questions now that my Gramma is gone.

MM - I am jealous of your 80's. We have been in the 40's and I am already freezing.

Bonnie - you are so quiet - I hope all is well.

At one point I had inherited my grandmothers spinning wheel. Just fooled around with it as a kid, after I thought I was cool once returning from Girl Scout camp. Never really went beyond that, but it was fun at the time. Recently tried to crochet again, but wasn't taught properly the first time, and everything I make just gets curly. :)
I had a friend who was an old fashioned loomer, and made beautiful blankets, but bought her yarn. My sister in law wove beautiful baskets, from anything she could find around her farm. Pine needles, grape vines, willows...just beautiful! She also had bees and made wax ornaments for Christmas, by molding it into the large cookie clay molds (like Brown Paper Bag or Longenberger molds) I love the traditional talents. I think that's why I love the koi ponds so much, there's just something organic about it.

Carolyn if it is possible to help with knitting online I would be more than glad to help. Pictures help too. I am deep into knitting now. Still a novice but growing every day.

How I wish I had room for sheep and goats and bees and chickens; know they would be tons of work but it would be so rewarding. I could eat chickens but not the lambs or goats; would grow too attached like MerryMary. But eggs, wool, milk, butter, yogurt, honey... yeah.

A few more pictures as we move into winter: the first three were on Nov 17. The last two were taken early in the morning (still dark) and while the snow looks dirty it isn't. Just shadowy

I know it's cold, but it's also so beautiful and sparkly! Great photos!

This is the best way to deal with snow, by looking at pictures. Oh Mary, I hope the winter goes by fast for you and yours and that yall will have a early spring so you can see your fish soon.

Don't know what I look more forward to; planting seeds or seeing my fish. Either way it will be the end of March or middle April.

At 4:30 this morning Damien asked if I was awake. I said yes, I was thinking about the pond. He had also been doing so since about 2am. He had a plan, so we got up, bundled up (it is just a little abobe zero, and hauled 5 gallons of hot water to open the hole at the top of the peak of ice. The water was flowing outside the peak and forming a huge sheet of ice on top of the pond. Essentially emptying the pond. We broke the pipe loose from the top of the peak, pulled the hose and wired it to the pipe with the hose down the ice hole to within 4-6" above the water. I have to haul some hot water out the thaw out the deicer at the shallow end as the draw down of water has left it rather high and dry - with ice under it- no hole. So I will haul buckets of hot water down there to thaw that out AFTER some hot coffee. Wasn't outside long enough to get cold though. Jeans, sweat pants, scarf, sweatshirt, down jacket, scarf etc. Actually fairly light weight compared to what we wore in Fairbanks @ -30 to -50. lol

Mary

-30 to -50 below how in the world do humans survive in that.... I'm cold just thinking about you being out at -0 working. I know my asthma would have a fit in that weather.

Drink plenty of warm fluids and be safe.

Your fish are luck to have you both.

Jan

Past -25 you can't tell the difference very much. You just get colder faster and anything exposed can get frostbit pretty quickly. And you never pick up anything like a tireiron with your bare hands. Learned that the hard way changing a tire once.

ouch!

Mary - are you adding tap water? You may want to add some dechlorinator.

I may hit you up for knitting help. It will be fun.

We are colder than normal here - I hope that this is not an indication of how the winter will be going.

I have not shut down the pond yet. Typically that is between Thanksgiving and the first week or so of December. It needs to wait until I am off for Thanksgiving weekend - a five day weekend for me.

Hubs used to shut down and start up, but I think it will be me again. This type of thing is becoming more difficult for him.

Our water has about zero chlorine. I add it straight to my frog tank and my indoor fish tank (the one with babies from the pond) and have tested many times. Always shows no chlorine at all.

I am sorry you husband isn't doing so well. Puts quite a burden on you. Don't wait til it is too terribly cold and wet to shut things down. You can't afford to become ill yourself. D says that we are headed to a warmer spot this weekend. I am going to try to get another deicer in the pond. I took two buckets of hot water out and got the one by the skimmer thawed out of the ice and floating in water again. The water is way low in the shallows, only maybe 8" from a norm of 30" . I may run the hose out this afternoon as we have warmed up from 7 to 9F. lol.

Anytime I can help with the knitting give a holler. One of these days I swear I am going to just get on a plane and fly down to visit with you all, Dave Gardener's friends. Would make a great trip I think.

Wait until Bonnie has a Round-Up! I think she should have a ponders RU this time! :)

I would love to attend a ponders RU, I want a pond so bad, but really don't know the first thing about starting or maintaining. LOL

Jan

Jan - seems like a ponder RU would be a great place to start. Think about all the people that are there with up and running and the plants they would share with you.

Mary - I just watched the weather - we are into it early this year. Not sure I can wait, but I need to have a block of time to get it done. This is the earliest it has ever been. 2 or 3 years ago we were into around the 10th of December.

Thanks for the well wishes on hubs. He has a procedure tomorrow, so I will be taking the day off.

Just tell me the date and as long as it isn't the first weeks of October I will try to make it. Will be in Europe with DH at that time. First trip like that ever.

Jan, Bonnie and I are close enough to walk you through it.