Be still my bleeding heart(s) --- the happy new owners are bombing around in my dearly departed '02. The geese have been resting on their way north while Pat went south to present at the Elmwood (pop. 100?) Library, the first public use of her new name! But the garden got attention, too, being tilled six weeks later than last year (spring was really late up here).
The major project this week has been evolving for years. The pond had become murky green and the usual fixes were no longer working. So the plants, fish and frogs had to be evacuated and the 8,000 gallons of water drained for a restart. Pat stubbornly scrubbed the yukky liner, bad enough. But really gross was the 3 or 4 inches of brown-green MULM at the bottom ---- accumulated fish waste, rotting vegetation, pollen, and pond scum. A gruesome job that had to be hurried because the fish/frogs/newts were cramped in temporary waters. The waterfall and some rock edge also had to be rebuilt after years of frost heave and settling. Also added is an aeration bubbling system ---- all to keep the water clear and healthy.
It takes 31 hours to refill the pond with the garden hose, but what an improvement. Clear views of the fish schooling or not, frogs guarding their chosen plant pot, and tadpoles wrigling to adulthood. In fact, it was possible to do a census of the pond dwellers before they were returned to their world: 26 fish, 4 bullfrog tadpoles, and dozens of newts. The snakes, leopard frogs, and dragon flies reappeared like long-lost cousins.
How many times can you actually experience a cliche. I can't resist; here's a picture of shooting fish in a barrel!
The major project this week has been evolving for years. The pond had become murky green and the usual fixes were no longer working. So the plants, fish and frogs had to be evacuated and the 8,000 gallons of water drained for a restart. Pat stubbornly scrubbed the yukky liner, bad enough. But really gross was the 3 or 4 inches of brown-green MULM at the bottom ---- accumulated fish waste, rotting vegetation, pollen, and pond scum. A gruesome job that had to be hurried because the fish/frogs/newts were cramped in temporary waters. The waterfall and some rock edge also had to be rebuilt after years of frost heave and settling. Also added is an aeration bubbling system ---- all to keep the water clear and healthy.
It takes 31 hours to refill the pond with the garden hose, but what an improvement. Clear views of the fish schooling or not, frogs guarding their chosen plant pot, and tadpoles wrigling to adulthood. In fact, it was possible to do a census of the pond dwellers before they were returned to their world: 26 fish, 4 bullfrog tadpoles, and dozens of newts. The snakes, leopard frogs, and dragon flies reappeared like long-lost cousins.
How many times can you actually experience a cliche. I can't resist; here's a picture of shooting fish in a barrel!
Whew!! That's a lot of work!!!
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