Have you heard? We have a Pond!

Our home is obsessed with our pond, every free moment has been spent researching and planning.  We talk about our pond, we talk about talking about our pond....

POND!

POND!!

POND!!!

POND!!!!

Hey, there is a lot to learn before we get our fish on the 16th.

Drew, a few days ago found a publication on water quality and how to improve it.  One test seemed pretty straight forward.  Collect a sample of water in a glass jar, leave undisturbed for two days and see what settles to the bottom.  Easy Peasy!

Well, we took our sample, labeling it pond water we set it on the counter to begin the count down.

Day 1....

Day 1 and a 1/2 ..... safe

The eve before we get to peek... I walk into the kitchen to find Cody shaking the jar like a little boy would shake a snow globe....

"hey Ma, what's this?"

shake, shake, shake.  As he totally concentrates on the particles floating in the water I say....

"Oh, you know, just a water sample that we took from the pond.  It had to sit for two days to let the stuff settle to the bottom and we were going to look at it tomorrow.........."

As the realization of what I was saying sinks in, Cody's snow globe transforms into a stick of dynamite and he gently places it on the counter, slowly backing away.

"Sooooo, two days from right this second would be Saturday?"

I nod, switching off the light,  now having a better understanding of why some animal mommas just up and eat their young.

Unfortunately, Saturday is no better.  On Saturday I am washing dishes and ask Shane to run a bottle of sugar water out to the hive close to the house.  I noticed they were a little low on feed and want to keep them in good shape for a Spring split...  Like the sweetheart he is, he says "Sure" and grabs.. .....you guessed it.... my bottle of pond water.

"Oh, not that! The sugar water is over here!"

Shake Shake Shake... "What's this?"

"Nothing"  I say as I dump it down the sink...

Those fish are just going to have to live in whatever is out there because that jar is interrupting the peace and tranquility of my soul and home.. Nuff said.


On a funnier note, we've all been discussing what kind of fish we want in our pond as well.  Grace decided that we should have Sea Horses!  She even went as far as to find some for sale on eBay.  I was proud of the other children because, without laughing  (I can't say the same for me), they explained that "Sea" Horses had to have salt water to live.  Undaunted, she calls on Mr. Google to see if the people she lives with knew what they were talking about.  Turns out the Sea Horse has a fresh water cousin called a  Syngnathid..... who knew?  It looks kinda like a Sea Horse, kinda like a Sea Dragon... But as she triumphantly scrolled through the pictures her expression changed and to my relief she no longer wants them in our pond.  In her own words "they are so ugly, they would haunt my dreams!"  Whew! We dodged a bullet there......


At any rate, the fish will be here next week!  We have a Weeping Willow sitting here waiting to be planted when the goats are moved to their summer pasture.  We picked up a few pussy willow twigs at the Swap Meet  in March and are rooting them for the edge. Our Brandy Wine Crab Apple should be here shortly and if I could just find a few cattail starts we would be all set!!!  Cannot wait to see how this all plays out!  Pictures will follow!!!