Pond & Pets
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Lady, our Eskimo/Chow. A June 22 baby of 1996, she lived at the humane society in Watertown, NY until the day she turned six weeks old. My daughter pointed to the puppy she wanted, but the woman at the pound selected the caramel female just behind the black and white male. That night, my sister informed me my daughter cried herself to sleep because we brought home the wrong puppy as she wanted the black and white one. It broke my heart, but two dogs were out of the question and the idea of returning this puppy for another didn't appeal either. My daughter and I talked the next day and decided maybe there was a reason we ended up with the caramel as the black and white might bite. My daughter agreed to keep the puppy. Needless to say, it didn't take long before any attempt to remove the dog from the house meant Armageddon. She is a huge part of the family and knows I'm momma and my husband is daddy. Lady is currently hindered by severe hip pain and I am doing the best I can for her. |
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Tiny, our guinea pig. She will be three this summer. As the runt of her litter, her siblings picked on her so bad she received her own cage in the pet shop. My daughter lost her second guinea pig to time's passing only a few weeks earlier and decided to replace her beloved companion. She fell in love with the tiny cavy and brought her home. Tiny has since grown to a full-size guinea pig who happily carries on a conversation with anyone and squeals if ignored. She's a pudgy ball who loves greens. Tinay is still doing well, but age is catching her. |
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Teal, our lovebird. She was born on February 14, 1998. I often wonder why the misnomer since she bites all others and occasionally me. She demands attention and receives it, but is not allowed to escape her cage unless the ceiling fan is off and we are fully attentive to her exploits. It takes some serious coaxing to return her to her cage if she doesn't want to go. Sadly, we laid Teal to rest September 8, 2007. |
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Tweety, Petey, Sky & Diamond, our four newest family members parakeets. All are about two months old. Tweety is a female with a light blue body and yellow head. She is ornery and fussy. Petey is a male with a deep blue body and yellow head. He is mischievous and sings. Sky is a female with a white body, blue belly and white head. She dances and weaves. Diamond is a male with a white body and a barely-there pastel blue near his legs who is the gentle soul. Sadly, Petey apparently had something wrong and his odd little dance was a telltale sign we failed to recognize. Petey's breathing was rapid and worried us, but there was no reachable vet on New Year's Day. The next evening, Petey's breathing increased and, without any warning, he fell from the perch and went still. We laid Petey to rest January 2, 2008. The other parakeets are doing fine. |
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My 3500 gallon pond wraps a corner of my large back porch and is shaded by a living pergola. The primary and most beneficial coverage comes from a beautiful thornless, miniature rose bush who is a fast, but gentle grower, which grape vines compete from opposite corners while ivy, a steadfast, slow grower climbs up the corner produces massive amounts of miniature bouquets of tiny yellow roses the size of a thumbnail. Two nearest the falling waterfall. We lost the cascading fall early in the year due to a leak. |
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Water babies. What started out in 1999 as a Mother's Day gift of a ninety gallon pond with three koi is now a four thousand gallon pool I venture into as needed to clean. When I need a break from anything, I spend time at my pond where four waterfalls unleash tension while a pergola keeps out the sun. The waterfalls consist of a trickling brook, a babbling cascading, a falling fall and a plunging fall which collect into the big pond. Hubby plans to build me a room where I can watch the pond and listen to the waterfalls. If he does, I'll never get anything done. My water babies are Smoke, pond mother, Goldie, Bandit, Torpedo, Day, Night, Shadow, Nightfall, Brass, Bronze, Sherbet, Sunrise, Sunset, baby Smoke, baby Bandit, Red, and The Monitor. Oh and I dare not forget my two huge Tennessee frogs who lull us to sleep with their nightly croaks. Sweetie lives in the lower pound and Frogzilla commands the upper pond. Both earned their names. Did you know frogs hiss and snap? Sweetie watches me from the pond bank and doesn't bother me, but I do not go in the upper pond unless I know exactly where Frogzilla is. August this year devastated our pond with a traumatic loss of 13 of the big beautiful, to include Smoke, my pond mother and breeder. |
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Koi Roundup |
Two words…not fun. Have you ever tried to catch a thirty inch koi who owns the pond? I'm gathering pictures for my website . Look for the following culprits: Bandit (moves things), Smoke (owns the pond), and Torpedo (once called Sunset now has an appropriately earned name). Here’s a little background. If I’m in the pond, Smoke demands I have a seat. If I don’t listen, I’ll end up seated with a bruise on my thigh. Bandit is the reason I no longer have lights for he found it amusing to move the darn things so they prove utterly worthless. He plays with and moves the rocks, too. Torpedo. Need I say more? Okay. Last year while seated in the pond to catch the goldfish and give them to a friend to boost her pond, a brilliant orange streak flew over my shoulder. The darn critter leapt back over my shoulder just as I turned my head and his nose rammed my jaw under my ear. I had a bruise for almost a week. My husband called it a kiss. Now you have a general idea of the madness of the pond and Torpedo. Tiorpedo was one of the water babies I buried. |
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The Pump |
When the pond sprung a leak this February, it worsened to the point we were forced to keep water running into it overnight. We dug out the larger of two upper ponds and relined it. I had to drain the big pond in order to catch the fish. I bought a liner, relined the lower pond and put the fish back in it. I did take pictures of my babies and will post them soon. While placing rocks around the pond for a more natural look, I felt a tingle and decided it odd, but continued to work. Yeah, the fish seemed more active than normal, but I was so into what I was doing I didn't think about the fact the pump connected electricity to the water I stood in. I climbed out for a thirty minute break and then returned to sit by the pond. I started to rinse my hands, but it hurt. I tested the water again, felt the same bite and yelled for hubby. Turns out the pump cord was loose and twenty-six volts of electricity danced in my pond. Hubby cut the power to the pond and removed the pump. I'll call it an interesting experience, but not one I want to revisit. I'm due to climb in and finish edging the area near the porch and falls this weekend, weather permitting. |
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A Special Visitor |
We enjoyed a spectacular weekend as the flocks headed south. I looked out the sliding glass door and saw a strange sight. It isn't often you see a duck diving your pond. No, the fish were in no danger and the dog, who snuck past me, simply eyed the wild visitor, completed her task and came back inside. Mistress Duck, however certainly voiced her opinion on the dog's presence. I was worried Mistress Duck might have been injured or wouldn't be able to continue her southern journey for whatever reason so I watched over her and waited. Somewhere overhead another duck called and Mistress Duck answered, but got no response. She moved to the mud puddle in the middle of the yard and we all waited and hoped. Within a short time, another duck called from several yards over. Mistress Duck answered and tried to take flight, but lacked distance and effort in the 25 feet to clear the fence. I almost cried when she slammed the fence. Mistress Duck returned to the puddle, her actions declared lack of apparent injury. The insistent call of the nearby duck we couldn't see came one more from a yard then, moments later, from overhead. Mistress Duck answered and put more effort into flight. We cheered when she cleared the fence. I was so concerned over her that I forgot to take pictures. Hubby mentioned it after Mistress Duck was airborne with her mate. I hope Mistress Duck enjoyed her brief rest in my pond and comes to visit next year. |