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Hi there and thanks so much for visiting my website. Tell others. Thank you.
This past week was a reprieve (kind of) from the previous two weeks. We had a big family reunion of my husband’s side on Saturday, August 6th at our place. Lots of people, kids, food, and chatter. The weather was perfect and all went well. None of the children fell into the pond! (I am still recovering. Even though my body says it is getting older, my mind still wants to think it is young.)
On Tuesday I decided the small pond we have out back (about 2500 gallons) needed thinned of many pond plants. When I was down in the pond earlier in the spring, I noticed a lot of the plants that had grown outside of their pots had numerous, huge, and very thick roots clear down to the liner. Some of the root systems of these plants, especially the cattails, were at least six inches thick. Not a lot of space for the fish!!!
So, I got my trusty small pruning shears and started at it.
Wow! What a back-breaking job that turned out to be! I had to feel my way along and snip, snip, snip a little at a time until I could get some sections loose and throw them out of the pond. Once in a while I felt something (fish, turtle,??) nibbling at my toes. Hmm. (We have never seen any snakes in the pond.)
Tuesday I did the east end, Wednesday and Thursday I did the west end, (bog end), now I have to do the sides, plus the middle. What to do with the middle plant (something like a spiral plant), that has grown so much and covers the entire middle of the pond, is another matter. I may have to wait until late fall to do that one. The spatter dock, (pond lilies), are huge and about the size of a small dinner plate. They are very prolific. Even though they provide good cover and shade for the pond, they too may have to be thinned. The flowers they produce are awesome!
We have approximately 60-70 fish (Goldfish, Koi, and a few minnows-hard to count when they are moving all about) in our small pond. I did remove twenty earlier in the summer (some small and six larger, more aggressive goldfish), and took them down to the neighbors very large pond. I believe I will be removing more of the smaller ones this fall. Overcrowding and the spawning each spring, has resulted in far to many fish for the size of our pond. Just last week I noticed very small Koi that had to have been born this spring. They are about an inch long.
If you think fish are dumb, they are not. When I try to start netting some of them, they disappear quickly and stay away. It is a test of wills and requires a lot of patience.
My sequel is moving along slow but sure. With so much to take care of around here, it has been hard to concentrate on writing. Besides that, my proofreader is very busy also with summer things. I am hoping to have it completed by fall, and released before the end of the year. That is my goal! Please be patient. Thank you.
My husband is attending college up north for his Masters in Biology. He is traveling about 96 miles a day, Monday-Friday. He has a lot of studying to do daily. As soon as he is done with this last class, he will have about a week to get his room ready for the school year to begin. He teaches Physical Science and Physics at a local high school.
I attended a Writer’s Conference in Cincinnati in July. It was very informative and helpful.
I will be attending and participating in the 2005 Midwest Book Fest in Bellevue, Ohio, September 17th, 2005. It is being held at the school. This conference will be open to the public. There will be lots of authors there to promote, sell, sign, and discuss their books. I am looking forward to this event with great enthusiasm. Visit their website at: http://hometown.aol.com/MidwestBookFest/ for more information.
I start back to work September 12th, at the Victim Assistance office. I am looking forward to it.
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and Laughter to you.
Becky :)