Messages

211

Chit Chat / Re: FSC Cigarettes - Am I the only one...

« on: February 28, 2010, 11:37:28 AM »

I just passed my first anniversary of not smoking (quit 2/27/09), and I have to say that I really do miss it. I especially miss having a smoke out by the pond watching the lilies bloom and the fishies swim.

I was a pretty heavy smoker, it took the patch AND the gum in order to succeed. But I think I've saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500.00. I don't get why I don't have that pile of money sitting in front of me.   I guess it just got incorporated into the daily routine.

Fire Safety Cigarettes.... seems like an oxymoron. Haven't smokers been vilified enough already?! The next time you see a smoker, thank them for paying for the underprivileged childrens health care programs.

212

Pond Chat / Re: New Laws for Permissible Water Plants in Texas

« on: February 27, 2010, 05:07:14 PM »

I have a lot of mixed thoughts about this ("cognitive dissonance"  ), because I think banning so many plants that have unknown potential just because they're considered invasive is a real downer for the ponder who loves plants, but on the other hand I know what it's like to have plants escape from the pond and literally take over. Chocolate mint and Chameleon plant (Houtouinia cordata) are my problem plants.

Trading has also gotten much harder because if you get caught sending a plant to a state where it's "on the list", you could get in trouble with the law. On the other hand, we have too many laws!

213

Pond Chat / Re: not sure if i shared but...

« on: February 27, 2010, 04:57:31 PM »

Beautiful bouquet! Thanks for the cutting tip as well- I knew to cut them in the morning but was never sure whether to cut before or after opening. Good tip!

214

Pond Chat / Re: MOUSE HAS BEEN BUSY AROUND MY POND!

« on: February 27, 2010, 04:53:37 PM »

If you have any lighting around the pond, check it. We had a mouse a couple years ago who ate through the insulation/rubber of the lighting cord. What a pain. I suspect the same mouse ate every single needle off my expensive dwarf shimpaku juniper and killed it.

On the plus side, we've got a couple of feral cats living under the deck now and we haven't seen any mice at all. 

215

Chit Chat / Re: Dec 21 2012

« on: February 19, 2010, 07:31:56 AM »

I don't think I agree with the oil thing- if an energy company feels that oil is running out, then they'll scramble to invent something else. Technology marches on, without government orders.
If something is going to kill us any time soon, it will either be overpopulation or nukes.

Y2K, Global warming?  Food for thoght.

Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Mad Cow......

216

Chit Chat / Re: How did we survive back then?

« on: February 18, 2010, 08:23:30 AM »

I heard a sad story yesterday. Seems some snot nose kid was using her Facebook page to bash one of her mean high school teachers. This was going on for some time, and when the school found out about it they suspended her. Now, if I were her parent I'd support the school's decision and also punish her. I'd probably end her Facebook usage. And maybe have hubby break out the belt!
What did her parents do? They sued! And guess what- they won! The judge ruled that she had the right to "free speech".

What is this country coming to? People are trying to figure out what to do with cyber bullies and this judge just made it a lot harder to do anything. So it's OK to bully your teachers but not your peers?

217

Chit Chat / Re: I'm getting good at......UPDATE....UGH

« on: February 18, 2010, 08:12:13 AM »

With the economy the way it is, you'd think the workers (no matter what they're doing- painting, drywall, whatever) would make darn sure they're doing a good job. Who wants to get fired in this climate where nobody can find a job? I'd be bending over backwards to make myself as indispensable as possible!

This is a gal and she couldn't make it today but is juggling jobs and will do ours tomorrow

That seems promising. I hope she gets the job done right for you.

218

Chit Chat / Re: Year of the Tiger!

« on: February 18, 2010, 08:02:41 AM »

Wow...just wow. What amazing pictures. I love the designs and the saturated, rich colors.

"Gung Hay Fat Choy!" ... does this mean Happy New Year? One of these days I'd love to learn Chinese. I think I'm too old.

219

Chit Chat / Re: Interesting stuff

« on: February 16, 2010, 07:23:22 PM »

That was great... thanks!

Here's another one:
What is the largest tire manufacturer in the world? Bridgestone? BF Goodrich? Michelin?

Nope... it's LEGO! 

220

Chit Chat / Re: Beaded Koi Amulet Bag

« on: February 16, 2010, 10:34:55 AM »

That's gorgeous! You've got a lot of talent (and patience)!

221

Chit Chat / Re: Now this is a nice REJECTION !

« on: February 16, 2010, 10:33:43 AM »

Sorry you didn't get the job, but that was a very nice letter.

Reminds me of a saying on my friend's trivet: Tact: The ability to tell a man to go to hell that makes him feel happy to be on his way.

222

Pond Chat / Re: Another one gone

« on: February 16, 2010, 10:27:39 AM »

With the blisters I'd be concerned about possible KHV or Costia infection. Are they blisters, ulcers, or popped up scales? Maybe check the emergency section over at Koiphen? They have an EXCELLENT emergency sticky.

223

Pond Chat / Re: New water plant for my pond!

« on: February 15, 2010, 09:10:10 AM »

I have tried and tried to grow that plant. I think it's my water. I wonder if this plant is pH sensitive, or hardness sensitive?

Annette, you picture is lovely. I love the pink.

224

Pond Chat / Re: snails

« on: February 15, 2010, 09:03:21 AM »

If they're the Trap door, Ramshorn, or Apple then they're OK. Stay away from the Great Pond Snails... they're the little ones that reproduce worse than bunnies. My son put a couple of them in our aquarium and now it's completely infested. They are also a host for parasitic worms.

225

Pond Chat / Re: Are these leeches?

« on: February 15, 2010, 08:55:42 AM »

Looks like a type of tube worm (Deros). They build a tube stuck to the rock, then hang out and pull food from the moving water. Or they could be larva?

226

Chit Chat / Re: My semi awesome anniversary present. Apologies to JC.

« on: February 08, 2010, 07:17:40 PM »

I adore dim sum. I can't eat much of it nowadays, because of the high sugar/carb content. Have you ever read the cookbooks by Martin Yan (Yan Can Cook)? Absolutely delicious!

Language is no barrier for me... yummy has no national boundaries. 

Is there anything not remotely Asian that is not completely delicious?  I know, double negative. That means all food Asian is delicious. American Asian, however, is not authentic. Kind of bothers me...

227

Pond Chat / Re: The bumpy side of the pond...

« on: February 01, 2010, 08:35:40 PM »

LOL...Christopher Wakin... double LOL! What a name!

But I wonder about those bumps. Are they cysts? Cancer? How very strange!

228

Pond Chat / Re: What now?!?!?! Am I found?!!

« on: January 29, 2010, 08:31:29 AM »

Herons are extremely food- fashionable, just like humans. For example, if a human goes into a restaurant and sees a Fillet Mignon with sherry reduction for the same price as a hamburger, the human is going to get the Fillet. The Heron does the same thing. Koi? Or Goldfish? They will go for the Koi every time, and always the most expensive ones.

229

Pond Chat / Re: Calling it quits....

« on: January 29, 2010, 08:20:52 AM »

Blind 'Too, this thread PROVES that you should not stop ponding. 

If I do ever build another one, I have a spot for it and the waterfalls would come down off the hill.  Might as well utilize that currently useless hill for something!

YES!

If you wanted to save your current pond, the thing to do would be to add drainage tiles/French drain/corrugated drainage piping all around the pond leading out to somewhere that's lower.

The same concept applies to houses. The previous owner of our house had a water problem in the basement, so she paid a lot of money to have a drainage system & sump pump installed. When we moved in, we noticed some puddling on the floor in wet weather. All we did to cure it was:
1- made sure the ground soil was graded away from the house.
2- installed corrugated drainage pipes on all the gutters, buried them in a hand-dug trench, and made sure they emptied far away from the house it a naturally-draining spot.

Lot of work, but well worth it. We haven't had a drop of water in the basement in 10 years, even in torrential rain. The same concept applies to the pond.

Another thing to consider is the unbelievable amount of rain youz Cali's have gotten recently. Don't let it get to you. It will end and you'll be back to your normal desert conditions... hoping for rain.

230

Pond Chat / Re: Petco sale

« on: January 14, 2010, 09:02:18 AM »

Good luck, Jerry. That's a terrific price!

231

Pond Chat / Re: So...what do you do?

« on: January 11, 2010, 06:40:35 PM »

Like Bob, we like trains as well. All of our Marklin trains are in storage, as well as the American Flyer... but we've discovered Lego trains. Having young kids, the Lego trains are durable.

Of course, if you have the trains you need a town. We haven't eaten in our dining room for a few years... 









That last pic is a little blurry because of the action... little Matthew running around to arrange things properly, and the Lego Holiday Train whizzing around the track.

For Christmas, my hubby gave me an adorable Lego house with a pond out front!



It's hard to see in the pic, but there is a little duck in the pond. Should have positioned it better. Lego is notoriously difficult to photograph, and I am no photographer for sure.

232

Chit Chat / Re: Wireless phone jacks.

« on: January 08, 2010, 08:50:12 PM »

I don't have any of this stuff, but I think with the Magic Jack or other VoIP stuff, you need to have an active internet connection ON all the time in order for it to work. With to the Magic Jack, sure it's only 20 bucks a year, but you need an internet connection to be ON all the time for it to work. Reminder that internet connections also cost money.

I don't like that, because I don't want my internet connection on all the time. I'm OK with it on during the day, but it is a security liability. I'd rather pay to have a landline.

Just my 2 cents.

233

Chit Chat / Re: What did you GIVE for Christmas?

« on: January 04, 2010, 05:25:43 PM »

Sean, you are going to love your mixer!

Oops...  ... wrong thread!

234

Chit Chat / Re: Happy New Year Friends, (From Coast to Coast)

« on: January 02, 2010, 08:11:20 PM »

Happy New Year to all of you and your families. I kind of agree with Esther's sentiments... yet know we have some issues that may require us to dig up a lot of stuff... and remove some rock walls. Hopefully if the winter is bad enough, those things will magically shift yet again and become perfect!  It could happen.

235

Chit Chat / Re: What did you GIVE for Christmas?

« on: January 02, 2010, 08:05:40 PM »

We got a lot of necessary, practical things for the kids. My son's stuff was falling apart, so he got new snow boots, snow pants, coat, & gloves. Transformers & Legos for the toys.
We got a lot of clothes for my daughter- jeans, hoodies, etc. The girls around here really like Aeropostale, so I got a bunch of stuff on sale. Jewelry, bath stuff, etc.
Got my hubby some antique radio books and clothes.

Got my sister a stock pot, Himalayan pink salt, a citrine ring, travel mug, and a few other things. Got my BIL some jeans, shirts for work, suet feeder with assortment of suet cakes (wild bird enthusiast), a book about how to attract wild birds to your garden, and tea lights and tarts for his tart burner.

The "perfect" gift didn't happen this year. We wanted to get the kids a Wii Rock Band bundle, but nobody had them. So instead we got them Tony Hawk "Ride", but the bum skateboard wouldn't calibrate.

Sean, you are going to love your mixer!

236

Pond Chat / Re: What treasure did you find when digging your pond?

« on: December 28, 2009, 06:54:40 PM »

To quote one of the original Speichert forum members... "I found Jimmy Hoffa"

I did find the original tiles from my main bathroom and a couple matchbox cars. Boring.

237

Chit Chat / Re: Happy Birthday Jerry!

« on: December 23, 2009, 08:08:21 PM »

Sorry I'm late. Hope you had a great one and belated wishes for many more. Love that pic of you and your dad!

238

Pond Chat / Re: Advice please

« on: December 20, 2009, 04:41:45 PM »

This happens to me every year, there is always one fish like that. I do what you did, and within a few weeks you'd never know the fish was near death. Come to think of it now, I suspect it's the same fish every year that reacts badly to the cold.
Keep the water in the aquarium good, cross your fingers, and wait.

239

Chit Chat / Re: Christmas Lights

« on: December 18, 2009, 08:07:09 PM »

Is that Al Gore's house?

Nope. Al Gore's house is bigger! 

Mikey, thanks for the pics! Love 'em all. Some good ideas there, too...

240

Chit Chat / Re: I need to get a life.....

« on: December 08, 2009, 08:22:10 PM »

I've been logged in 14.8.23... and haven't had much to say. You can just call us Mr. and Mrs. Mundane (-"Cheers").