Spring has sprung and I'm not hibernating anymore!

[Shae]

Hi everyone! It's been a long winter, sure am glad it's warming up now. Got to almost 80 here today. Been working on the pond a few weeks now, getting it cleaned out. Luckily the water is clear and the parameters are testing fine. DH and I redid some of the plumbing this winter and got the submersible out of the skimmer, and put the external pump right behind the skippy. Boy did that improve the water flow. I only lost 1 fish this winter, never did see the heron that visited last year, and even rescued 5 babies from the 120 gal pond when I cleaned it out a few weeks ago.

Got the skippy cleaned out about a month ago, and have been running the pump a few hours each day, but now I'm running it all the time. Had a problem Sunday morning, just barely a trickle coming out from the pump. Found out 2 frogs got sucked into the pipe and were lodged against the pump impeller. Poor frogs, but at least the pump is okay. I'm just starting to put the lilies back in the pond, divided the pink grapefruit today and made 3 out it. Noticed a few new buds starting to grow. Divided up some pickrel, but still have lots more to divide. Even have new growth on the parrot's feather. I also got the lights back in the pond and turned them on tonight.

Jen, I am so jealous! I saw your blooming lilies in January and they looked great! Your pond really did great this winter! My pond was frozen over several mornings this winter. Big difference in temps in Atlanta and Waycross.

Teresa, how did your pond do this winter?

Esther, has it thawed out up there yet?

My albino catfish is now at least 2 feet long. The koi are growing but aren't as big as the cat. I swear I saw a goldie chasing after the fantail tonight. Spawning season can't be far away if it stays warm like this. I took a few pictures tonight and will post once I look up how to do it again.

Anyhow I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. Been kinda down. Still looking for a job. Maybe I'll get out of my doldrums now that the weather's improving. It's good to be back!

[Sean]

Welcome Back Shae!

Cheers,
Sean

[Bonnie]

Glad to see that you did not forget about us Shae!

[CT]

Welcome back Shae! 

[Esther]

Shae, I've been wondering where you were. Good to hear you are out and about again.

We have had a very warm day yesterday all of a sudden. So the pond has melted back an opening maybe 4' X 3' around the deicer. I have seen some of my fish, at least three of the big guys are OK. That leaves about 5 still under there somewhere. Oh mercy, I just looked and the ice has all melted over night and the fish are all OK. There is a little scum type stuff floating on the surface. It almost looks like an oily substance. The water isn't very clear either. Makes me want to put in the pump and get the filters going. But I think it is too early. I'm sure it will freeze over pretty good yet.

[Shae]

Esther, I'm so glad to hear your fish made it through ok. Do you still have the wakins? I was reading another thread where you said the predators had gotten most of the fish with the exception of the koi. I sure hope the wakin are ok.

[Esther]

Nope, a heron had gotten the female a year ago last summer and then like a dumby, I put the male in the little pond because I was going to give it to my stepdaughter Cindi. The neighbor was going out to the mailbox across the street. She was talking on the phone to her husband and was telling him about this massive beautiful bird standing in another neighbor's front yard. She said, "It's odd though, I don't remember them having such orange beaks." He yelled at her, "Get over there, he's got one of Esther's fish." She runs at the Heron and he moseys over a couple steps and takes off carrying my Wakin. So she bangs on our door and finds out we aren't home. So she ends up sitting in my front yard for a half hour just in case the bird came back. She then goes to the house across the street and tells them to watch out for the heron and she has to go home. As soon as we drove in, she was calling us to warn us. So I rigged up some pieces of 2 x 2, pounded in some nails with big heads and strung fishline across the plant ledges.

[Shae]

Oh Esther, I'm so sorry to hear about that. I know you really liked your wakins. Sounds like you've got some good neighbors though! Got your own neighborhood bird watch!

[GAJen]

Hey girl glad to hear from you and glad you're back. That colorado Kim sent me is unreal.......it won't stop blooming.

[Esther]

What did you say about your job? Don't have it any longer? Looking for another?

[Teresa]

Shae!!!  I'm so glad you're back!!!

I'm afraid my big pond is in very sad shape.  The plumbing needs to be replaced - needed it last spring but the pond guy only taped some of it and so it leaked so badly that I had to turn it off toward the end of summer.  So it's full of scum right now (algae and stuff) and needs both a cleaning and repair.  I don't trust the pond guy I've been using to fix it - all he's ever done right was clean it.  I haven't had time to look for someone who can do the repairs because I've had too much going on.  My older brother runs a watergardening store and he brought me a gorgeous little ochiba shigure so I have to get the big pond fixed for it.  Know anyone who does pond plumbing?

[Christy]

Welcome back Shae, glad to hear your parrot's feather survived the winter.


Christy
formally (countrygirl)

[Shae]

Teresa, so glad to hear from you. We redid some of the plumbing this winter on our pond so we could get the external pump behind the skippy. Works so much better now. Are you using PVC or the black tube stuff. I'm pretty good at plumbing stuff, maybe I could help you. What watergardening store does your brother run? Is it here in Atlanta? And what exactly is a ochiba shigure? I've never heard of that one.

Esther, my job I had for almost 9 years ended about this time last year. I briefly went to work from July to September at another place, but it just wasn't a good fit. So I'm looking again, and not having any luck at all really. Think I'm too old and I don't have a college degree. I got your pm too. I'll have to see how things are going, but I am interested. Will talk to DH and let you know.

Christy, I had pulled the parrot's feather out of the pond at the end of the season and put it in a rubbermaid tote and left it outside. I just knew the freezing temps had killed it all. But lo and behold, when I picked off the dead tree leaves that had fallen into the tote, there was this mass of green roots with little bittie parrots feather starting to grow. I've put about half of it back in the pond inside a hoola hoop. The fish love nibbling on the roots.

Jen, I'm hoping to come down for my dad's 82nd birthday the middle part of April. Wanna come to a cookout on April 14?

[Shep]

Hi Shae! Great to hear you are alive and kickin'! Have faith that the job situation will work out for the best in the end. Sometime's we don't get the full picture and meaning till the final page is turned. 

[Teresa]

It's the black tube stuff and it's been in the ground for about 10 years or so and it's got holes in it.  It's pretty far underground in some places, so that's part of why I wanted to have someone else do it - that and all the other stuff going on in my life right now.

I took Mom to a doctor's office in Gainesville today and heard over the intercome "Shae can you come to room ????, Shae, please come to room ???"  I was sure I was going to get to meet you today . . . .