Hanging out in the yard with Hobbes always ends up with me grabbing the net and digging around the pond. I love Hobbes because when the rest of the family bails on this one, Hobbes is right there with me, nose to the water, checking out what wonders I find.It's a lovely phosphorus green these days, as winter brings about some funky chemistry that breaks down debris and creates a mega algae bloom. Once the waterfall is fired up and some good bacteria is added, that bad boy should go back to being clear again. Should is the key word there. Like everything else that is life, we can't control if the water in the pond is going to be clear or not--it just sort of does its own thing.
One of my fish died this week, apparently he couldn't hold on for spring and decided to bail to the Rainbow Bridge. I quit naming them for this reason--fish die a lot and I'm weary of that. If I don't name them, I disconnect and they are not "pets". Yes, I felt bad, said a prayer, and held services, but I drew the line at digging into frozen ground for the funeral. He had what I refer to as a Hefty funeral and I think you know what that means. I think it still counts though, doesn't it?
So, as I fished around the depths of murkiness, I did a quick assessment of the State of the Pond. I found the following:
- One pale minnow--healthy and alive.
- One snail--trapdoor shut, which means it survived the winter alive. This is sort of a miracle so I did a happy dance on that note.
- One gigantor minnow that is the big-ass daddy of all minnows. That sucker was like 3 1/2 inches long! Yes, I called the family to come look at that bad boy. They were somewhat impressed. Me--I was giddy.
- Frog slough. This is skin that healthy frogs shed periodically. Since I haven't seen any frogs popping up, this is a good sign. I don't think they shed when they are dead.
- One little frog--who I had apparently awoken from his nap. He zipped across the water and then hid again. Well, at least I know they are alive.
22 comments:
I want a Pond!! The best I can do is a porch fountain. I have a hard enough time keeping THAT alive. So, as soon as I can master inanimate objects, and then plants, I maybe could move on to fish and snails!
Yay! Glad to hear that most of the news was good.
Sorry about your fish but fish just don't live all that long.
Glad to hear about the froggie
Good old Hobbes...he is just the bestest friend ever! LOL
Poor little fish...but, at least the frog was alive! HAPPY DANCE! I do love those froggies and I can't wait to see pics of them again! :)
My old gray cat, Cupcake, is just like Hobbes. No matter what I am doing in the yard, he is always up for the adventure. Yesterday, I was walking around the yard picking up sticks and pulling some stray weeds. Yep, good old Cupcake was right there beside me!
Forget about Man's Best Friend, Sheba the dog. She could have cared less..she was too busy chasing the other cats! HA!
I've always wanted a pond so I'll have to live vicariously through your pond instead. I'm guilty of naming my fish. I get attached so when they die, I am heartbroken. Looking forward to the pump starting up and seeing the pond come alive again. I think Hobbes anticipates it like you do.
It certainly is pretty...
You're making me wish I had a pond. I'm jealous!
Hmmm...I am thinking a 'hefty' funeral counts ~ that or the royal flush always works as well.
We had a Chinese Fighting Fish until it decided to jump out of it's bowl and land in Banjo's water bowl. While the fish had terrific aim, he made a bad choice of a place to escape to! :(
Hobbes is very lucky to have a cool pond to sniff and drink from! If I had a pond, I would name my frog Kermit. He is my hero.
ugh...i think i have dead fish if i can ever get a look under the snow!
I want a pond too!! Seeing all that life sounds so very exciting!
Your pond teems with life-- hooray!
a Hefty funeral is better than none at all. I do hope it was a black hefty though and not the white or green ones. Black is the only color that would acceptable for a funeral
You really do get such joy from that pond. I like it!
Sounds like all that is needed now is spring! Glad that everything is looking good but sorry to hear about the fish that didn't make it. Hobbes is probably ready to see the pond back in action too!
Yay, little froggie! I'm happy for the minnows too, of course, but froggies are cuter. ;)
Yes, Hefty still counts. It sounds like Hobbes' entertainment, er, froggy paradise is ready to go! ;)
Fish is always the one who died first. Just like the infantry soldier in battlefield :D
Peewee--The pond does require some work, so be ready for that. But for me, the joy way outweighs the work, so I don't mind it. I like how it brims with life--even if it's algae. :)
Pricilla--We had one fancy goldfish that lived about 7 years and I think they can go longer than that, but I find fish are hard to keep healthy. Once you see they are sick, it is usually too late. I was relieved to see a frog too!
A.Marie--I can't wait to see how many frogs are there come spring. At least I know I have one! Hobbes was funny--he was poking a leaf in the pond and I thought he was going to fall in. He didn't, but it was close. Go Cupcake!!
Chocolate--I did the same thing--named the fish and cried when they died. Our fish have bred in that pond and we have had TONS of fish, so I had to quit naming them. I'm sort of done having fish because I still feel bad when they die. Maybe I'll just go with minnows in the pond now.
Grace--It isn't so pretty now, but it will be soon. :)
Lola--They take some work, but I do enjoy it. I like to go out at night with a flashlight--you can really see the snails and fish in action. Of course, my neighbors think I'm weird--but that keeps them away from me.
Catherine--Royal Flush!! LOL! I like that. This guy was too big to flush, but I felt really guilty just putting him in the garbage. I did say a prayer though. What is the deal with your fish???! Yikes, I'll bet the dog was surprised.
Daisy--We don't name the frogs either. They hop away or get eaten sometimes, so I don't name them. I try not to treat them as pets, although I get very attached to them. Hobbes likes to poke at them to watch them jump into the water with a big splash. The bullfrogs also make an "eep" sound when they jump in. I think you would like that!
Jaz---Ick. We had the Great Frog Disaster in '08. The majority of my frogs decided to overwinter in the skimmer and they died in there. Nice surprise when I opened it in April. EWwwwww. It was really icky and that's all I'll say on that. :( We block off the skimmer each winter now. I hope you don't have dead fish. For your sake as well as theirs.
Stephanie--It brims with life--from the fish breeding, to the frogs, to dragonfly nymphs, to the minnows. It is one huge science experiment!!
Vanilla--It does! Right now the algae is really happy, but we'll work on that in due time. Once the fish wake up, they'll start helping me by eating it all.
Ann--Well, it was a double-bagger. We go all out here for our funerals!! I did say a prayer for him, though, and I was really sad for his poor self. He went quick though--he didn't linger.
Violet--I do! I'm such a kid when it comes to the pond. I go out in the dark to see what is happening with my flashlight. Lots of cool things happening--the snails are munching, the fish are more active--it is something to see.
Beaded Tail--Thanks, I felt bad about the fish. Well, actually, I feel bad for the 2 remaining. Most people don't know that goldfish are very social and that they miss their friends when they are gone. I think they will be fine once they are out in the pond again.
Cute--The minnows are interesting, but I agree, the frogs are more fun. I think this one minnow has been in there 2 years now! He is gigantic and he (she?) has been breeding in the pond. They typically die pretty quick when I get them from the pet store, so I am excited to see this one survive again!
Storm--Hobbes was poking leaves in the water and I thought he was going to fall in. He likes to poke at the frogs and make them jump in, so I think that is what he was doing. Yeah, I think Hobbes is ready for the pond to get going too.
Vanilla7--Yeah, but it is usually the minnows that die first. I'm tired of fish--I can't make them better and that frustrates me. Maybe I'll get a turtle!
Oh, good! It sounds like things are already hopping at your pond (or at least one little frog is)! Keeping paws crossed that the one fish is your only fatality.
Man, I envy Hobbes. He gets to do some really fun stuff.
What? You didn't mention your hip-waders! Worse, even still, is that you did not post another picture of you wearing them! Hey, I don't have much of a life, and I live for stuff like that. So, would you help out a creepy guy who is getting older by the minute?
Sparkle--I bring the fancy goldfish in for the winter--they can't handle the cold. Apparently, one couldn't handle the indoor tank either! Sigh. Hobbes does have fun--he was scaling the fence spying on the neighbors. :)
Fish--No waders yet! I'm not getting in that freezing cold water!!!
I still can't believe those guys can survive out there all winter. I about freeze if it drops below 60 here.
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