January 18, 2013
I made reminder notes to
myself with great intentions to tell you about closing up our pond for winter, gathering
up all lawn ornaments to store inside, and planting a few spring bulbs to
surprise us in April.
If you managed to
accomplish some spring preparedness, I'm very proud of you. Please tell me how you
did it. You are my hero. Our yard went from this warm day......
Winterizing the pond is always
a melancholy event at our house. Through the winter, Dennis and I miss the
sound of the rushing water over the rocks. We say goodbye to the frogs as they
pack their bags and head to Arkansas. We pull the pump from the pond and take it
in the basement for storage.
I scrub the pump with a
brush and spray it with the garden hose. Then I place the pump inside a 5
gallon pail and fill the pail with water. The water keeps the seals from drying
out over the winter. It is stored in
the basement. Of course it is a lot less
work if you carry the pump to the basement, then carry a pail of water to the
basement. Don't put the water and the pump into one pail and carry it down the
stairs. The
waves in the pail start to sway as you walk down the stairs and some of the water
crashes over the side and onto your pant legs and the steps. I'm just
saying..............it could happen. Wear protection!
Our fishies: Deuce, Whitey, Stubby, etc.
The goldfish are
tolerant of Midwestern winters. In fall, we feed them a lower source of protein
as their bodies adjust to the cooler temperatures. Once the water is fifty
degrees we stop feeding until spring. When the pond begins to ice over we add
an aerator and place a heater near the deep end. This assures the pond will not
freeze over and allows the pond gasses to escape. I relate this to your sibling who
"passes gas" and pulls the covers over your head.................I'm
just sayin'. You get it now, don't you?
The fish begin to move
slower and slower as it gets colder, until they become suspended......I call it
the “fish trance.” They are feeling very s-l-e-e-p-y and remain that way until
spring. Actually, I am feeling that way too.
So I'll just hang out here with my head on the keyboard until next
timeeeeeeee. No, don’t pull
the covers over my head! Ewwwww.
This is the "dog trance".......
Dig it,
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