Fall in the back yard

The pond is the centrepiece of this tiny back yard. It was created by mistake - I wanted water and hydro in the drive shed when I first moved here - and didn't pay attention to the fellows who were digging the trenches for the piping. So the clay and topsoil got pulled out of the ground in a heap and weren't separated, probably couldn't be... and when everything was filled in, I had a patch of clay in the middle of the yard instead of a green lawn.

For a few years it sat, not growing grass.

Finally with the help of some neighbourhood teens, we dug it out, and eventually  lined the hole with black plastic which I was to regret after two years, but lined and filled it was... ultimately I purchased seven little fish. And planted sumach around it and now have put in small gardens around it - and stones. It's undergone several incarnations since but now seems to be better organized with a neoprene liner.

Frogs love it, the fish have multiplied - I also was given five largish ones, and now have 26 or 27 - can't be sure 'cause it's so hard to count that many moving bodies.

From the other side - looking towards the house you can see some of the fish enjoying early morning searches for bugs and maybe a handout from me since they swim immediately to where they see me standing and always at supper time when they are usually fed.

The changing colour of the sumach is a delight - and the cosmos on the left has added a lovely feathery splash of pinks, purples and mauves. All in all it makes it all okay - the fact that I haven't trimmed the grass away from the edges, haven't mown the grass in a couple of weeks, nor gotten to the flower beds to remove the ribbon grass that insists on spreading everywhere way more quickly than I could possibly rip it out. It will get done eventually. But having living things - there are often as many as a dozen green and leopard frogs in the pond as well - in my back yard is fun.

Birds land on the edges and drink from it. As do my cats, one of whom watches the fish with fascination but hates to get her feet wet so I'm not worried about their safety. Dragonflies hover and I'm sure have laid eggs in it. Butterflies float around. It seems to be more than a centrepiece for the yard, but for some forms of life as well. What a treasure and a treat.

The view from the deck is astounding with the colour explosion everywhere. The phlox, blackeyed susans, echinacia and even some Sweet William and straw flowers add bright splashes to the garden's green. A feast for the eyes everywhere I look, close to home or around the Valley.

So today on this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I'm thankful, grateful that so much has come to be here, making my life more fun and definitely more interesting. For my Canadian friends and family - Happy Thanksgiving, for everyone else - hope you have an interesting weekend full of fun.

Feeding time in the pond

Many of my family and friends know that I'm somewhat obsessed with the little pond that I've constructed in the back yard. If I'm not counting frogs, working at ridding the water of algae, I'm watching and feeding fish, or just standing at its edge not thinking much about anything except the miracle of Nature.

So the other day I thought I'd take a video of the fish in my pond as they rush around either grabbing food or expecting some. When I walk by they get all excited and rise to near where I usually feed them - Pavolv's dogs? Perhaps.

I guess that any creature gets used to and expects routine. Certainly my dogs let me know when it's breakfast time, walk time, next walk time, treat time (that's actually all the time whenever I get up from the computer or come downstairs, or just move around outside or inside - silly creatures - ever optimistic. They get treats rarely.) But all the creatures including wild birds, the caring chipmunk, frogs and "pets" seem to have knowledge of routine.

These particular fish started out as tiny inch and a half long "feeder fish" originally intended for other fish that eat little fish - for people who keep pirhanna for example and need live food.

The gal who sold them to me, gave me seven of what she figured were the prettiest since they were going to be in a pond. They were all different - orange and white, patterned individually. Next spring I had seven three and four inch fish and lo and behold by fall - 15 fish - eight new members of the school. They spent the winter in a horse trough in the drive shed - the plastic liner having sprung a serious leak.

My sons helped me reconstruct the pond with a neoprene liner, and made it deeper and wider.

Good thing too - when I returned the 15 to the pond they "got busy!"

Then one of my sons brought me four large fish that a friend could no longer manage in a small aquarium. Nineteen. Suddenly there were even more - four tiny minnows began to appear in late June - and it seemed like there were black shadows racing past when the food was on the surface. These kinds of goldfish or carp, are black when they hatch until they get to a certain size.

Who knows how many there really are in the pond... it's impossible to count - they're never all in one place at one time, and if by some chance they are, it's for a brief milli-second. So however many there are, they are very lucky fish. Herons don't predate the pond - there are too many trees around, two cats and two dogs, who would chase them away. The cats watch, but don't try to catch them. The dogs think my time spent cleaning the pond is a waste - it's not involving them. The raccoons may try but have been unsuccessful as far as I can tell.

And me? I get laughter, meditation time and a lot of pleasure from watching them. I still count frogs - who seem to be plentiful as well. What an interesting "hobby" it's turned out to be. Who knew my idea of having a pond in my back yard to fill in a messy hole would turn out to be such a great project? Do you have ideas you've helped come into fruition? Fun isn't it?

The sun sets after a lovely day - watching fish, frogs and others of Nature's creatures