Pond Loving

Isn't it beautiful?  Something I have noticed at Blue Antler is that there are always  flowers in bloom.  A few weeks ago the climbing roses were a burst of creamy pink opening themselves to the sun.  There were so many of them reaching for the sky it took your breath away.  Last week it was the Juniper.  This week it is the Hydrangea.  And next week the pink water plants in the pond are going to have a full on display.

Well enough with the sappy flower talk, let's talk about some fish! 

Along with these beautiful flowers, Kevin and I inherited 5 koi fish in our pond.  Which breeds?  I have no idea. Some of them have long feathery tails and fins, and some do not.  Some have whiskers, and some do not.  Some are almost all white and some look like a splash of gold, white, and black.  Some maybe goldfish and not Koi, but it doesn't matter to me what they are.  All that matters is that we take care of them and I enjoy them.  And I really do!  I had no idea how much serenity having a pond with fish can provide, but I spend at least 5 minutes a day watching them swim around eating their food going after bugs.  They are starting to know me and are coming to the surface to check me out.

Did you catch that?  I can see them now.  If you read an earlier post, you would know the water was so murky we didn't even know anything was alive in there.  But look!

 

Another sign that this pond is coming back to life are the dragonflies.  There is just something magical about dragonflies.  And I don't say this lightly because I hate about 98% of bugs.  I know what you are thinking, oh Lilian, what about ladybugs?  Yeah, I hate them too.  But dragonflies are allowed room in my heart.  The way they dart here and there with their brilliant colors and curious behavior, landing and floating above the water. It is just fascinating to watch. 

 

Can you see him there on top of the red maple?

 Did you know that dragonflies are fierce carnivorous eaters, and some can eat yellow jackets?  That's awesome, cause along with having fish, the pond also attracts  mosquitos and yellow jackets.  Dragonflies will pretty much eat any bug that is smaller than them, which rates them high on my list.  Eat away dragonflies!

Ta ta for now!

~Lilian

Weekend Warriors

Hello Everyone!

So we had a lazy weekend around Blue Antler, but we did manage to get some things done.  The hubby has officially gone from novice DIY-er to serious DIY-er, he drilled through tile!  Not a single crack baby!  I've been wanting to install a shampoo and conditioner dispenser in the shower to cut down on clutter and my first attempt of sticking it on the wall failed.  I followed directions exactly and waited 48 hours for the glue to set before sticking the dispensers on the wall... well, you all know what happened next when I heard a big crash about 20 minutes later.  So, off to the our favorite hardware store to buy some drills, anchors, and screws.  

Here is a great pic of Kevin with his whole DIY uniform on (Valli Construction shirt, jeans, and a tool belt).

Drilling through tile requires these steps:

1. Place some masking tape on the wall in the general area where you will be drilling.  The masking tape serves two purposes.  One, you can mark on it, and two it will keep your drill from skidding across the tile.
2. Bust out that level and make marks on the tape with a pen where you want your screws.
3. Kevin started with the smallest drill bit and worked very very SLOWLY.  Don't start that drill too fast!  Once the holes were made he increased the size of the holes one size up until it would hold the ceramic anchors.
4. Once the holes are made, add the ceramic anchors and lightly tap them in (place some cardboard between the anchors and the hammer).
5.  Then place the mounting plate to the wall and with a screw driver screw in the nails.

 Ta-da!  No cracks in the tile and now I have a de-cluttered shower!

What else did we do this weekend?  Well we started painting our master bedroom which means we are sleeping in the middle of the living room for the next few days.  We also installed a light fixture (more on that later), volunteered at a local race, played with the goats (they are doing great!), played with the dogs, and did this:

We ended the weekend with a trip to the local pond store.  Turns out that the last homeowners left us with at least 100 dollars worth of fish!  We can't let those babies die!  So at Connie's Pond store, the guy there told me, "Open up the filter box, you will some sponges, clean and rinse them out every day this week and come back and see me next weekend."  Yes sir!  

The water is so disgusting and nasty you can't even see the fish, but here is a picture of the before so you can appreciate the beauty that will be the after: