WOVEN TIME
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December Corey came to visit, and so did Anna. Corey put up another retaining wall - by the garage, where we park the cars. Anna draws on the porch, and feeds the neighbor's horses bits of green grass. We gather in the kitchen making tall talk, and small talk.
Of course the water was leaking out of the pond at an
unacceptable rate, insidious stuff that it is.
November The bog pond had the vinyl trimmed and covered with stone.
All three falls in action
October Halloween saw many a parent, ghost, goblin, cowboy, batman, and some renaissance girls visiting.
15 & 16 The third weekend of October saw vinyl and
water in the
topmost bog pond. Now that the vinyl and water are in place - the earth moving
process continues. The area between the two ponds has a retaining wall to help
keep the dirt out of the lower pond.
Stephen's cousin, Kip helped out in a major way to backfill
behind the retaining wall.
In July, I flew home to visit Mom and Dad. My Dad was 79 on the 10th of October. My Dad has dementia, and hardly remembers my name. My Dad was an electrician. He worked mostly on new construction sites, was a union member, and union supporter. At the end of his career he worked at Rocky Mountain Flats, a nuclear weapons research facility in Colorado. He was a foreman on the site, and worked in hot areas. He had honor and treated his men with respect. By the same token, he expected the same from them. When I was little, I watched him work on the cars, turn wood on his lathe in the basement, solder wire on the kitchen table. He was a Mason, and when he asked me if I wanted to join Job's Daughters the vision in my mind was of teenage girls working on electrical projects at a long table, soldering wires together into whatever craft project the leaders had in mind. Boy was I disappointed when I found out Job's Daughters was mostly a social organization, and soldering wires was the least likely activity that would ever happen. This July, I was going through his tool box, and found a portable band saw. Needless to say I asked him if I could have it, and shipped it home before I left Colorado. Today, I was able to use this tool. I used it to cut up an old hydraulic lift, that was found on this piece of property 28 years ago when we moved here. What deja vu, seeing my gloved hands using a tool I had been given by my father. It almost brought tears to my eyes, this passing on of a legacy.
8 & 9 Finally and at last - visible progress on the pond project! In September we finally found the vinyl we wanted to line the ponds with. The first weekend in October Stephen leveled the concrete blocks prior to the installation of the vinyl. This, the second weekend - major progress: Saturday Morning saw the lower pond lined with felt!
Sunday night found the upper pond almost filled to the top
Of course, Saturday we also had the first destructive raccoon visit to our porch ponds. It took my 3 favorite koi and the albino catfish. There is nothing we can do for these fish. But, for the rest, we covered the old ponds with a wire screen, until such time as the new ponds are really ready to be their new home. I think we made these new ponds deep enough that raccoons will not be able to take fish out of them. But once burned ...... we are also going to be installing some sort of motion detector raccoon deterrent system too. July Anna came down for a visit. She found Grandpa's shirt, hat and shoes.
This spring the frog pond in the garden had a different type of
eggs in it. They were ropes of eggs instead of little masses. This
summer found the garden hopping with baby toads.
April Spring time finds the local frogs in full chorus.
Sometimes you want to go out and shout "Quiet!" as they are so loud you can
hardly carry on a normal conversation. However this does not stop Susan
from encouraging their presence. In the garden is a section set aside as
"Frog Habitat". This area includes three old bath tubs, and one new frog
pond. Susan's long term goal is to get permanent plants and paths, and
fewer weeds. Time will tell. 3 old bath tubs Modern pond
Modern pond tadpoles & mud
tadpoles & algae May
These chain kids are the collaboration of Chris & Corey. Corey did the
original design. Chris is perfecting his welding. They are welded
chain. These boys and girls are held upright by a metal rod driven into
the ground. March Inside cats and Outside cats. The three boys who live outside are encouraged to come into the garage at night for food and safety from cat fights with any local tom cats roaming about. Long Shot is at the top left. He was a golf course kitten who was too cute to leave at the club house. In the middle is Knick, and at the front his brother Knack. Named for "Knick Knack Paddywack"... this old man came rolling home.
February
and blooming, adding their bright yellow cheer to walks up the
driveway.
January
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Last modified: February 03, 2011 |
