It is very early morning. I have always been an early riser and one of those "lucky" people who need less than the norm of sleep. However, this night has been a restless adventure and rather than lay in bed here I am.
This past weekend we, or I should say I, began the opening of the pond. That is a misnomer because unlike the year before I did not really close it. The waterfall was left running and even a fountain did its thing until a late frigid spell that forced its removal. The waterfall experiment was successful as it ran all winter without an issue. The lack of a leaf net was a big mistake though. The ponds bottom looks like my yard after a late fall windstorm. I am debating the purchase of a pond vacuum, but they are quite costly -- about 500.00 dollars with necessary wands. Normally that would bite but not be fatal. This year is a bit different though. The medical costs Linda is incurring will carve out a good chunk of our "free" money budget it seems. Her chosen surgeon is non-participating in the HMO so a pretty good out of pocket cost will be incurred. Believe me, I am not complaining. Her comfort level is far more important than a labor-saving vacuum cleaner.
Any who, I pulled the waterfall pump, took it apart and cleaned the impeller and pump housing. It was then put back into the pond and restarted. Then the air pump was serviced. Two new air stones, and new vinyl lines were run inti the pond. The original stones were plugged pretty good and operating at perhaps 1/3 of new. The air pump was disassembled and a new diaphragm kit installed. Reinstalling this system required I go wading. Man, that water was chilly. Next up was the shoreline. Cut back plants that needed cutting, trimmed the cherry tree, weeping willow, and some grasses.
Next up, when the weather is a bit more friendly, the pond will get drained, and I will remove the second-generation fish that were left in over winter. This consists of a dozen and a half goldfish and numerous minnows. We will keep one goldfish that is 95% white and another that has a pretty coloration. That will leave 7, the five original and those two. Will also keep a dozen or so minnows. The remainder will go into a landlocked pond at Alex the Woodcutters farm about 30 miles away. We will retain vising privileges

.
When the pond is drained, I will clean the bottom of leaves and any muck that has built up. The plan is then to add a small perch or two to take care of the third-generation fish as they emerge. The perch will be removed in the late fall. Hopefully that will solve the population problem this year. That is a job for next week as the weather is not friendly right now.
Yesterday we drove to a nearby nursery and purchased two apple trees, a MacIntosh and a Honeycrisp to plant behind the pond house. These, in a couple of years will replace the three apple trees that are long in tooth and have become brittle. The new trees are semidwarf and should bear a small crop next year. The year after that, if all is as planned, we will cut the old trees, run what we can through the chipper and dry the result for meat and fish smoking. I may turn some of the applewood on the lathe into gifts. That is then though.
At any rate, the pond area is pretty clean and almost ready for the paraphernalia that makes it an outdoor living space. After Linda's surgery I will begin building out the summer kitchen. Most of what I need is already here so it will be labor heavy and money light.
All for now --- Time to head to the fish room, turn the valance lighting on low, the reading lamp on high, and enjoy a bit of reading while watching the fish "sleep". Their movements are more subtle in a darkened room I have noticed.
Oh yeah, one more thing speaking of the fish. I think two sets of the angel fish may have paired. If this turns out to be true, we will move the pairs to another tank set up and waiting for that purpose. This is an exciting development if fact.