Pond Rehab – Before

We’ve been toying for a while with the idea of lining our pond, and have finally decided to go ahead with it. Our pond basically has a “deep end” and a “shallow end”. It used to have hundreds of goldfish but the heron got those. Lots of frogs still, though, and we’d like to save those if we can. We decided, in consultation with the landscaper who will be doing the work, to line only the deep end of the pond, and create berms that would allow any overflow from the deep end to spill into the shallow end, which will be left more or less natural and as is.

(click to view larger on Flickr)

The one piece of business for the shallow end, which falls to me, is to replace the ramshackle and unsafe dock, shown above. I’m determined to not overthink it, and will probably just make it the same as this, only safer and less ramshackle.

(click to view larger on Flickr)

Here’s a “before” picture panoramically portraying the pond previous to its being lined and landscaped later this month. The berms will join Kitsch Island to the mainland at front and back, defining the lined area on the right. The lining will then be covered with river rocks to make it look nice and hold the liner in place. There is inflow (when it rains) into the pond from the right, which will also be rationalized as part of the project.

Nikki Comes for a Sleepover

Click any photo to view larger on Flickr

video link: http://youtu.be/SPTKfSrPAro

Don’t Weep For Me, Mulberry Tree

The remains of our weeping mulberry tree is long past tears, and is in fact a terrific posing place for various birds, now that its long weepy branches, which used to provide them a place to hide, are long gone.

(click any photo to view larger on Flickr)

Here’s a YouTube video of the woodpecker:

(Video URL: http://youtu.be/27b2VholTfU )

Sleep Clinic Selfie

Resistance is futile.

Barkwhistle Snow Trench and Overhang

We’ve had so much snow this winter that the path to the front door, and the path to the backyard fenced-in area, have become trenches that are now dramatically deep. Which means the dog can stay off leash on the way to the back, because where’s he gonna go?

Beautiful as the Moon, now with big floating guy in the sky

When I was on my honeymoon in Killarney Provincial Park with my trophy wife Lynda, I took some photos, as one does. One of them, a photo of the full moon rising over the trees of Bell Lake, eventually became this photo:

It was very successful (by my standards anyway) on Flickr, and when it recently got another Fave, I decided to do a Goggle image search on it, as one does. It’s always fun to see who’s stealing photos for their own purposes. As one does. So this photo, a fully secular tribute to the full moon, so pagan you can almost hear me howling, got re-purposed into some kind of Hindu prayer talisman, or something. Of all things. The guy floating in the sky, needless to say, was added by others and does not meet with my approval.

Lynda said “why don’t you issue a take-down”. I said I’d be doing that every day, assuming I knew how and had endless funds to give to lawyers. Anyway I thought it was amusing. Here’s the link to the offending website, tagline “where devotion meets reality” LOL.

http://www.shirdisaibabaexperiences.org/2013/04/heart-touching-miracles-sai-devotee.html