Spent the weekend in the pond, literally. Ended up draining the pond
down to a depth equal to the length of my arms so I could put the
bottom drain dome cover back in place. Discovered that the platform I
built in the middle to pile rocks on was not centered over the three
55 gal. barrels, so one end was sagging. Had to remove almost the
whole stack of rocks so I could reposition the platform, then restack
the rocks. The total height is 6'+. I added a log laying on the rock
pile into the water to give the turtles an easy way to climb out to
bask in the sun. I cleaned out a wheelbarrow full of leaves,
branches, acorns, and other debris. I was late getting the netting on
the pond because of my Nov. open heart surgery. Discovered a pair of
toads mating while I was doing the cleaning. I as surprised at how
much smaller the male was than the female. Also, discovered a frog
that had taken up residence. He was very tolerant of my presence.
Created a second platform for plants using a 55 gal drum for a base
and a plastic pallet. I mounted the pallet upside down so the "feet"
of the pallet can be used for plants requiring a shallower depth. The
feet are about 6" high. Now it is time to get the plants.