dog days of August ponding
 

The garden always looks HOT this time of year
and so does the pond. But we are having cooler
nights and mornings so we'll take it.
All that hornwort is keeping the water
crystal clear if you can see around the hornwort!

Poor iris island is still tromped but we did see
a raccoon, who had a close encounter with a car,
a few blocks from here, and lost, and wonder if it
was *our* raccoon.

On a worrisome note, the older watergardening
labrador, Rosie, is in the doggy hospital with an
episode of pancreatitis. She is on doggy drugs and
resting comfortably. We are going to visit her today.

I told the vet we had a visit from raccoons and she
said there is a serious parasite dogs can get from
raccoons but it has not been spotted in our area.
Baylisascaris, an intestinal raccoon roundworm, can infect a variety of other animals, including humans. The worms develop to maturity in the raccoon intestine, where they produce millions of eggs that are passed in the feces. Released eggs take 2-4 weeks to become infective to other animals and humans. The eggs are resistant to most environmental conditions and with adequate moisture, can survive for years.

Pesky critters. For that I would put an electric wire on
the top of our fence. But not a worry at this time in our
area.

k :-)
http://tinyurl.com/6bguh ~ new pond keeper info
http://tinyurl.com/yp64db ~ slide show of pond

dog days of August ponding
 

Sorry to hear the Rosie is ailing. Hope she is soon back to barking
at the squirrels.

We think our pest is gone. Ralph patched a hole dug by the groundhog
under our steps. He was sure that he had chased the critter away
before he placed all the large pavers under the steps. A few days
later, there was an unmistakable smell coming from under the porch.
Since we were unable to get underneath the porch, we lived with the
odor. It didn't last long, but it sure was strong while it lasted. I
would not suggest anyone try this method!
Bonnie
NJ