On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:44:26 EDT, ~ jan wrote:

wrote:
we arent talking about getting a little sick, we are talking about kids
dying from microbes.

And I'm not talking about getting a little sick, or dying. I'm talking
about the ridiculous notion that anybody should need to consult a lawyer
before inviting someone to use their swimming hole. Derek

Aren't they one and the same? If you invite someone over and they get sick
from your pond, they could sue. Yea... creepy I know. Scary doubly so, but
that's what made umbrella policies so popular... all these what ifs.

Personally, I wouldn't want someone kicking my koi. ;-) Recommendations?
Check anyone for open sores, scratches, and make them use the restroom
before swimming. ~ jan

I'd think posting some signs that said something like "Swim at your
own risk" and "No lifeguard on duty" would suffice. Anyway, on a
related note, I've looked all over (briefly searched the Internet) and
have found all kinds of signs, but not the one I want. I want to post
my property with "Beware of the Frog" signs, but I can't find one. One
with a sketch of a menacing frog would be nice, but I'd take most
anything. Anyone know where I can find them?
--
Galen Hekhuis
Hell hath no fury like a bird in the hand

I like this one
http://tinyurl.com/2qbfxp

k :-)

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:44:43 EDT, kathy wrote:

I like this one
http://tinyurl.com/2qbfxp

k :-)

Far out. Thanks.
--
Galen Hekhuis
I have no idea what happened, but I assure you it was all proper.

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:44:43 EDT, kathy wrote:

I like this one
http://tinyurl.com/2qbfxp

k :-)

An lots of frog Jewelry! Speaking of which, heard my first frog. I guess
turning on the sprinklers around the koi ponds made it think it was
raining. At first I wasn't even sure what I was hearing, I guess he needed
to hack up the little frog in his throat, before I understood. ;-) ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Last night the 1st frog finally sang from the lily pond. Now we wait to see
who joins him.... or do I wait till the neighbor complains? eg Most
likely if more than one I'll go out and catch them. I'm really hoping
though the goldfish will make them move on.

It really surprised me when I took a bunch of frogs to the D.pond last year
and one goldfish actually tried to eat one of them. The goldfish wasn't
much bigger than the frog (who did manage to get away will all limbs
attached). So I'm hoping my goldfish that are out there will harass the
frogs to move to fishless areas, such as my short stock tank at the other
end of the house. I'll be sitting up a kiddy pool this week also. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Frogs showed up here last night looking for the
old frog bog - which has been taken down.
Poor little hoppers. There is a smaller bog
area off the main pond that they might look
into. Fish can't get into it now, as the water
is low, so maybe they'll hop on in. I'll transfer
any eggs to a safe place as when the water
level is higher the fish come in hunting for
tasty morsels.
k :-)

Last year when the winter thawed I found maybe half a dozen frogs that
had frozen to death in the stream for my pond. It's only about a foot
deep there and that was the first year I'd had this pond so I didn't
see the harm it letting it freeze over. Interestingly, there were
several small goldfish that survived the winter up there by going into
the lowest cracks and crevices underneath the big rocks. The fish
shouldn't have even been up there, but they took a wild ride as fry
through the skimmer pump and out the waterfall and continued to live
there. Anyway, by halfway through the summer the frogs were back in
force. By late summer tadpoles were all over the place.

This year I decided to keep the stream running all winter. It seems to
have helped a lot with the water quality and with the winter-thaw
algae. I've already spotted 3 frogs (quite alive) and many many
tadpoles. Just standing in one place in the stream with a flashlight
last night I spotted 12 tadpoles without any effort at all. We don't
have neighbors within frog-range and we actually like the noise, but
wow there look to be a lot on the way.

Dave

On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:44:40 EDT, Pond Addict
wrote:

I've already spotted 3 frogs (quite alive) and many many
tadpoles. Just standing in one place in the stream with a flashlight
last night I spotted 12 tadpoles without any effort at all. We don't
have neighbors within frog-range and we actually like the noise, but
wow there look to be a lot on the way. Dave

What kind of frogs do you have that the goldfish don't eat the spawn or
taddies? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

.....and toads, oh my!

Found a juvenile (at a guess - half
the size of an adult) Gulf Coast toad
sitting on the vegetation at the surface
of my smaller stocktank. I don't know
if it's trolling for fish or discovered
the pond is a great place to catch
insects.

There is a Leopard frog (Rio Grande or
Southern - hard to get a close look) living
in the other fishtank. I lifted a lily pad that
happened to be its "roof" for the day, and
it gave me a very indignant look before
diving for the safer depths.

I have small shubunkin and comets
in both tanks, and haven't noticed the
fish population decreasing.

There are Leopard frogs in the inground
pond, and every several of weeks I net a
bloated (very dead) toad. That pond has
been the scene of toad activity almost since
we put it in, what, five years ago?

There are larger goldfish and/or comets
in the inground pond. Again, I haven't
noticed any population decrease.

On an unrelated note, at an event at Water
Garden Gems last Fall, I talked with some
people from a local school who were in
the process of designing a pond (with lots
of expert help). I offered fish and plants.
Left my contact info. They called about two
weeks ago and one teacher came by. I netted
some of my small shubunkin & comets and
several larger, and tossed in some healthy
floating plants. It felt good to give excess
population away to a good cause.

Gail
near San Antonio TX USA

Galen Hekhuis wrote:

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:44:26 EDT, ~ jan wrote:

wrote:
we arent talking about getting a little sick, we are talking about kids
dying from microbes.

And I'm not talking about getting a little sick, or dying. I'm talking
about the ridiculous notion that anybody should need to consult a lawyer
before inviting someone to use their swimming hole.

Aren't they one and the same? If you invite someone over and they get sick
from your pond, they could sue. Yea... creepy I know. Scary doubly so, but
that's what made umbrella policies so popular... all these what ifs.

They _could_ sue, and in your culture I'm sure they do. In ours, but
increasingly less so, courts still recognize that people have a duty to
observe common sense, and if you go swimming in some bright green pond,
you're likely going to get no sympathy from the court. Now, there are all
sorts of reasonably healthy looking ponds that may not be - but I think a
Canadian court is generally going to say that if _I_ swam in it, I can
reasonably expect that I won't be blamed if my neighbor voluntarily swims
in it too.

Personally, I wouldn't want someone kicking my koi. ;-) Recommendations?
Check anyone for open sores, scratches, and make them use the restroom
before swimming. ~ jan

The last is probably important, but otherwise I'm not sure there's anything
the koi can catch from us :-)

I'd think posting some signs that said something like "Swim at your
own risk" and "No lifeguard on duty" would suffice. Anyway, on a
related note, I've looked all over (briefly searched the Internet) and
have found all kinds of signs, but not the one I want. I want to post
my property with "Beware of the Frog" signs, but I can't find one. One
with a sketch of a menacing frog would be nice, but I'd take most
anything. Anyone know where I can find them?

Jan's the one with the menacing frogs :-)
--
derek

On Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:23:23 EDT, Derek Broughton
wrote:

Jan's the one with the menacing frogs :-)

Only to the ears of the intolerant. ;-p

1 frog spoke up today, luckily he's down around the koi ponds, on the side
away from these neighbors. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us