Shiva wrote:

If you could only see the drowning roses. Full of canker. Damned near
defoliated from BS due to three full weeks without enough dry weather
to allow fungicide to dry. Very sucky. The way to look at piedmont NC
is "lush." Unfortunately we grow fab fungus and insects too.

I don't have to look too hard to see drowning roses. Unfortunately.
I'm beginning to think maybe an ark might be in order. Hard to believe
last year we were begging for rain...

I think I got a clear indication of how much rain we've had last night.
I took the grabage out about 10:30 p.m. but didn't bother to flip the
spotlight on for the driveway. About halfway down the driveway, I
notice this huge living thing in the driveway - darn near 6" long. My
first reaction was that it was a wolf spider (*yuck*) so I tapped it
with the bottom of the garbage bag figuring I'd know real quick if it
was a wolf spider. It scuttled away so I was reassured it wasn't a wolf
spider. Mutant cricket possibly? I put the garbage in the can at the
curb and went back into the kitchen and grabbed a big container. Back
outside, I maneuvered the mutant cricket into the container and took it
inside to examine it. It was a crayfish!

I was shocked. Our property uphill sorta so we don't really have a
problem with water laying. Our driveway is definitely an uphill
embankment so nothing there either. Either the poor critter was afraid
of drowning and looking for higher ground or heard rumors about this new
"development" going on behind our house and arrived a little too early
for moving in.

S/he's currently in residence in the hospital fishtank with the honor of
being the first resident to the new pond when I (hopefully!!) finish it
this weekend. Gotta move 3000 pounds of rock first, 300 pounds of sand
and 200 pounds of soil.

Hey Shiva, would you believe we had to jackhammer through 24" of
sandstone to carve otu the pond basin? If I hadn't been there, I would
never have believed it! Not in NC. Clay, roots, *maybe* a small stone
but not an area of 8' by 5' completely filled with solid sandstone. We
never even hit bottom. Guess I'm glad I never targeted that area of the
yard for a rose bed. *grin*

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

-- "Susan H. Simko" reminded me that I am not
alone as I struggle not to float away!


I don't have to look too hard to see drowning roses. Unfortunately.
I'm beginning to think maybe an ark might be in order. Hard to believe
last year we were begging for rain...

Too true. Never a dull moment. We are nothing if not inconsistent.


I think I got a clear indication of how much rain we've had last night.
I took the grabage out about 10:30 p.m. but didn't bother to flip the
spotlight on for the driveway. About halfway down the driveway, I
notice this huge living thing in the driveway - darn near 6" long. My
first reaction was that it was a wolf spider (*yuck*) so I tapped it
with the bottom of the garbage bag figuring I'd know real quick if it
was a wolf spider. It scuttled away so I was reassured it wasn't a wolf
spider.

Aren't these the big BIG hairy ones that move really fast?? If not,
what did you expect it to do? Just curious. Spiders fascinate me. Like
a train wreck. *shudder*


Mutant cricket possibly? I put the garbage in the can at the
curb and went back into the kitchen and grabbed a big container. Back
outside, I maneuvered the mutant cricket into the container and took it
inside to examine it. It was a crayfish!

Ahahaha!! No WAY! You win the "bet it's wetter here" contest!


[...]

S/he's currently in residence in the hospital fishtank with the honor of
being the first resident to the new pond when I (hopefully!!) finish it
this weekend.

Attagirl, when life gives you three billion gallons of water, don't
whine, build a pond! G

Gotta move 3000 pounds of rock first, 300 pounds of sand
and 200 pounds of soil.

Oo. Where is that SO?


Hey Shiva, would you believe we had to jackhammer through 24" of
sandstone to carve otu the pond basin? If I hadn't been there, I would
never have believed it! Not in NC. Clay, roots, *maybe* a small stone
but not an area of 8' by 5' completely filled with solid sandstone. We
never even hit bottom.

Holy crap, that is really strange. I have never heard of such a thing.


Guess I'm glad I never targeted that area of the
yard for a rose bed. *grin*

As well you should be! I'm wondering, what do people with ponds do
about the skeeters? I get eaten alive every time I venture forth, so
have to spray that Cutter stuff on me. It is very gross and clearly
not a desirable substance to have on one's skin. Also, what are you
going to plant in and around your pond?



Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Shiva,

About the ponds -- many people with ponds have pump/waterfalls and fish of
some sort, so the mosquitoes don't really have much chance to get started
because there's no standing water.

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Shiva" wrote in message
s.com...

-- "Susan H. Simko" reminded me that I am not
alone as I struggle not to float away!


I don't have to look too hard to see drowning roses. Unfortunately.
I'm beginning to think maybe an ark might be in order. Hard to believe
last year we were begging for rain...

Too true. Never a dull moment. We are nothing if not inconsistent.


I think I got a clear indication of how much rain we've had last night.
I took the grabage out about 10:30 p.m. but didn't bother to flip the
spotlight on for the driveway. About halfway down the driveway, I
notice this huge living thing in the driveway - darn near 6" long. My
first reaction was that it was a wolf spider (*yuck*) so I tapped it
with the bottom of the garbage bag figuring I'd know real quick if it
was a wolf spider. It scuttled away so I was reassured it wasn't a wolf
spider.

Aren't these the big BIG hairy ones that move really fast?? If not,
what did you expect it to do? Just curious. Spiders fascinate me. Like
a train wreck. *shudder*


Mutant cricket possibly? I put the garbage in the can at the
curb and went back into the kitchen and grabbed a big container. Back
outside, I maneuvered the mutant cricket into the container and took it
inside to examine it. It was a crayfish!

Ahahaha!! No WAY! You win the "bet it's wetter here" contest!


[...]

S/he's currently in residence in the hospital fishtank with the honor of
being the first resident to the new pond when I (hopefully!!) finish it
this weekend.

Attagirl, when life gives you three billion gallons of water, don't
whine, build a pond! G

Gotta move 3000 pounds of rock first, 300 pounds of sand
and 200 pounds of soil.

Oo. Where is that SO?


Hey Shiva, would you believe we had to jackhammer through 24" of
sandstone to carve otu the pond basin? If I hadn't been there, I would
never have believed it! Not in NC. Clay, roots, *maybe* a small stone
but not an area of 8' by 5' completely filled with solid sandstone. We
never even hit bottom.

Holy crap, that is really strange. I have never heard of such a thing.


Guess I'm glad I never targeted that area of the
yard for a rose bed. *grin*

As well you should be! I'm wondering, what do people with ponds do
about the skeeters? I get eaten alive every time I venture forth, so
have to spray that Cutter stuff on me. It is very gross and clearly
not a desirable substance to have on one's skin. Also, what are you
going to plant in and around your pond?



Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

"Anne Lurie" wrote in message
. com...
Shiva,

About the ponds -- many people with ponds have pump/waterfalls and fish
of
some sort, so the mosquitoes don't really have much chance to get started
because there's no standing water.

And many fish will eat the mosquito larvae.


Scopata Fuori




"Bad Cat!"

In article , Scopata Fuori
wrote:

"Anne Lurie" wrote in message
. com...
Shiva,

About the ponds -- many people with ponds have pump/waterfalls and fish
of
some sort, so the mosquitoes don't really have much chance to get started
because there's no standing water.

And many fish will eat the mosquito larvae.

And for good measure you can buy BT sprinkles at any Home Depot called
Mosquito Bits if you don't have fish.

On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 18:45:42 GMT, "Anne Lurie"
wrote:

Shiva,

About the ponds -- many people with ponds have pump/waterfalls and fish of
some sort, so the mosquitoes don't really have much chance to get started
because there's no standing water.

Thank you, Anne! I am clueless about these things. I do know that the
whole oak leaves I put down, while not creating an impenetrable mat,
do form lots of little cups for tiny pools of standing water. I may
have to weedwhack them or apply some nice pine bark. The mosquitos are
terrible, and with my luck I'd wind up with West Nile.

On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 21:00:25 -0400, "Scopata Fuori"
wrote:


And many fish will eat the mosquito larvae.

Ahhh, that makes sense. The swarms I see make me wish I had let the
bats keep rooming in the attic, as they eat them too.

Scopata Fuori




"Bad Cat!"

Shiva wrote regarding wolf spiders:

Aren't these the big BIG hairy ones that move really fast?? If not,
what did you expect it to do? Just curious. Spiders fascinate me. Like
a train wreck. *shudder*

Yep. The first time I saw one my reaction was that there aren't
supposed to be tarantulas in NC. *yuck* I tapped him with the garbage
bag expecting to smoosh him. I would have if it wouldn't have been a
crayfish.

Ahahaha!! No WAY! You win the "bet it's wetter here" contest!

I still can't believe it myself especially since my driveway is rather
sharply graded uphill and the house is higher than those across the
street and the house to my right.

Attagirl, when life gives you three billion gallons of water, don't
whine, build a pond! G

My thoughts exactly.

Gotta move 3000 pounds of rock first, 300 pounds of sand
and 200 pounds of soil.

Oo. Where is that SO?

London dealing with a cranky, sick aunt. The s.o.'s mother and her
sister were raised in an orphanage in Ireland so they have no family
other than each other and since mom is here, that leaves no one in
England to help the aunt. Personally, I got the easy end of things with
simply moving the rocks. I finished the pond last night around 8:30
p.m.. Today, I hurt. *grin*

As well you should be! I'm wondering, what do people with ponds do
about the skeeters? I get eaten alive every time I venture forth, so
have to spray that Cutter stuff on me. It is very gross and clearly
not a desirable substance to have on one's skin. Also, what are you
going to plant in and around your pond?

Goldfish go in later this week. The s.o.'s parents want me to put in
koi (they have koi in their pond) but I don't feel like messing with
koi. If a heron eats the goldfish, you go buy more. I'm not into
supplying herons with $50 dinners.

The pond also has a waterfall so between that and the fish, there should
be no problems with mosquitos. At my previous house, I also put in a
pond and didn't have any mosquito problems with fish and a waterfall.

As to plants, I have put in two water lilies (one pink and one white),
purple japanese irises, some kind of rush, and two other plants I can't
remember the name of. One of them has tiny pink flowers and the other
purple. I'm going to add some parrot's feather which is simply a green
water plant and some floating water hibiscus which also bloom purple.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Susan,

According to the folks at rec.ponds newsgroup (my *other* place to spend too
much time), parrot's feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) is very popular! I
got a 1-gallon pot a few weeks ago, because I figured it would be more of a
challenge for my dogs than the water hyacinth I tried last year (did not
last even 24 hr. before becoming a dog toy). So far, so good -- it seems
to be very hardy.

Note: Parrot's Feather is not only hardy, it is invasive; however, my teeny
water garden has no natural water source (or outlet).

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC






"Susan H. Simko" wrote in message
...
Shiva wrote regarding wolf spiders:

Aren't these the big BIG hairy ones that move really fast?? If not,
what did you expect it to do? Just curious. Spiders fascinate me. Like
a train wreck. *shudder*

Yep. The first time I saw one my reaction was that there aren't
supposed to be tarantulas in NC. *yuck* I tapped him with the garbage
bag expecting to smoosh him. I would have if it wouldn't have been a
crayfish.

Ahahaha!! No WAY! You win the "bet it's wetter here" contest!

I still can't believe it myself especially since my driveway is rather
sharply graded uphill and the house is higher than those across the
street and the house to my right.

Attagirl, when life gives you three billion gallons of water, don't
whine, build a pond! G

My thoughts exactly.

Gotta move 3000 pounds of rock first, 300 pounds of sand
and 200 pounds of soil.

Oo. Where is that SO?

London dealing with a cranky, sick aunt. The s.o.'s mother and her
sister were raised in an orphanage in Ireland so they have no family
other than each other and since mom is here, that leaves no one in
England to help the aunt. Personally, I got the easy end of things with
simply moving the rocks. I finished the pond last night around 8:30
p.m.. Today, I hurt. *grin*

As well you should be! I'm wondering, what do people with ponds do
about the skeeters? I get eaten alive every time I venture forth, so
have to spray that Cutter stuff on me. It is very gross and clearly
not a desirable substance to have on one's skin. Also, what are you
going to plant in and around your pond?

Goldfish go in later this week. The s.o.'s parents want me to put in
koi (they have koi in their pond) but I don't feel like messing with
koi. If a heron eats the goldfish, you go buy more. I'm not into
supplying herons with $50 dinners.

The pond also has a waterfall so between that and the fish, there should
be no problems with mosquitos. At my previous house, I also put in a
pond and didn't have any mosquito problems with fish and a waterfall.

As to plants, I have put in two water lilies (one pink and one white),
purple japanese irises, some kind of rush, and two other plants I can't
remember the name of. One of them has tiny pink flowers and the other
purple. I'm going to add some parrot's feather which is simply a green
water plant and some floating water hibiscus which also bloom purple.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Anne Lurie wrote:
Susan,

According to the folks at rec.ponds newsgroup (my *other* place to spend too
much time), parrot's feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) is very popular! I
got a 1-gallon pot a few weeks ago, because I figured it would be more of a
challenge for my dogs than the water hyacinth I tried last year (did not
last even 24 hr. before becoming a dog toy). So far, so good -- it seems
to be very hardy.

We tend to hang out at a lot of the same online places and even some
Real Life places. *grin* (Trinoc*con a few years ago)

Okay, I grabbed the tags this morning]: Japanese Iris, Pickerel Plant,
Thulbachia, and Slender Club Rush in addition to the water lilies are
what are currently in the pond. I think Parrot's Feather is very pretty
and since my pond is also a closed system, I'm not worried about it's
invasiveness. It's not going to get anywhere from the pond and if we
have that much flooding to possibly get it to the creek about 1/4 mile
away, the Parrot's Feather invading will be the least of our worries.

Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find water hyacinth
locally (Raleigh/Durham, NC)? I don't have any dogs that I have to
worry about. *grin* I have yet to get out to any "real" pond shops but
so far have been fairly impressed about what I can find in Lowes
compared to when I last put in a pond (ten years ago).

Here are some quick pics:

http://152.3.63.1/pond2_sm.jpg
(a little dark as I didn't think to snap the pic until evening - oh
well not like it's going anywhere!)
http://152.3.63.1/shannon+jackhammer2_sm.jpg
(if you had any doubts about hitting stone... *grin*)

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Susan,

I bought Water Hyacinth at Atlantic Nursery on Atlantic Ave. in North
Raleigh, but I would think that Lowe's & Home Depot should have it in their
"pond" section (at least I assume HD has a pond section), as I think it's a
pretty basic pond plant.

Nice looking pond! (Trinoc*con???)

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC

"Susan H. Simko" wrote in message
...
Anne Lurie wrote:
Susan,

According to the folks at rec.ponds newsgroup (my *other* place to spend
too
much time), parrot's feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) is very popular!
I
got a 1-gallon pot a few weeks ago, because I figured it would be more
of a
challenge for my dogs than the water hyacinth I tried last year (did not
last even 24 hr. before becoming a dog toy). So far, so good -- it
seems
to be very hardy.

We tend to hang out at a lot of the same online places and even some
Real Life places. *grin* (Trinoc*con a few years ago)

Okay, I grabbed the tags this morning]: Japanese Iris, Pickerel Plant,
Thulbachia, and Slender Club Rush in addition to the water lilies are
what are currently in the pond. I think Parrot's Feather is very pretty
and since my pond is also a closed system, I'm not worried about it's
invasiveness. It's not going to get anywhere from the pond and if we
have that much flooding to possibly get it to the creek about 1/4 mile
away, the Parrot's Feather invading will be the least of our worries.

Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find water hyacinth
locally (Raleigh/Durham, NC)? I don't have any dogs that I have to
worry about. *grin* I have yet to get out to any "real" pond shops but
so far have been fairly impressed about what I can find in Lowes
compared to when I last put in a pond (ten years ago).

Here are some quick pics:

http://152.3.63.1/pond2_sm.jpg
(a little dark as I didn't think to snap the pic until evening - oh
well not like it's going anywhere!)
http://152.3.63.1/shannon+jackhammer2_sm.jpg
(if you had any doubts about hitting stone... *grin*)

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Anne Lurie wrote:
Susan,

I bought Water Hyacinth at Atlantic Nursery on Atlantic Ave. in North
Raleigh, but I would think that Lowe's & Home Depot should have it in their
"pond" section (at least I assume HD has a pond section), as I think it's a
pretty basic pond plant.

Lowes definitely does not have it. At least not the Lowes in north
Durham or northwest Raleigh. I haven't checked Home Depot yet (will be
checking tonight) but I have my doubts. It's really interesting how
different the stock can be between Home Depot and Lowes. For instance,
you can by pond liner by the foot from HD but only prepackaged lengths
at Lowes. I also prefer to buy plants from Lowes over HD as Lowes
always feels like they have a bigger selection (at least for what I am
looking for).

Maybe I have you confused with someone else. I thought you were a
writer that was a guest at Trinocon - an s/f convention in Durham, NC
that I work with.

Nice looking pond!

Thanks! I had a lot of fun building it and now have added four baby koi
to it. They're about four inches long and were $4 each at Petsmart.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu