The weekend is here and it’s going to be pretty hot in Minnesota. Heat doesn’t stop the yard work!

This week we got a little more work done on our shade element. Our contractor put in the bamboo screen and set the top bar support for the rays. He’s going to be working on another site next week, so it looks like July to finish this shade pergola.

Today two of our koi were sold. With Natsumi coming home and two Konishi karashigoi on their way, we needed to make room. The Riddler is a nice sanke and perhaps the sumi will come in stronger over the next two years. Chinook is just a very smart, piggy koi. I prefer the redder toned koi so these were natural choices to give up.

Haven’t been to the garden center in two weeks but we decided to look for some Smokebush shrubs and something to fill a space leading to the lower pool. We found a Shiloh Splash Birch, not on Howie’s approved plant list but I thought it was a nice transitional birch. I bet the deer will like it as well…we looked around for some Hedge Cotoneaster but couldn’t find any. I don’t think it looks good in google images but the plants Howie has suggested have all looked really nice. The Hedge Cotoneaster is for the way back area of the backyard.

All the koi seem happy with the move. I’m hoping that the pond digger will go swimming tomorrow and catch Luigi and August. I’d like both small koi to go to the lower pond.

So we’ll be spending the rest of the weekend doing all sorts of little tasks around the pond and yard.