Weather in Minnesota this summer has been very unpredictable. Between the very loooong winter and ill-timed rain showers, we’ve lost a number of weekend days to work on the pond. I’m very hopeful though that the upper pond is on the home stretch.

We have a few tasks left before the large koi can return:

• add a little more to the concrete skirt on the left
• wrestle the pond liner in
• cut out the bottom drains and TPRs
• seam the side corners nicely
• affix the pond liner edge to a piece of Trex that will border the pond
• take delivery of Trex this week and install a boardwalk
• reconnect the pipes in the equipment house
• cycle the pond
• fix the landscaping

As I write the list it does sound like a lot but my pond builder doesn’t seem to mind working until 9:30 pm… Here’s what he’s managed to do in the last few days:

Getting the pond liner into the pond spot is difficult since we don’t have a lot of maneuver room. We believe that having a few guys unroll and place the liner in the general spot will be sufficient. Then the pond builder will start by cutting the bottom drains into the liner, smoothing it out, then the TPRs, smoothing it out some more – and actually filling it to help the liner settle into the right place.

It’s really late spring for the Minnesota plants and I’m enjoying the zinnias that I grew from seed earlier this year. The little open florets look like stars. Zinnias are supposedly great cutting flowers but I like the color in the yard.

The koi are hungry as usual. My new feeder timer came in and I am planning to set it up when the weather clears. This timer allows you to program 24 feeding times. Much better for the koi to eat numerous small meals than a few large meals (kind of like people). I’m going to start with 12 small meals on the hour from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Minor koi health problem…It’s so important to spend a little time each day looking at the koi. I think it’s the fastest way to catch any health problems a koi may have. Plus it’s so interesting to watch the koi.

Bad weather is a good time to read about koi and koi development. These two Kokugyo books are very informative about koi varieties , what to look for, what might be interpreted as the standard of beauty, comparisons of koi, etc.  Gaining knowledge is good and sometimes discouraging too. After you read about something, you’ll go out and check your koi and think “oh there’s a fault….” I’m going to hold on to the advice that even not so good looking young koi may improve over time with good koi keeping skills. No one is an expert when they start this hobby.

Koi keeping is a fun hobby – not sure what the pond builder and I would be doing if he hadn’t suggested a water feature for our garden seven years ago.