Pond builder and I have been busy in the yard all weekend. 45 bags of mulch, 20+ bags of leaves and yard crud, 75 fertilizer sticks and most important – refilling the upper pond. We emptied the water from the upper pond into the lower pond and then pumped out across our front yard. The pond builder removed most of the winter insulation from the equipment house. We still have some frozen water in our pipes but hoping the warming temperatures will get them going. (Of course we do have one day of snow forecasted this week.) The lower pond is in a shadier area so the ground is colder. We are working on clearing out the leaves and hope to refill next weekend. We are still a few weeks from letting the koi go outdoors since we will need to run the equipment and PP the ponds. This is the first spring without any major pond work or yard work ahead. We’ve moved a few shrubs around and planting more arborvitae, rhododendrons and dahlias are the only things on our gardening to-do list.
I’m pleased to report that the koi are back to eating again. They are racing to the feeder and fighting for the food. I had to put in a large order for JPD food recently since there is a glitch getting it transported into the United States right now. While I’m sure it will be resolved, I don’t want the koi to go hungry. Chuck Norris is back to normal and no one is missing Cowboy (died of some mysterious illness). I have made arrangements to rehome four koi later this spring when our friend opens up his outdoor pond. I also wonder how the koi we donated to the Japanese garden fared this winter. I should drive out to the Japanese garden and see if I can find them ….
Finally no weekend is really complete unless you buy a new tool. I noticed some water near our fill line for the indoor pool. I jiggled the line and it literally fell apart, water is everywhere. Thankfully the spigot was not too far and easily accessible. The short piece of hose we used on the fill line had copper ends that had corroded significantly. Pond builder decided to use some PEX tubing rather than another hose length. This required a crimper cramper something that makes using PEX a breeze. I predict we’ll see more PEX around the ponds….
