I hope you have been following the drama surrounding my pond rejuvenation (if not, please read them in this order: What Happened to My Pond?, A Busy Day, Pond Dreams). Well, the project is just about done and it is about time!
Melly dug all of the irises out herself but she needed help when it came to putting the pond liner in so Philip and Sheldon came over. This was a critical part and their help was really appreciated.
Before I could get in, I had to taste the water to make sure it was okay. It’s the same water that fills up my pool and my water bowl but still, you can’t be too careful.
This is what my pond looks like now. Melly is going to fix it up with stones (or something) around the rim so you don’t see the liner and put a bunch of plants in pots both in the water and around the outside of the pond. It looks pretty inviting, doesn’t it? I don’t even have to climb any hay steps to get in it!
But there’s something strange going on with the pond already. For one thing, there are fish in it! Some are goldfish and some are minnows. The first day there were a whole lot of them but every day since, there have been fewer and fewer. I think it might have something to do with Nessie. If you look closely at the photo at the top of this post, you can see there is a turtle swimming into the deepest part of the pool. That is Nessie, the snapping turtle.
Turns out Nessie has been in my pond since the very beginning! Melly says she’s been there about eighteen years! Only for the past couple of years, she hasn’t had much water to swim in. I guess that is why she crawls around on the bottom so much.
Nessie has a really big mouth and, as you can see in the photo above, she likes to sit around with it gaping wide open. I am afraid this behavior might explain the decline in numbers of fish in the pond. Some of the fish apparently swim right into her mouth, never to be seen again. Luckily she is much too small to swallow a capybara!
Look! That is a photo of me swimming in my pond! I didn’t even know ponds were for swimming in. It turns out that they are quite fun.
The depth and size of the pond make it just perfect for rolling. It’s just deep enough that I can push off a little with my feet when I am in the upside-up position. It’s quite wonderful.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUYVtT9IWdc&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Ponds are for rolling!
If you don’t believe me that ponds are for rolling, all you have to do is watch that video. You will see how perfect they are. Or at least how perfect my pond is now that it has water in it.
I am not sure Nessie really wants to be my friend. It seems like she tries to hide when I am around.
The pond is really easy to get in and out of. Today I got in and out of it about five times! You just walk right out. So simple, who would have thought?
In between swims I sat in the sun to dry out. Only it was cloudy today so I actually sat in the shade, but I would have been in the sun if there had been any.
So the verdict is that I love my new pond! I am even almost not mad at Melly for getting rid of my irises. Almost.