Took the family to see the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao yesterday.
That multi-colored art work on the right is called “Puppy” by Jeff Koons. Saw a few other pieces of his work inside the museum. Really enjoyed his work.
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Beautiful pond. It’s time for me to work on ours. Last summer we had 75 fish, including about a dozen koi.
Later, Hip_tiger_wife admired a beautiful great blue heron that visited our backyard on several days, but neither of us considered the possible consequences.
When I went out to feed the fish at the end of that week, I couldn’t find any fish. It discouraged us from working on the pond until now. Yesterday we counted 12 small survivors that hid under the lily pads.
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I do have areas that they can hide - the fountain sits on a platform that’s raised off the bottom - but I expect a few will be picked off by predators.
If they get the one koi, … well, hats off to them, I think. I’m more concerned about when we get to fall and covering the pond and leaves and other yard debris not getting in.
That’s a nice pond! We have a small one but it doesn’t have lighting and the rocks and what-not, our fish population has exploded and I should probably see if anyone in town wants some free goldfish. Our pond is only about 30" deep at most, not deep enough for Koi in my climate, or so I’m told.
Our pond came with lily pads, and I added some other plant… I think hydrilla maybe? They grow fully submerged and provide lots of cover and since they’ve filled out we lose very few fish to birds or cats or whatever was getting in there. I need to thin out that plant, it’s starting to take over more than I’d like.
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So when it gets to winter is everything frozen in a point of time like Pompeii? One goldfish is doing chores, the other one is relaxing, two of them are having an argument and one is just contemplating life as a goldfish?
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I run a pump in the winter, they’ll go to the bottom and hibernate there. My pond is about 30" deep as well. As long as the pump runs, the pond doesn’t freeze over and they’ll be good. If the pond freezes over - say, the pump quits or it gets submerged and then the pond freezes (as happened in '22 when I was 3 weeks out from hip surgery #1 and everyone in the family complained it’s cold outside, I don’t want to go out, it’s frozen and I don’t know what to do - then … I have fish floating to the surface in the spring. Which, I might be unhappy about.
I only have the one pot for lillies. When we cleaned this the first time - I think '21 - there were 8 pots of lillies. 
Kind of cool, there would be lily pads on the top in the summer, but that was way too many for a pond my size. [Pro tip: if they escape their pot, they root out everywhere and then when you go to move them, they’re really heavy. And, it is a real pain in the ass to cut them to try and thin them out.] I probably could add a 2nd pot, but from the experience last time I’m :twitch: about it and if it was in there now, it would make repositioning it and the fountain a PITA.
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Man, I got a lot of stuff done. No fishing, just ‘the list’. Cleaned and organized the shed. Got a new door handle for downstairs closet. Organized and cleaned the fishing closet. got the deck organized. Cleaned the microwave. Refilled the thermacell butane canisters. PUt some crap on fb marketplace to make room for more crap.
By the time sunday afternoon rolled around, my spouse didn’t even have any jobs left for me to do!
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Friday drove most of the way to my daughter’s for her wedding dress fitting.
Saturday, drove the last hour, took them out to lunch, drove home
Dinner at a favorite restaurant I don’t get to much anymore.
Home at 8:30 time to walk to Fireworks on beach
Sunday, all day at beach, ordered down Chinese food
I recently learned it’s not technically hibernation, but some other similar state called torpor. I don’t really know the difference.
We have a little floating heater that keeps ice at bay in winter, seems to work well.
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I often get that in July.
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A cousin put on a fundraiser for her cat charity. We bought some food, 50/50 tickets, and cocktails; we helped her pack up at the end too.
Took the family to Munich with a side trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
Was very sunny in Munich (30C) and we hit up the Chinese beer garden in the English Garden.
Super pleasant day. The little one loved playing with all of the kids there visiting from all over the world.
The little one walking down the Castle road.
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Made a big pot of chicken stock!!!
Get a picture with Mickey?
- Organizing and cleaning the basement, to prepare for radon mitigation work on Wednesday.
- Cleaning the pond pump and moving it so the fountain sits away from the waterfall.
- Helping the bonus kids with school prep for this fall.
Drove 1,263 mi (2,033 km) to St Paul MN to bring daughter home from college, packed up two Priuses with her worldly belongings, drove back home.
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Sister and bil over for the weekend. Went to an Amish auction, thousands of people. Bought a Coleman lantern.
Came home and my bil sees a garage sale so we have to stop. Bought another Coleman lantern and two sleeping pads. Sleeping pads were $5 each so I resold them to a couple of students.
Thanks for the call, man!
Did very little, as it turns out.
Friday was quiet dinner at my house w 2 other couples (celebrating my wedding anniversary).
Sat was super quiet.
Sun baseball (umpiring) got rained out. So now wife is working on a project in the basement. She wants my contribution but i could not care one iota. So beers on the patio for me (before my smartass comments get me murdered at anniversary + 2 days).
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I’ve got to go help #s guy pack!