Country Escape's 2nd pond - Goldfish only

[CountryEscape]

It was fun, good company, but those "nice open land and fields" are what makes my property pretty boring. Good things and bad things, mostly don't like the wind that I get, with no woods or houses to stop it. I take the wind over houses, though. LOL I love being out in the country, no neighbors behind my house for a mile.
And, scratch the Raspberry, it wasn't in fridge, Blackberry was, though, and it's delicious! Going to read my book on deck. Must go ... tata!

 

[sissy]

geeze I live up on a hill and get the winds .Have a great time and you must try sparkling wine one time ,it tickles your nose while you are enjoying it

 

[CountryEscape]

Wow, that wine was wonderful, then neighbor girl stopped by, younger sister to one I rode with. Had to make sure no slurring words or anything. LOL That sobers you up quick! Now eating supper at 9 p.m. pork chop on the George Foreman, yummy!! Then time for bed.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I wish I had a mule or horse to ride in the wide open land of the big blue sky.... I can dream, looks like you had lots of fun!

 

[mtpond]

Going to Hawaii next weekend with my kids, staying with my nephew and his family, and going to do lots of "Hawaiian" things while we are there!

Good for you CE. My daughter is getting married next month and she thinks they are going on a honeymoon going around California for two weeks. Guess they are doing that for a week and then he's surprising her with a week in Hawaii. Can't wait she's going to be so surprised.

 

[CometKeith]

Hey CE, Your pond looks great. All the hard work you put in last year really paid off.

 

[capewind]

Kids stopping by have a sobering effect LOL ... I would love to have a second home in the country. So few places here to ride. Here;s a picture of my baby boy when he was about 12 I think. Miss my bud ... He was a "track rescue" ... He was almost destroyed due to a starting gate injury. He was rescued by a TB rescue group, healed 100% and ended up in a show barn where I found him. He was such the character. Not flighty like a lot of TB, but he was a thinker. If he didnt want to work, would fake a limp!!! He was duel trained dressage/hunters, but his training exceeded my skill level. I was only confident to 2nd level (low 60s)/3'6 ... he was shown 4th level (high 60s) and solid on a 4'6 course (he LOVED to jump) ... With my flat work, I'd give a wrong cue and he would just frazzle like what the heck are you asking and start tossing his head LOL. It was such a blast to teach him to trail ride. The dirt would be the normal shades of browns, and then there would be a spot of red clay and he'd just rear up and spin around tossing his head snorting making it clear that he didnt want to place his hooves on that funny looking dirt LOL. It took me almost two years to teach him walk on that funny looking dirt without him giving his opinion on the matter LOL.

 

[CountryEscape]

Wow, he's gorgeous, Cape, and looks NOTHING like something from a Thoroughbred racetrack. You obviously fed him well. My horses are fat as heck right now, too, except my Paint mare, who never gets fat, no matter how good the pasture, she looks awesome right now, like she is in show shape. However, she is limping, pretty sure she twisted or possible injured her bowed tendon again. She did the same thing last spring, running and spinning around, but it went away after a couple of weeks. This time, it's been long over a month, still limping. Guess I'll have to have my vet out and look at her, but hate to do that, as I'm 99% sure he's going to say nothing he can do, just needs to rest, and I hate to pen her up, but guess I should do that. Trying to sell her, she would make an awesome broodmare for show quality foals with Western Pleasure background, but horses are just not selling for anything. She's gorgeous, just not worth much right now. Ho hum.
Thanks, CometKeith for the comments. I love my ponds, work every evening out there, piddling around with something or another. It's total enjoyment to me.
Here are a couple of pics of the "mini cattails" that I got on Sunday. I think they look more like a reed or rush or whatever the skinny round stems are called. Cattails to me are a flat leaf, but the little "flowers" are so full I was impressed with that, so got the plant, hoping to propagate it and have some to share next year or two.

 

[fishin4cars]

That sounds good, Sissy, but I was hoping to get a really good deal like you had found for something like $500 for similar size. I've put the windmill on hold for now. Seen what I want, and just don't have the money to spend this year. Going to Hawaii next weekend with my kids, staying with my nephew and his family, and going to do lots of "Hawaiian" things while we are there! Can't wait, and anytime I have a chance to vacation with both of my kids, I don't care if I have to borrow the money, I will go! Not going to get those opportunities for long ...

CE, If you get a chance or have the time be sure and check out Kodama Koi while your in Hawaii, I recently saw a post on another thread were someone else just got back and visited Kodoma Koi and another new small Koi farm that was really impressive. Lots of Koi displays and water gardens around Hawaii to see. I would love to go back and visit again someday. But my next serious vacation that is fish related I really hope to make is Japan. I've been talking to a few people and thinking about trying to plan on going with a group if I can at all make it happen. Hope you have a great and exciting trip. So much to see and so little time to see it all. I went for a week and didn't get to see hardly anything I planned on seeing while I was there. but for every site I was able to see there were memories that will last a lifetime.

 

[capewind]

Wow, he's gorgeous, Cape, and looks NOTHING like something from a Thoroughbred racetrack.

No, he didnt. If it wasnt for his paper trail and tatoo, I would have taken him for a warmblood/TB cross. You look at TBs today, and there's nothing to them (he was foaled in 88). I was hoping to get back into showing when we bought him. Three young kids still, so other than a bit of time on the local circuit, that wasnt meant to be. HE was always in the ribbons. (He really made up for a lot of my mistakes.) I grew up showing on the A circuit, and never rode anything like him. To say he was well trained was an understatement. He was a solid dressage mount, but point him at a fence and he just came a live. He was so bold to the fences, with more scope than I knew what to do with.

You obviously fed him well. My horses are fat as heck right now, too, except my Paint mare, who never gets fat, no matter how good the pasture, she looks awesome right now, like she is in show shape.

I'll PM you a picture under saddle. You see the cut marks in the muscles. He was a nightmare to keep weight on. 16 qt sweet feed, plus 3 flakes straight alfalfa AM & PM to keep maintain weight. He was no easy keeper LOL.

However, she is limping, pretty sure she twisted or possible injured her bowed tendon again. She did the same thing last spring, running and spinning around, but it went away after a couple of weeks. This time, it's been long over a month, still limping. Guess I'll have to have my vet out and look at her, but hate to do that, as I'm 99% sure he's going to say nothing he can do, just needs to rest, and I hate to pen her up, but guess I should do that.

If she has a pattern, you probably wont get far with the vet. Any heat in the tendon? Our old (as in senior) Quarter horse had feet to dream over, but he used to get stone bruises to the frog. Once he bruised it, he would do it a dozen times it seemed, before he was sound again. I know that sounds too simple, but after a few vet checks, had the farrier put a piece of rubber on between the hoof and the shoe, and it solved the issue. Next shoeing, pulled the pad, and all was well.

Trying to sell her, she would make an awesome broodmare for show quality foals with Western Pleasure background, but horses are just not selling for anything. She's gorgeous, just not worth much right now. Ho hum.

I am thinking it is going to be awhile before prices come back up. We dont have any horses now, but I do look once in awhile, and folks cant seem to give away what look like really nice, easy keeper, pleasure mounts. I would say it is one hell of a buyers market.

Here are a couple of pics of the "mini cattails" that I got on Sunday. I think they look more like a reed or rush or whatever the skinny round stems are called. Cattails to me are a flat leaf, but the little "flowers" are so full I was impressed with that, so got the plant, hoping to propagate it and have some to share next year or two.

Mini cattails.JPG

Mini cattails 2.JPG

LOVE THEM!!!! Put me on next years list LOL.

 

[CountryEscape]

Nope, no heat in her leg, Cape, no swelling, no hurt when I push on the frog, clean and clean the hoof, nothing in there, no oozing. I'm just pretty sure it's superficial, and the vet won't be able to do anything. Short of penning her up, where she will become a mental basket case with the other 2 on pasture (and she's the one that NEEDS the pasture), I don't see it healing anytime soon. She runs and spins and rears and bucks on her own in the pasture. They have no mercy for themselves! I know it hurts, see her on the concrete pad and it's more sore, so that leads me to believe it is something on the bottom of her foot, but what it is, I sure have not figured out. Maybe I do need to pad her, see if that helps. She is tender footed when we ride, always have to keep her in the grass or put shoes on. But, for now, she is just a pasture ornament. LOL

 

[capewind]

No matter the size of the animal, it's frustrating for us in the regards we have to play process of elimination. If you think it may be in the hoof, just put her in front shoes, padding the one, for one trimming, and if she goes sound again, that may be it ... Problem is, if you pad it, you wont see inside the hoof if it was something else going on. Have you tried soaking it? Just a random thought here ... My TB had terrible platterpus front feet (typical TB) ... Normal farrier wasnt available for the next trim, and the person who did one shoeing screwed up. Dropped him down on his heals. Hudson needed wedges and bar shoes on the front (he also over reached in the rear) ... really, this is all irrevelent, but where I am going is he ended up with a really bad stone bruise next to the wide part of the frog, which turned into an abcess. Before it abcessed, I couldnt see anything wrong, nor were there any sensitivities. Going back some years here, but want to say I only soaked it twice a day in epsom salt for maybe 4-5 days ...Shooting in the dark here, so just throwing out oddball ideas... Hopefully she is feeling better soon ...

 

[CountryEscape]

Larkin, we will be on Honolulu island. Do you know which island Kodama Koi is on? That would be really cool if they are on the same island! I would definitely take the time to go there and see their koi. We will be staying with my nephew and his wife, and using their vehicle, so will be somewhat limited of where we would go, but they are willing to let us take the car whenever we want. I can already see places and things will get missed while we are there! My kids are even flying to "the big island" to do an all day tour of volcanos and so forth and taking pics. My daughter is a Science teacher, so she looks at it as tons of info to share with her classes!

 

[CountryEscape]

This cute frog looks like he's smiling. He will jump if I get too close, or if my shadow falls over him. Much more skittish than the larger frogs in this pond. So, is this a green frog or bullfrog? He seems to have a ridge on his back.

Cattails are getting ready to bloom! I counted at least 10 so far, still green, will turn brown when in "full bloom"!

I love my heron statue, in between the Karly Rose grass and Lamb's Ear.

Water parsley and water clover are going wild in the goldfish pond bog!

 

[addy1]

Bullfrog CE see how the ridge goes around the "ear" (not my pictures)







green frog, see the ridge down the side of the body, there is one on both sides