Country Escape's 2nd pond - Goldfish only

[addy1]

We hide at the end of a rural road at the end of a 200 ft driveway. No one sees our pond or gardens, it is just for us and pictures you all see. And of course for the critters.
Our pond and gardens face woods and a corn field.

The land near the road is so bad, rocks clay we can not even get grass to grow decently. I did put in a few small knockout rose gardens right at the end of the drive.

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, my ponds face the open corn/bean fields, nothing for a mile across them to the next road. Of course, in front of me is the same thing. LOL Only cars that drive by are neighbors that live past me, and the occasional other driver looking to road trip. Pretty quiet. But, I need something to draw me to the front yard more. Those plants tend to get neglected in the summer. Had an evergreen tree die last winter, so going to get it replaced and put it in front, build some type of elevated area to put it on the top of the "hill", then I will have another area to landscape. heehee

 

[callingcolleen1]

I gave up the back yard to the doggies and the hubby, he plants all kinds of strange things, so that he can have "his" space, besides he needs an area to work that is all his own, that way he can't say I plulled out his plant's thinking they were weeds.... some of them really are weeds, he gets plants from the river and plants them at home! Then Bad Bear gets burrs stuck to his tail and they follow him home, now we have Burdock growing too from the river! The Burdock plant from the river gets purple prickly flowers that attract bees from miles away! Besides I work to death at work, then garden the front yard and the side of the house where the big ponds are, between my house and the neighbors house, and that's enough! Plus the house work is never ending, no such thing as a "day off" to just lounge! Gee I sound like a "old hag" already!!! ha ha ha, the married life will do that to you!
Hubby has one last battle to fight... he quit drinking this weekend! first weekend that I can remember that he never had a drink! He never drinks all week, but would drink on weekends, but drinking hard stuff straight up, hard on the body, and his blood pressue. I never nagged him, it was his choice, so to support him I quit the wine for the weekend whle he is home. I rarely have more than one or two glasses, and a bottle can last me for weeks sometimes. After the third glass, I usually fall asleep before I can drink it anyway.
I think I go all out in the front yard cause the neighbors are my audience, and I feel like they are "cheering me on"!

 

[j.w]

We are too far away from the road also but any neighbors that come over we can sit out on the front porch and enjoy the pond together. Our back deck gets ignored a lot. Guess I need another pond back there....................NOT! One is enough to take care of thank you

Colleen if you put a bench out there you should put a sign letting your people know they are welcome to sit there. Otherwise they will think it is just for your use

 

[callingcolleen1]

I was thinking about that, going to maybe do it.....

 

[CountryEscape]

Guess what? That funky bug that I posted the pic of, is a ladybug pupa or larva or something like that! So, it's really a weird looking thing, but it will turn into a ladybug. It was still there this morning, so must be a long process.

 

[callingcolleen1]

So it's not from the Planet Mars! How strange yet wonderful they look while undergoing their metamorphic change. I have seen several different types of dragon fly nymphs, and they look strange! Some look like miniature baby crayfish, their exoskeleton body is the size and color of my fingernail. Others Really are SCARY!!! Some look like Dragons from HELL! Even though they are so small, they look really fierce and Extra Super ScaRy! No wonder I have so few babies every year!

 

[j.w]

Weird CE it was really strange looking! Sure is a big difference from the cute little lady bug it turns into.

 

[CountryEscape]

OK, Addy, Fishy, JW, Colleen, and anyone else that checks this post, I have a question for you plant lovers! My older sister (the "know-it-all" from WI/AZ/WI) says that a yucca plant dies after it blooms. I've never heard of that, looked on the internet, found nothing about it. She swears every one she has ever had died after it bloomed, and sent up new shoots. I told her I see plants year after year, they get bigger, and the bloom stalk longer and more filled out with flowers! My yucca plant that I dug up from a friend's woods 3 or 4 years ago, is finally going to bloom! She responded with, "Then it will die". She says most of the yucca plants in AZ are like that, too. I strongly disagree, but want to know if I'm wrong. Addy, you are my AZ expert, and the rest of you have probably had or know of yucca plants in your areas. I think they probably even grow in Canada! So, give me your opinions! Yes, if I'm wrong, I will admit it to my sister. But, I hope I'm right!!!!! ;-)

 

[j.w]

The Yucca's I have never die. I have the variegated ones right now. Had the plain green ones but they tried to take over the world so got rid of them. I have the variegated ones planted where I don't care if they take over and I like the stripes on them. These that I have now bloom every year and sure never die. Now maybe there is another kind that does die after it blooms. I don't know but there are many different kinds.

 

[j.w]

CE I found this and wonder if your sister isn't confused and thinking of the Century plant that dies after it blooms?
http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=6307

 

[addy1]

My yucca's did not die after blooming, and they do spread and hard to get rid of, so I put them where I don't care if they spread.

 

[CountryEscape]

Thanks, ladies, and JW, I bet she is thinking of the century plant! I looked it up, and it says people sometimes call it an aloe plant, but it's not even in the same family, and it lives 10-30 years, dying when it finally blooms. Totally different than the yucca, which blooms year after year, once it's mature enough. Score!!!! I love it when I win. LOL

 

[callingcolleen1]

I have a hardy Yucca that somebody gave me a while back, and after it blooms, it can look very dead the next season. My friend has a different type of yucca and her's bloomed last year and now it looks almost dead too. My yucca's did not bloom last year, and they are struggling to turn green, could be the long cold winter we had too. I can tell you that a couple years back they bloomed and then they looked terrible the next season. It seems that after blooming, they type we have around here, they all look crappy.

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, you must have the yucca plant that my sister is referring to, Colleen! I've never even heard of that, but maybe your type is barely in your zone, and the winters really zap them, who knows! Anyhow, the ones around here are pretty much evergreen, never even turn brown in the winter. I will post a pic of the tall spike when the flowers open.