Mmathis
TurtleMommy
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2011
- Messages
- 14,256
- Reaction score
- 8,317
- Location
- NW Louisiana -- zone 8b
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
I don’t think I’ve posted since last fall! A lot has been happening, and “ponding” hasn’t been a priority. It will be fun to go back to meet new members and reacquaint with my old friends.
To make a long story short...... We moved in November 2018. Same city, same zip code, but about a 5 minute drive from the old house. We had 24 years of accumulated “hoarding” to take care of, plus coorinating renovations in the new home and repairs in the old home. And, of course, life tends to get in the way, so there were lots of interruptions, delays, etc.
We’re finally in the home stretch (no pun intended), and the old home is on the market — with a few hiccups here and there. Boxes are piled high in the new home — yes, we discarded a ton of junk & stuff, but just haven’t had the time or energy to focus on the new house. It’s amazing how you can actually live without so many “treasures” and not even think about looking through boxes, LOL!
THE POND: It was the final detail. Two weeks ago we drained the pond after pulling plants, goldfish, and of course, a million tadpoles! We got the backyard filled in, and are waiting for sod. The fish, plants, and taddies are temp. set up in the new back yard. Most of the tadpoles have turned into (mostly) toads and have gone their merry way. Waiting on a landscape person to design a new pond so that we can still incorporate the turtle habitat — we’re not going DIY this time around (I’m just too old, lazy, and unmotivated). The turtles are doing well in their temporary cinderblock enclosure, and I know they will be happy to have a real home soon!
Now, new-pond worries: our new home is close to a small lake. Predators everywhere! I polled neighbors who have ponds and they deny having problems, so we’ll see......
It’s been a lot of work. But wanna know what has bothered me the most? Worrying about the resident toads and frogs that have called the pond home for the past 7 years! There was/is one frog in particular (well, there may have been more than one, but I use the collective term) that I was/am going to miss: a Bronze frog. Quite nondescript, but he has the most precious call. We named him (them) “Banjo,” because he sounds like someone is plucking a few off-chord banjo strings. Tried to catch him, but he is a secretive little guy, but may have succeeded.
To make a long story short...... We moved in November 2018. Same city, same zip code, but about a 5 minute drive from the old house. We had 24 years of accumulated “hoarding” to take care of, plus coorinating renovations in the new home and repairs in the old home. And, of course, life tends to get in the way, so there were lots of interruptions, delays, etc.
We’re finally in the home stretch (no pun intended), and the old home is on the market — with a few hiccups here and there. Boxes are piled high in the new home — yes, we discarded a ton of junk & stuff, but just haven’t had the time or energy to focus on the new house. It’s amazing how you can actually live without so many “treasures” and not even think about looking through boxes, LOL!
THE POND: It was the final detail. Two weeks ago we drained the pond after pulling plants, goldfish, and of course, a million tadpoles! We got the backyard filled in, and are waiting for sod. The fish, plants, and taddies are temp. set up in the new back yard. Most of the tadpoles have turned into (mostly) toads and have gone their merry way. Waiting on a landscape person to design a new pond so that we can still incorporate the turtle habitat — we’re not going DIY this time around (I’m just too old, lazy, and unmotivated). The turtles are doing well in their temporary cinderblock enclosure, and I know they will be happy to have a real home soon!
Now, new-pond worries: our new home is close to a small lake. Predators everywhere! I polled neighbors who have ponds and they deny having problems, so we’ll see......
It’s been a lot of work. But wanna know what has bothered me the most? Worrying about the resident toads and frogs that have called the pond home for the past 7 years! There was/is one frog in particular (well, there may have been more than one, but I use the collective term) that I was/am going to miss: a Bronze frog. Quite nondescript, but he has the most precious call. We named him (them) “Banjo,” because he sounds like someone is plucking a few off-chord banjo strings. Tried to catch him, but he is a secretive little guy, but may have succeeded.
