Here we go -- FINALLY! A pond for wildlife...

[addy1]

I still can't get over the determination of some of the ladies on this site. And the description of ladies is way tame . They are some of the most goal oriented people I've ever seen .

We are driven! A bit too much sometimes.

Dear hubby helped with mine, building the wall between the bog and pond, putting the pea gravel in the bog, helping lay out the liner. OW all mine. He was working, me just moved here from AZ. After he bought me the tractor had to dig up the yard of course!

Moved a poop load of rocks, boulders, big ones you walk them or roll them. Hardest part was hauling them up our 25 degree slope for the stream bed and walls.

Hats off to you @bagsmom it is looking great!

 

[YShahar]

I still can't get over the determination of some of the ladies on this site. And the description of ladies is way tame . They are some of the most goal oriented people I've ever seen .

Part of this thing about drive and determination is that many of us (females, I mean) really enjoy creating "habitats" for ourselves and for our families. Pond building and garden making is part of that. From what I've seen this sort of "habitat making" is more prevalent among women than among men.

But then, generalization has its limits. Some years back I chaired a panel on non-conventional conflict at the institute where I worked. As there were a bunch of folks from the other countries on the panel who had never toured around Israel, we rented a van and took them around--six counter-terrorism and intel nerds thrown together for a road trip.

And what did the conversation look like? Well, we had three women in the front of the van talking about advances in plastic explosives and the implications for political assassinations. And in the back were three men exchanging recipes for five-course Indian meals... So much for the female "nesting instinct"!

 

[YShahar]

These two pictures didn't want to upload with the rest:

It's looking fantastic! Now you just need to convert the driveway into a nice patio with some sitting areas and break out the white wine!

 

[SarahT]

Part of this thing about drive and determination is that many of us (females, I mean) really enjoy creating "habitats" for ourselves and for our families. Pond building and garden making is part of that. From what I've seen this sort of "habitat making" is more prevalent among women than among men.

But then, generalization has its limits. Some years back I chaired a panel on non-conventional conflict at the institute where I worked. As there were a bunch of folks from the other countries on the panel who had never toured around Israel, we rented a van and took them around--six counter-terrorism and intel nerds thrown together for a road trip.

And what did the conversation look like? Well, we had three women in the front of the van talking about advances in plastic explosives and the implications for political assassinations. And in the back were three men exchanging recipes for five-course Indian meals... So much for the female "nesting instinct"!

Did you collect any good recipes from the back seat you can share?

 

[GBBUDD]

Part of this thing about drive and determination is that many of us (females, I mean) really enjoy creating "habitats" for ourselves and for our families. Pond building and garden making is part of that. From what I've seen this sort of "habitat making" is more prevalent among women than among men.

But then, generalization has its limits. Some years back I chaired a panel on non-conventional conflict at the institute where I worked. As there were a bunch of folks from the other countries on the panel who had never toured around Israel, we rented a van and took them around--six counter-terrorism and intel nerds thrown together for a road trip.

And what did the conversation look like? Well, we had three women in the front of the van talking about advances in plastic explosives and the implications for political assassinations. And in the back were three men exchanging recipes for five-course Indian meals... So much for the female "nesting instinct"!

Let's just say I'd be scootching my way up front

 

[Lisak1]

@bagsmom WOW is all I can say! You outdid yourself woman! It's GORGEOUS! I can't even believe that's the same hole in the ground we've been staring at for months and months! Worth every bit of the struggle!

 

[YShahar]

Did you collect any good recipes from the back seat you can share?

No. Sadly I couldn't cook my way out of a wet paper bag. When I decided to get married I told the matchmaker that I needed a husband who could cook. She matched me up with some real duds (rather than dudes). I eventually found my husband/live-in-chef online. Used, but in good condition! ;-)

 

[GBBUDD]

I DON'T KNOW , That estrogen stuff is some pretty powerful stuff. they say testosterone is the power drug. but once for once i think estrogen wins hands down. And a truck for of ladies who play with plastic explosives and by pass the rolling pin . i Don't know me thinks your hubby is one daring man.

 

[TheFishGuy]

Looking fantastic!

 

[bagsmom]

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words!
Update - Mama deer came by today with a new baby!!!!!! I will have a hard time getting mad when they nibble on my water lilies now. Or not. I went outside to discover one with all the leaves missing. It was in a very hard-to-get-to spot. So I made like a crazy woman and sawed a limb off a tree, then used the branches to make a hopefully too-poky-to-fool-with kind of temporary fence in the access areas. It is a little busy, but otherwise looks fairly cool.
Today my neighbor sort of pushed my buttons. She was questioning my set up and skeptical that my water was moving - and so was worried about mosquitoes. I can totally understand being worried about mosquitoes! But I said - in the three years it has taken me to build this, don't you think I would have thought of that? And planned for it? The water moves in the bog, as it goes down the waterfall. AND it has a little pipe that dribbles water and agitates the surface. There are the two aforementioned waterfalls. AND there is a jet at the far end, moving the water in the direction of the intake bay, which is sucking water down into it. AND because I, too, am paranoid about mosquitoes, I put bits of mosquito dunk in any suspicious areas. There are gazillions of dragonflies flying around and about 30 voracious minnows that think they are piranhas. And tadpoles. And goldfish. I have been looking for signs of mosquito larvae and haven't seen any. This ain't just a hole in the ground, sister! Geez. But I have a cousin who had West Nile so I am really careful about mosquitoes too. I can understand her concern, but she should know me better than that. She is a great person, so I will let it slide.
I was feeding the fish a little bit for my entertainment. It is fun to watch the minnows attack the food pellets! But now I have a little string algae on the plants. That's ok. I will stop feeding and let the fish have some salad for a while.
I still have a lot of rock work to do around the flower beds but things are coming together.

 

[j.w]

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words!
Update - Mama deer came by today with a new baby!!!!!! I will have a hard time getting mad when they nibble on my water lilies now. Or not. I went outside to discover one with all the leaves missing. It was in a very hard-to-get-to spot. So I made like a crazy woman and sawed a limb off a tree, then used the branches to make a hopefully too-poky-to-fool-with kind of temporary fence in the access areas. It is a little busy, but otherwise looks fairly cool.
Today my neighbor sort of pushed my buttons. She was questioning my set up and skeptical that my water was moving - and so was worried about mosquitoes. I can totally understand being worried about mosquitoes! But I said - in the three years it has taken me to build this, don't you think I would have thought of that? And planned for it? The water moves in the bog, as it goes down the waterfall. AND it has a little pipe that dribbles water and agitates the surface. There are the two aforementioned waterfalls. AND there is a jet at the far end, moving the water in the direction of the intake bay, which is sucking water down into it. AND because I, too, am paranoid about mosquitoes, I put bits of mosquito dunk in any suspicious areas. There are gazillions of dragonflies flying around and about 30 voracious minnows that think they are piranhas. And tadpoles. And goldfish. I have been looking for signs of mosquito larvae and haven't seen any. This ain't just a hole in the ground, sister! Geez. But I have a cousin who had West Nile so I am really careful about mosquitoes too. I can understand her concern, but she should know me better than that. She is a great person, so I will let it slide.
I was feeding the fish a little bit for my entertainment. It is fun to watch the minnows attack the food pellets! But now I have a little string algae on the plants. That's ok. I will stop feeding and let the fish have some salad for a while.
I still have a lot of rock work to do around the flower beds but things are coming together.

If ya don't see em they ain't there and that's the story and stick to it

 

[addy1]

I have not had one mosquito land on me since we built the ponds. Go a street over and they do nothing but complain about them.

 

[YShahar]

It's looking fantastic!

And no, I also haven't had a problem with mosquitoes since getting the pond up and running.

We had been plagued for over a decade by the Asian tiger mosquitoes, which evidently got inadvertently imported in car tires. Seems they don't lay their eggs in water, but rather, on the sides of containers that will fill up next time it rains. So, yeah... car tires. For years, I couldn't sit outside during the day unless I was covered head-to-toe in clothing, and even then, the little vampires got up my sleeves and left bleeding sores.

But the pond is now teeming with voracious gambuzi fish, and the air above the pond is filled with dragon flies. So even the dreaded Asian tiger mosquitoes are in retreat! Still have some of the native mosquitoes in the evening, but fewer than before.

 

[GBBUDD]

Like bags my neighbor brought up the mosquitos bs as well. I do not have even remotely slow water flow any where. And the one thing I do have is dragon flies

 

[bagsmom]

Like bags my neighbor brought up the mosquitos bs as well. I do not have even remotely slow water flow any where. And the one thing I do have is dragon flies

I feel like there are fewer mosquitoes out there, for sure. But in the interest of fairness to my neighbor, I will ask: do mosquitoes need totally still water? Or does a gentle flow allow them to survive? I have visible agitation in some areas, but in others, the water moves smoothly and slowly. I think the minnows get in all those nooks and crannies but I could get some aeration and create additional movement that way.