What does your pond look like ... Today?

[SarahT]

Hubby saved me yesterday a black spider was almost up my shirt to my face, when he said SPIDER! Shirt off in a instant!

A+ to the hubby. How big a font can I use in here to Scream? EEECK!

 

[YShahar]

Brown Recluse are my biggest fear...I thought when I lived up in the Adirondacks we were too far North for them until a friend of mine was bit in the hip unloading wood and the tissue damage was drastic...

Gaack! Now there's a scary thought!

Here, the big issue is scorpions, though mostly we have the black ones, which aren't quite as venomous. The little yellow ones are far worse. And at least the black ones are fairly large, so you know they're there. They're nocturnal and have this weird thing where they glow--actually glow!--in UV light. So I sometimes go around the garden with a UV flashlight to see where they hang out. They're ambush predators, and territorial, so I like knowing where they are. So long as they don't come in the house, we get along fine. Once they're in the house...well, I doubt anyone would sell then life insurance.

One evening I stepped into the bath, intending to enjoy a relaxing shower, when I looked up to see a black scorpion about the size of my hand on the shower curtain at eye level. I was out of there in record time, and the neighbors probably added a few new words to their vocabulary. Out in the garden is fine, but not eyeballing me from a cubit's distance is not!

 

[addy1]

Eye level?size of hand? Heart attack time!

One of my previous yorkies 4.5 lbs, was bitten, she was paralyzed in the hind quarters for a few days. in Arizona, none here.

The lil clear ones were the bad ones.

 

[rubyduby]

Gaack! Now there's a scary thought!

Here, the big issue is scorpions, though mostly we have the black ones, which aren't quite as venomous. The little yellow ones are far worse. And at least the black ones are fairly large, so you know they're there. They're nocturnal and have this weird thing where they glow--actually glow!--in UV light. So I sometimes go around the garden with a UV flashlight to see where they hang out. They're ambush predators, and territorial, so I like knowing where they are. So long as they don't come in the house, we get along fine. Once they're in the house...well, I doubt anyone would sell then life insurance.

One evening I stepped into the bath, intending to enjoy a relaxing shower, when I looked up to see a black scorpion about the size of my hand on the shower curtain at eye level. I was out of there in record time, and the neighbors probably added a few new words to their vocabulary. Out in the garden is fine, but not eyeballing me from a cubit's distance is not!

Ugh! This is the stuff that nightmares are made of YShahar! I could not live anywhere that had scorpions. Once on St. Croix I was taking a shower and a HUGE centipede (the ones that are about four inches long and have meaty legs) was running around my feet...I jumped out of the shower, and actually cried because I was so distraught....Here is a pic of one:

 

[rubyduby]

Ugh! This is the stuff that nightmares are made of YShahar! I could not live anywhere that had scorpions. Once on St. Croix I was taking a shower and a HUGE centipede (the ones that are about four inches long and have meaty legs) was running around my feet...I jumped out of the shower, and actually cried because I was so distraught....Here is a pic of one:
View attachment 154609

Actually St. Croix does have scorpions but they weren't on the side of the island that we lived on...

 

[GBBUDD]

ANOTHER SUMMERS GONE

 

[GBBUDD]

DANG RUBY YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND.

 

[YShahar]

Ugh! This is the stuff that nightmares are made of YShahar! I could not live anywhere that had scorpions. Once on St. Croix I was taking a shower and a HUGE centipede (the ones that are about four inches long and have meaty legs) was running around my feet...I jumped out of the shower, and actually cried because I was so distraught....Here is a pic of one:

Yep, we have those as well. You should have seen the critters hiding under the rocks when I was digging the pond. Almost every rock had its big black scorpion or one of those big centipedes. There was one big ceramic pot that had been sitting in the garden for ages. Every time I checked under it there was the same big black scorpion. Must have been getting a steady diet of other insects because it just got fatter and fatter without moving from its place. Eventually I decided to make a small fountain out of the ceramic pot. When I came to move it, the scorpion couch-potato looked so confused and forlorn that I took pity on it and moved it to a different place. I suspect that it's had to change its lifestyle since then.

 

[addy1]

When I came to move it, the scorpion couch-potato looked so confused and forlorn that I took pity on it and moved it to a different place. I suspect that it's had to change its lifestyle since then.

Awww so nice of you. Home relocation!

 

[YShahar]

ANOTHER SUMMERS GONE

Just beautiful! I also like that you give a bit of a tour, with explanations as to what's what. It would be great at some point to have a drone flyover and get a view of the pond from above.

It's not just the pond that's beautiful; it's also the planting and landscaping around it that gives it the feeling of a natural mountain stream.

Question: At the very beginning, not far from your cistern you've got a small cloud-pruned tree. What tree is that?

 

[GBBUDD]

Basicly it's an evergreen it can be of many types . Mugo pines . Blue points etc I forget which one it is. It's basicly trained to grow that way much like bonsai. Any new growth is cut off unless they want a new stalk to grow. They are usualy 2/3 to double the price if it was natural.. but out there if I were you with no frost I'd look at a bonsai

I need to get a better video camera the phone falls short. As does the moderater . Far better putting my thoughts into creation s with my hands then in words or type.

 

[rubyduby]

ANOTHER SUMMERS GONE

So sad to see the most of the greenery turning brown..I don't mind all of the leaves that I used to rake either.
Your pond is still so pretty though and really is a great pic of fall in the Northeast!

 

[rubyduby]

DANG RUBY YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND.

Yes, I have...Born in New Jersey, ran away to Vermont (70's) Husband was drafted and so we moved to Ft. Hood, TX...When discharged we moved to Nova Scotia for 6 years..Then back to New Jersey for awhile before moving to St. Croix...Then to the beautiful Adirondacks for 24 years before moving to Virginia and then finally here in Florida....My favorite place of all is the Adirondacks (I look every day to see if there is that little cabin on at least 10 acres with a natural pond waiting for my next move...might have to settle for North Carolina though if I can't find anything since time is running out)

 

[rubyduby]

Yep, we have those as well. You should have seen the critters hiding under the rocks when I was digging the pond. Almost every rock had its big black scorpion or one of those big centipedes. There was one big ceramic pot that had been sitting in the garden for ages. Every time I checked under it there was the same big black scorpion. Must have been getting a steady diet of other insects because it just got fatter and fatter without moving from its place. Eventually I decided to make a small fountain out of the ceramic pot. When I came to move it, the scorpion couch-potato looked so confused and forlorn that I took pity on it and moved it to a different place. I suspect that it's had to change its lifestyle since then.

Wow, you certainly painted another great picture of pond life in Israel YShahar! If I lived there I might have had to take up a different hobby...Maybe cooking or something that involves the indoors

 

[GBBUDD]

I have been looking for simular I found several on more than 10 without a pond how ever. This one I recently found is on 34 acres with walking trails 780 sf cabin immaculate and nicely done with a 3 or 4 car garage but room to build a pond. It was listing g at 360 k last I looked if you want to see it I'll dig it up on zillow it was north east tennesse