Pond Assembly, Lotuses, Irises and Name that Rose!

We went to my aunt's and disassembled the pond.  It was actually easier than I thought it would be.  David's friend came with us with a truck and a trailer.  We drained the pond, caught the fish, put a car jack under the edge of the treated wood sides and voila'.  One pond, lifted out of the hole.  We put the whole thing on the trailer and hauled it to our house.  The fish have temproary digs in an aerated stock tank (at my aunt's house) until we get the water cycled and chlorine free.  The batteries in my camera were dead, otherwise I'd show you all the size of these fish.  They are mostly fantails, one shubunkin and some ancient comets.  My aunt, not wanted to be a bother, said to toss the comets in the bass pond, save my pond space for the pretty fish.  As if!  She looked a little sad to see it all taken down...sad, and relieved at the same time.  Her health is not what she would like it to be and tending to the pond has become a real chore for her.  She knows I will care for them.  Still...it's kind of bittersweet. 

We had a few problems in the pond reconstruction, but nothing major.  It's already filled and the pumps are running.  I put the lilies in....they are HUGE.  A couple are ready to bloom.

Lilie in the new pond

Under construction.  The new pond with the original pond in the background.  See where the blue liner and the black liner meet?  That is where the falls will go.  The water level in the new pond is about 5 inches higher than the berm of the original pond.  So the water will fall over a spillway onto the rocks in the original pond.  We tried out the flow...and it works!  I need some pond foam and stuff to join the liners. And I need to sink the rocks to the proper depth.  But I think it'll work.

The strawberry jar in the flower pot is a temprorary extra filter.  I am doing "housekeeping" on that pond.  I have sludge.

My other aunt lives next door to my grandmother and my aunt with the pond...she gave me these...

Happy dance!  Rocks!  Those bottom two are pretty huge and very flat.  They will become the waterfall.

Cow koi and some of the goldies.  Captain Jack is the orange koi in front.

Feed us!!!!!

So tonight I make sure we have no leaks, add a bit more chlorine remover in the morning and we should be good to go.  The waterfall will take a bit more time, but I need to quarantine the fishies anyway.

David and his friend were my heroes today.  They dug and carried and sawed and hammered.  They helped me haul dirt for back fill.  They hauled lilies and fought with tubing.  We worked all day.  This would have taken me days and days to do alone.  So I was quite thankful for the enthusiastic help.  They went to pick up the trailer and David saw a lady working in her garden next door.  He was admiring her roses ...one bush in particular was covered in white snowball like roses...it was huge, draping, kind of weeping willow like.  Thornless.  For the life of me I cannot remember the name of this rose.  There is a pink variety I think?  And most commonly a yellow variety.  The bushes get quite large and look like 7-10  foot tall birds' nest if they are left unpruned.  My brain says it is a Queen Anne rose?  Queen Victoria?  Queen of Sheba?  Queen Something or Other.  I have googled and googled and I cannot find her.  If this sounds familiar...please tell me the name.  Anyway.  He asks this lady if he can have a cutting.  She dug up a baby rose (all you have to do to root them is push one of the canes to the ground and cover it with dirt.)  I have the baby in a pot with my other 150,023 cuttings   (Remember the jasmine from last year?  I stole a cutting from the dentist's office fence?  I planted it in the garden last month....it's fixing to bloom )

And of course, in the midst of pond construction, the postman pulls up in the yard with a priority mail box filled with lotuses.  Got those planted, too.

I was sitting next to the pond, sipping a well-earned (imho) root beer.  My step mother came by and told me that they are going to a Lousiana iris breeder's place...she and her sister.  What color iris would I like?  She would bring me one.  Cool.  I said, bring me two, I'll pay you back.  Just surprise me with the color.   I guess all the drama registered more with me than it did with them.  I think I am just really hypersensitive, always careful not to piss my dad off.  I hate that about me.   It is a source of incredible anxiety.

Anyway.

I am tired.  I mean...really...really tired. 

Tomorrow I have to get kitty litter and laundry detergent...gotta go to the grocery store.  Need chicken feed, so a trip to the feed store, too.  When I walk through the garden I start making mental to do lists.  I have peas to pick tomorrow.  The tomatoes need tying.  Mulching needs to be done....and watering first thing in the morning.  I have to haul another load of poop for the mirliton.  I have another planting of corn to get in the ground.  The hens need more hay in their nest boxes.   Peas to blanch and freeze.  Blackberries!  We have blackberries to pick!  On top of that the usual...school and laundry and dishes and....I have actually stopped noticing the clutter in the house   Then.... I start feeling overwelmed.  So much to do, not enough daylight to do it all in. 

I guess that means I need to take a couple of advil (because everything hurts...that pond frame was heavy.) and hit the hay.  I have a gazillion messages to answer and xanga to read, but that probably won't happen until I get some rest.  It's sleepy time.