More Pond Progress

This is what .28 tons of Rocky Mountain Flat Cobble looks like. I should have ordered a full ton - and I think I will order a ton to add to what I have. I think the rock was a good choice and looks good, I just need more of it. Looks like another trip to Colorado materials. This pond is getting expensive but we will enjoy it. One fish did not survive, the night and I have seen seven or eight today. Some of them seem to have taken to their new home quickly, others have not.

Yesterday evening Peg and I went to the Left Hand Brewing tasting room. We each got a different sampler and enjoyed our choices. I was very pleasant sitting outside under the trees. I am likely to go back, but I don't know if Sharon will join me. I wonder if they have wine? 

I am still trying to figure out this blogging editor. I lost an entry earlier. I am not quite sure how it happened. It does have a spelling checker which is a big step forward from Blogsy that I used to use.

Today we have solar shades going up on our patio, mounted on the pergola. Thus will keep our house cooler and make our back patio more useable in the afternoons. Currently the sun is just too intense out there. We have both west and north exposure in the afternoon and the Colorado sun is fierce. Pictures to follow!

Pond Progress

Today fish joined the pond. A dozen $0.35 small feeder goldfish are now swimming around. I added a strawberry pot so they would have shelter from the sun and from critters. I also bought and had delivered .28 tons of Rocky Mountain Flat Cobble. I thought this would be enough to complete naturalizing around the pond. It turns out a quarter ton of rock is not that much. I think I can use about two times that much more. We shall see when I get them installed. I also picked up a preformed "stream". My initial idea on the pond included a stream on the north end, but it turns out mother nature combined with the grading of the lot conspired against me and the slope in the yard went the wrong way. WIth the preformed stream I should be able to support it underneath and get it to flow south. LIttle did Peg know when she came to visit that I would have her moving rocks from the driveway to the pond.

 

 

New Pond New iPad New Blog Tool

I got a new iPad yesterday - an iPad Pro - because my old iPad is now possessed. So far so good on the new iPad except I learned that the blogging editor I have been using for at least four years is no longer available. Therefore I am trying something new. Darn I hate change that I have not planned.

Second time using this. Yesterday we went to Rock Mountain National Park. I dropped the girls off at a trailhead and then found a comfortable spot tio relax, lean back, and read. It is a rough life. They had a good two hour hike and I read and snoozed and took some photos.

 

 

 

Landscaping!

Our landscapers are finished. All that remains is pond construction (they did the hard work, the hole) and large pots/planters which we have to purchase and fill with soil. I like the look. Mostly 1 1/2" river rock with on clump of river birch and a half a dozen mugo pines and a few boxwoods. Everything else I want in planters. We have drip irrigation to the plants and I can hook into the irrigation lines to water the planters as we add them.

While the hole for pond is there, much work remains. I am working first on the whole for the skimmer, then I will figure the shape and place e t of the stream. The filter and falls will go at the beginning of that. Then, underlayment, rubber lining, and then rock and planters for the edges. A couple of weeks I think.

This past week I was in Redmond with the family. Not much excitement there but it was good to see John, Kristie, Avery, and Anika.

A couple of weeks ago we traded in our 11 year old, 183,000 mile trusty Volvo on a Cherokee. We call this our Colorado car. Brady named it Snow.

 

Shorts

Shorts. I've worn nothing but shorts since I have been in Longmont. Shorts, short sleeve shirts or tshirts, sandals. That has been my uniform and I am spoiled!

Today our landscapers are here to begin on our basic landscaping plan. For the past couple of hours they have been cleaning up the yard of its collection of weeds, natural vegetation, and erosion control barriers. There is a lot of work involved in just this prep work and I am glad they are doing it. They are going to dig my pond, and that is most of the work. I will add the liner and the skimmer and the filter and decoration.

Remembering

Our anniversary was on July 1 - we have been marriend for 27 years now. It seems pretty amazing. When I am remembering our anniversary I also remember Sharon's mom who passed away a year and a day after we were married. She was a wonderful person and mother who took me in without question. She seemed to alway be smiling and everyone seemed to love her.

A year after Sharon and I were married her mom was in the hospital with heart issues. She died during an angiogram. The night before her procedure I was sitting at her side in her hospital room and we were holding hands and chatting. During that conversation I said, "I have a confession, I don't like Christine." Her response? "I don't like her either, but she is my daughter and I love her. We all have to love her." That's the kind of special person she was. We should always be so loving.

Is It July Already?

Wow. Time flies - or is it Time Flys?  So many projects so little time. What have I accomplished since our last visit? Three ceiling fans are up and a fourth is ready to go. More boxes are unpacked and I feel some organization has hit the basement but there is much more to go. Sharon and I both got new bicycles this weekend and most importantly, she is happy with hers and will hopefully ride it more. Mine is a mountain bike and will supplement my pavement bike. I am happy. Our window coverings are almost all up. We are still missing one in the living area and one in the downstairs office. We have one for the powder room but it is not yet up. We have ordered solar shades for the back deck they will really help with the afternoon sun and are motorized for ease of use. We have selected a landscaper and should be on their schedule for the first week of August. We will have some mugo pines and some boxwoods and a birch tree. Most of the back yard will be river rock with a pathway from the garage to the porch and from the porch to a flagstone patio. They will dig a pond for me about 8 feet long and 3 feet wide and 18" deep. I am ordering a new skimmer and filer falls plus liner. I've got a pump already. It should be easy to get the pond in, but I still have to decide how to surround it. I bought wood for the kitchen pull outs and have all of the drawer slides - self closing, but have not started on the project.