Twas a frosty morn!

We definitely had frost. My new sculpture was fine!


The grass was tinged with frost. The pumpkins are done. It would have been fun going around getting some macro photos, but I had work to do.


 I went out for my walk to assess the damage. I'd not put the heater in the NEW bird bath. Nor had I shut off the water fountain. It could have been worse.


It warmed up over the day, from -2 ˚ to about 13 ˚ C., which would lend itself to gathering up the fish. I began at 10 a.m. by running a syphon to begin draining the water out of the goldfish pond. I use an old garden hose, sucking on one end and have to keep checking it. The mud in the pond clogs the hose. It's not a pleasant chore, one which replaced my usual morning workout. I knew what I was in for!


I let that drain, while I set up the bird bath heater, and then went down to the water fountain to drain it. I threw the shards of ice on the ground. They were quite sharp. We'll let it dry up, we might have to use towels to sop it up dry, and then cover it for winter. Usually I put pagan light on it. We shall see.


Back to the pond. They were just taunting me. The tricky part is the sun, which is low and kept hiding behind the trees. It made it difficult to see in the shadows. I have to tip up the cement blocks, which is their shelter. They hide in them, evading capture.


My job was compounded by the five frogs that kept stirring the water and leading me astray.


Back inside for a brief game of Angry Birds, only I was imagining Angry Fish! When I came outside again, the fishies were back in the open.

I could hear some wonderful song birds up in the trees. I just didn't have time to try and figure out what they were. They were a delight to hear, though.


I managed to snag only 3 by 2:30. The little calico was the first in. I went back inside to rest my back and my bones. It took me another half hour to grab 5 more, and then the large calico decided to come in. By 3:30 I'd gotten 10 of the 11. That was good enough for me and my sore muscles.


This morning, all is well. No leaks. Putting on the light, they all floated to the top where they were fed. Friends again. We shall continue this dance until spring.

Making the mistake of partially emptying the water barrel, which drains the roof, and runs into the goldfish pond, I see we expect rain. This is good, as I need the water back in to protect the water lily plant. I don't want the water too deep, since the frogs tend to move in. One year, I caught 22 frogs and took them down to the frog pond.