Yes Sandy, Laura was a good soul and I also miss seeing posts from her. I wonder what happened to her?
Maybe she will "tune in" and see this thread?
I hope so.
"Horton"

Remember Catfish Sam? Who could forget the Bottom Drain
handbag scuffles??? ... "You're Gonna Get a Leak, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP!"

haaaa, ..I'm still laughing on Long Island!

Hi everybody! I miss you all! Just haven't taken the time I used to to carouse on the forum. Ungrateful sot that I am. The pond's doing great, we had baby koi, lots of them, last year!! Wish I could catch some and pass them around. As it is, they rule their world in there. My newest pond scheme is to acquire this Playskool plastic castle in the yard a few blocks away and sink it in the pond, a la goldfish bowl, it being such an aquarium-shaped former swimming pool and all. Keep thinking those little punks should have outgrown that castle by now. Would it be wrong to hop the fence and... nah, never mind. I know what you're going to say.

We had our annual Rock the Fish party last Sunday. Here's the Bill Littleford Jazz Trio and special guests. And oh, look -- my wine bottle wall is finished!!!! Lotta hard work went into acquiring all those empties.

Try to stay cool through this heat wave, all. Yikes, it's hot.

-- Z

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Hi everybody! I miss you all! Just haven't taken the time I used to to carouse on the forum. Ungrateful sot that I am. The pond's doing great, we had baby koi, lots of them, last year!! Wish I could catch some and pass them around. As it is, they rule their world in there. My newest pond scheme is to acquire this Playskool plastic castle in the yard a few blocks away and sink it in the pond, a la goldfish bowl, it being such an aquarium-shaped former swimming pool and all. Keep thinking those little punks should have outgrown that castle by now. Would it be wrong to hop the fence and... nah, never mind. I know what you're going to say.

We had our annual Rock the Fish party last Sunday. Here's the Bill Littleford Jazz Trio and special guests. And oh, look -- my wine bottle wall is finished!!!! Lotta hard work went into acquiring all those empties.

Try to stay cool through this heat wave, all. Yikes, it's hot.

-- Z

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That bottle wall is awesome. I live around the corner from Grandma Prisby's Bottle Village. I have always LOVED bottle buildings. Good job- looks like lots of fun at your house!
Renee

I do indeed declare Miss Zinnia, that it seems evident to the well trained eye, that you were once again, partaking of a libation or two (three or more), when you double posted them there pictures of the annual celebrations, down at your plantation.
Good to see you back in print again,
"Horton"

Oh, my goodness. Everything looks so nice! Suits you to a "T". I don't want to think of the work that went into all of that. Stick around.

yay! horton and Miss Z!

i'm on here more than it seems. i just hate it that there's not a notification when you post on a thread that you didn't start. i forget where I've been (thus a long time since returning to THIS thread) and don't go back. LOL

Andrea, at my stage of life, I need notification just to get up in the morning! LOL
"Horton"

Thanks Renee! Love your screen name -- bet there's a good story behind that one. I looked up Grandma Prisby's work before I started this and studied it. She was so cool.

Hi Andrea! Hi Horton! Hi Sandy! Horton, all libation partakement is done in the name of art. See: Bottle Wall. SOMEBODY has to do it.

The Mr. and I are leaving again in the morning but will be back in a week or so. I'll check this thread and look for a full report of how/what everyone's up to, pondwise. Andrea, how's your pool-to-pond conversion doing these days?

-- Z

Whoa. I just checked out your page. Not only did I get the story of the moniker, but that yard kind of has me slack-jawed and drooling. Love that grass path, the rubble patio, the walls and juxtapositions of plants... now that's art. Wow. I'll be studying those photos when I get back. :)

Hello y'all! I'm still out here enjoying the bench Mark
made me and I still cherish all the letters from those who were in on the "secret"...
And Mark, if you're out there, I'm proud to report that it
has not "snapped like a twig under my butt", as you so eloquently put it!!!

As for webfeeet, I miss provoking his/her antagonistic commentaries! It was always a good laugh.

I'm grandmapoo x 4 now (Don't know how C3D and Mark did the
"to the third power)LOL
Staying busy with family, pond and garden and still tutor.

It's nice reading all your posts. :)
Poo

Its great to see you all!
LOL Horton! "at my stage of life, I need notification just to get up in the morning!"
You're so funny Hort! :)

Well Poo, I missed you to. I remember the days when Mark made Flash movies about what was going on in GW. :o)

Hi Poo x 4. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :-)

If you look at your PROGRAM files ... click ACCESSORIES and there will be something called a CHARACTER MAP. That has all kinds of things to use including the superscripts. Glad Mark's bench still gives you enjoyment! :-)

Hi all! Nice to ~see you~ again!

It's Chimney Swift Season at Camp Nappy. This one is Joey. The 3rd one we caught in the basement so far this month. More fledglings to come! LOL! {{gwi:206277}}

I'm still here! Hi everybody! Wow, that's so great to see y'all here.
Our big 5 bedroom monster of a house is up for sale. I've been here, lurking, but very busy painting etc. to participate. At about the time that we were getting new carpet installed we filled a dumpster (went half a ton over the weight allowance), gave away trailers and minivans full to a charity yard sale, and filled a 10x15 storage unit to the rafters. The leftovers still make the house easy enough to live in... and it looks great. A bit empty at first but we're used to it already.
After which I turned my attention to the yard. It was darn perfect at the time, but the green stuff keeps growing. And now it's all dying of thirst!

But things are much better since the for-sale-sign went up. All I need to do now is upkeep, so I've been visiting here and participating a bit. Yes, Andrea, me too, I forget which post it was...

Btw, so far three showings, the last one was a family from Virginia with 5 kids who loved the pond, the yard, the house, etc. So we're sending up lots of little prayers. Meanwhile I'm plotting to take half of the waterlilies to our new house lot to sink them in the natural pond - enclosed in large dark brown tubs, so they won't escape. And without fertilizer so they won't grow much until we have built the new house and the new ornamental pond. That's Thursday, when the septic designer comes to the new lot...

:) Mary

Hi all,
I'm here lurking, but not so often,...forever trying to keep up.
So glad you started this Catherine, good to have everyone stop in with an update. I feel like I'm at a reunion!

All's well here at the money pit, I just posted a few pix in the gallery of my new pet rock.

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No exciting new plant experiments this year, but I got a great new yellow hardy lily from my friend Jerome (un-named, but its gorgeous).

S

Checked out hosenemesis's page too...Wow! Wanna come help my yard?

Great to see you everyone!

Sarah.....your ponds look great. The area around mine is "infested" with weeds. I just can't keep ahead of them!
My lotus bog area is being shared by a nearby butterfly bush, that I just can't seem to get rid of, since it attracts so many neat butterflies. So my beautiful lotus blossoms are hidden by the butterfly bush blossoms.

I'm afraid I'm over-doing the amount of planting around my little ponds.......so many plants......so little pond!
I've started getting into growing plants/bushes for butterflies. My yard is filling up way too fast.
Sarah, if I may be nosey......what are those red and orange things over by your gazing ball?

Hi Catherine,

They're an inexpensive version of a bali flag. Often used at celebrations and weddings.

Balinese flags are created to express concerns about the future of life on earth, focusing on humanity, art, nature and spirituality. They provide hope, meaning and strength, generating an energy that everyone will take back to their villages, provinces or countries, to build a tomorrow that is different.

I like those thoughts.

Howdy! A little birdie told me I needed to drop in and say hello.

My so-called excuse list is long but lame. Been really busy with work. I am one of the fortunate and blessed few whose business has really benefited from our current economic landscape. Still do a lot of mountain biking... almost every day. And occasionally I still try to help out one member find his lost respect. LOL! ;-)

Z-Chick wrote: "Would it be wrong to hop the fence and... nah, never mind. I know what you're going to say."

I say I am in. I think I can still manage to be swift and silent. Start letting some water out of that pond of yours before we sink that thing in there so we don't create a mini tsunami for your neighbors.

Anywho, it's really neat to see some of you oldies here again... and by "oldies" I don'r mean when you joined Gardenweb... just referring to your advanced age! I kid. :-)))

So happy to see old friends here! :D this is a great thread!

Zinnia, by the way,...you need to post some house pics for people some time...that house of yours is AMAZING!!!!! This girl has a knack for renovating and decor that is unreal!

Semper...LOL...you make me laugh. You have brought us so much joy with your silly self over the years!

Chickadee - I want to squeeze your swift - ha! I think of you every time I feed my STARLINGS (yeah, that's right you pest-bird haters! hehe)

And Maryyyyyyyyyyyy...how I love your sweet self. :) You're moving - wow. Many blessings as you work on selling your house and finding a new place to plant!

If I left anyone else out, it's just because I can't remember everyone who posted above. LOL!!

(Did I put all of my clothes on this morning...?)

Hey...wonder where Brenda is??? Of course I can't remember her "screen name", daggone it...Brenda from Cali.

I worry about Brenda (Youreit). :-( A year and a half of multiple e-mails have gone un-answered. I don't think she was mad at me for anything as we shared MANY common views on various schtuff.

Chimney Swifts need to be squeezed ~gently~ otherwise their eyes start looking huge! OOPS! LOL! Our Kramer (BELOVED STARLING) has gone for his free beer but we still have Marcello, the mutant House Sparrow. Marcello is 12 years old! 8-)

Hi Semper! :-)))

Hey Mark! Long time, no see. Are you still in Jawja? :o)

I am impressed! Impressive ponds, impressive people and everyone willing to share and help. It doesn't get much better than that!
---David

I worry about Brenda too. (Youreit) Does anyone have an old email address for her?
I worry about Magdaloonie too. She lived in the high sierra and had a big above ground pond. Hopefully, they'll wander by here and say hi.

Hi Catherine!
I'm lurk here every once in a while. :)
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:)

Good to see you Joyce!
Beautiful pics, as usual.

i emailed brenda...but no response (but no email bounce either). i have an address for her also and may drop her a note. hmmmm....oddd...

This has been a great re-union. Over on the other forum that I have been frequenting I see a few others that used to be on here. And then I don't even see them there much either. Loma Ponder comes to mind. Then I remember someone from the Texas Hill Country and I recognize her from her "stocktank ponds" on the other forum. And there was Rita from NY. I learned of Gene from KoiVillage while I was active here and he is on the other forum. He is having a big pond pull this October and there are a lot of members that are going to attend from all over the United States. I'll be there to meet a lot of the folks that I have learned to love on that forum. Wouldn't it be nice if we could meet those on here that we have learned to love over the years? And Sarah I think of you every time I look at the beautiful daylilies that you sent me. They are doing great and I love them.

Hi All! It's good to read what everyone's been up to.

C3D - I've got swifts in the chimney too, I can hear their sweet little chirps. And I think of you and your Camp Nappy residents when I hear them!

I've also tried to reach Brenda and no answers, she is definitely missed.

Hi Jean! :-)

Good to know you are ~swifty~ too!

This is little Teenie: {{gwi:206284}}

She dropped in this afternoon thinking she was a fledgling but she's not ~quite~ yet. She got a kiss and was sent back up the chimney until her wings are strong enough to do what they need to do. FLY! :-)

Oldies as in old or as in old to the forum? Is over 55 old cause I don't feel old but if you're 20 anything over 21 is old. I'm a lurker I guess--don't visit in the winter as live in igloo land. I appreciate the help that many of you have given on this forum. Yes repeat questions can be annoying but search feature is also annyoing not specific enough. Would like to see or maybe should start a thread on post your pond pictures that could maybe be archived or something.
Joyce the waterlily lady beautiful. Lotsa duckweed. I have none as it clogs the skimmer.

There are two threads in particular that I'll never forget (really many....but these two killed me):

Zinnia's thread on her fish named "Head"...omg...I laughed till I was sick on that one.

The other one was by ???? and it was "What fell beneath the ice?" - the answers and the antics of the pond owner were ridiculously funny...wow...LOL!!!

Anyone else remember these two?

Good news! Brenda (youreit) is still out there! I got an email from her this morning. Hopefully she'll visit us soon!

Hi David you old dawg!

Beautiful flowers, Joyce!

Semper, go cuddle a kitten or something. Stay out of trouble. And tell me how to delete my double post up there, mr. smartypants.

Favorite old threads that come to my feeble mind: The guy that wanted to build a kayakable pond in his backyard..... The crazy dude that wanted to dispatch all the newts in his pond... The guy that tried to shoot a great blue heron and missed and ended up with a leaky pond instead!

Another missed character: Mucky_waters and Peewee his pet turtle.

"And tell me how to delete my double post up there, mr. smartypants."

Try decaf. before you hit "Submit Message"! :-) Gotta go cuddle Lucyfur.

Hello all - good to hear from old friends. Waxing nostalgia. Still have my pond, Riddler the old dog, and six cats. The pond and surrounding area is a big wildlife habitat with little order. Finally got rid of the in pond filters and keeping it simple with one big out of pond filter and one pump. Lots of plants - clear water. Noticed a few baby fish this year. The little girl across the street named them all Molly. Goldie, the 10 cent feeder my son David bought when he was 7 (he'll be 21 in December) is still going strong. Still have the net up to protect from herons.

All the frogs are gone from this spring and I noticed more snakes this year so maybe thats it. Lots of birds, rabbits and a baby opposum. Even had a skunk go walking down the street the other day.

New neighbors, same job, great reduction in forum time (self-imposed). Been going to concerts. My son has finished 2 years of college. He is majoring in journalism and English literature and hopes to publish his own novels in the future.

Hope to hear from Brenda too! Bye all. Good hearing from many. -CT

P.S. Jeanner - finally bought a digital SLR!

Hey comettose......great to hear from you again! I admire your self-imposed reduction in computer time. Wish I was that disciplined!
Wow.....that's a really old goldfish! Ours only made it to 9 years. My frog population was down this year, and the snake population up too. What kind of snakes do you have? Mine are all northern water snakes. One is big enough to look like a boa. haha
Good luck to your son. Mine will be a senior in college, but probably will go another year, since he transferred his first year and got a little behind. He's going to be a film-maker.
I don't want to encourage your computer use, but don't be a stranger!

Oh, my gahhhh! I made it back!! WOOHOO! Has there been a tear in the space-time continuum? Nope. Just too much coffee (and it sounds like I'm not the only one). :D

Group hug! It's so wonderful to see you all again! Chicka, I lost email addies, as well as my mind, so I hope you can forgive me! You, too, Jean! You're all such sweeties for worrying about me! Makes a girl feel all special and such.

The most exciting thing in my life right now is MY dog Roscoe. She was brought home about 2 1/2 yrs ago, as some may recall (you remember, right, Sarah?), by my crazy hubby, but she is now all MINE! I'll post some pics soon in the convo area soon. And Sandy, my Pookie kitty is still alive and kicking! She'll be 17 next month. I remember your Pookie. :) Mine is losing her eyesight and hearing, so hubby calls her Helen Keller. Ugh! & LOL at the same time.

Ahhh, it's good to be back, for a few minutes, anyway. :D Back to reading all of everyone's updates...

Brenda

ZHead - I LOVE the bottle wall! That is an amazing work of art! I am very impressed!

CT - Okay lady, you better start posting some pics from that new camera .... I'll be waiting!

Brenda, where have you been! I am so glad to see you back here. You did have us worried.

Glenda, so glad the lilies are going strong...have missed you here!

CT.. glad to hear Riddler is still with you, I'll always remember the first photo i saw of him. I looked for that old picture, but couldn't find it in the 'search'. Yes, new pix please!

Brenda - Your Roscoe I could find (in my photobucket!) - started out as a little devil! Glad to hear from you!
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Sarah

Joyce, so great to see your photos! How's the 'new' house? (I guess it's been a while....)
The lotus are gorgeous as ever.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! (((Brenda dear!)))

NOTHING to forgive! Just happy to know you didn't get into Hubby's plane and become a lost legend like Amelia Earhart! :-)))

Hi Roscoe! Hi Pookie!!!

Thanks Cathy for being the detective and *finding* Brenda!

YAY!! Its a pond family reunion!

I'm sure we all have other things to deal with, other interests that distract us from this forum. But it sure is nice when everyone occasionally pops in!
Sometimes I spend time on a chicken forum, a vegetable forum, a car-fixing forum, a food preservation forum, an "I've-fallen and I can't get up" forum (health), and now I'm visiting a plumbing forum, since our pressure tank is acting up. haha
I know the internet can be a bad place sometimes, but its sure great for getting educated on various things, and meeting new, good people.

My stocktank ponds are fairly hidden in weeds these days!
We're best at growing weeds around here! I need to learn which ones are edible.
One neat thing next to my pond is that a blue lobelia has grown on its own!
I'm really trying to grow things that attract butterflies........butterfly bushes, butterfly weed, conflowers, pipevine, etc., etc. (oh yeah, I spend time on the butterfly forum too).
I've been sad that we didn't have but a couple frogs this year and they probably got eaten by our snakes. Thank heavens for the tree frogs that can probably stay away from the snakes.
This year I finally spread out my water lilies so there was only 1 in each 300 gallon stocktank, and they're all much happier.
Sort of had a weird/creepy occurrence this year. At one point this spring, we had thousands of millipedes hatch in the back yard. AAAAAACCCCCHHHH! Don't know what that means, but hope the "circle of life" takes care of them. haha
Hopefully snakes like millipedes.
Okay.....I've rambled too much. Can you tell I just had caffeine? haha
Great to see all of you! Don't be strangers!

"Chickadeedeedee wrote: Hi Semper! :-)))"

Hey little Birthday Birdie!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you and Sir Nappy had a great one.

:-)

You little sneak! 8-) But then ... YOU didn't ask! Ya know ... we couldn't possibly thank you without FIRST wishing YOU a
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY (July 14th) SEMPER FI!
:-)

Thanks Semper! We did thanks to you and yours! :-)))

sheepco, new house is GREAT! Almost done with the landscaping. Just wish I could blow my white trash neighbor off the map. Spending most of my landscape money trying to screen off his garbage dump yard.
Now starting with the hardscape and hopefully a BIG pond. That's on the 5 year plan ( -2 years already! ) so for now we are working on what really needs to be done. (like replacing a wood deck with a bluestone patio built around a 15 x 30' pond and waterfall)

Jalal...duckweed is almost all gone. I hatched watonai fry from eggs mailed to me from my friend Kat in Dallas, TX. So I have TX Watonai in the pond now that ate about 90% of the duckweed.
Here are a few more pix...
If you look closely you can see Watonia in the foreground...
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Watonai eating duckweed...
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Have a bunch of barrel ponds and 3 preformed for now. And of course the 2 huge ponds at work. Was supposed to finished the new pondsai this summer but no where near done yet. Too hot anyway.

Beautiful Joyce!
I wish I had your energy!
What kind of lily is in the first pic......its sort of salmon colored. Very beautiful! Are your lilies in containers, or in the mud? Glad your place is coming along. Good luck with the white trash!