Hello from Israel

[GBBUDD]

Oh yes, that thing is definitely heavy! On the other hand, it was great fun to use. I only had it for a day, so I ended up stringing a bunch of lights over the workspace so I could keep going far into the night. I wish I could afford to buy one of these! It's a Makita, so a tad pricey.

RENT ONE if it was that much a benifit

 

[brokensword]

RENT ONE if it was that much a benifit

yeah, but leave some in the budget to get that videocam so we can SEE ya using it! Hayell--make it a live cam feed, we got lots of popcorn!

 

[sissy]

HATE TO SAY THIS THERE IS NEVER A BUDGET IN BUILDING A POND Just saying it always cost more than we budget for it and really that applies to anything . I have never once stayed in budget for anything I do . HUBBY JUST ROLLS HIS EYES AND SAYS WHATEVER . He has of feb . 18 th put up with it for 49 years . so whats new . outcome is always worth it .

 

[YShahar]

HATE TO SAY THIS THERE IS NEVER A BUDGET IN BUILDING A POND Just saying it always cost more than we budget for it and really that applies to anything . I have never once stayed in budget for anything I do . HUBBY JUST ROLLS HIS EYES AND SAYS WHATEVER . He has of feb . 18 th put up with it for 49 years . so whats new . outcome is always worth it .

You are so right! (And happy anniversary, almost!)

I'm being very careful to do it all on a shoestring at the moment, as finances are tight. This time next year, the situation should be better. And as @GBBUDD suggested, I'll probably rent a demolition hammer once I've got a week free to do pond work. I checked prices for that a few month's back, and it isn't too bad if I can carve out a time to make efficient use of it. Just need to get done with some projects for my "day job" first.

I've also got two tons worth of river rock to bring down the two stories from the street to the back yard, so I'll need to rig up some sort of slide to move it. So there's no end of stuff that needs doing!

And @brokensword, no, we aren't turning the clock back on that mess! It was some 6 years' worth of trimmings and it's gone, gone, gone! I did hold onto a couple of older olive branches to (maybe) use as driftwood in the pond. I also thought of making some cat climbing trees out of the more interesting bits. I think I need a few more lifetimes to accomplish all this stuff!

 

[sissy]

Keeping a budget in control means you really need to think oputside the box . My filters are stock tanks and filter material is lava rocks and sometimes quilt batting or furnace reusable filters . PLANTS PLANTS PLANTS ALSO . Sad to say I wish I had just gone with a fishless pond ,but hubby wanted fish .Anything you see that is free is always worth the extra work to get it . JW KNOWS THAT QUITE WELL . She will drag things for miles that are free JUST TELLING THE TRUTH JW

 

[YShahar]

Keeping a budget in control means you really need to think oputside the box . My filters are stock tanks and filter material is lava rocks and sometimes quilt batting or furnace reusable filters . PLANTS PLANTS PLANTS ALSO . Sad to say I wish I had just gone with a fishless pond ,but hubby wanted fish .Anything you see that is free is always worth the extra work to get it . JW KNOWS THAT QUITE WELL . She will drag things for miles that are free JUST TELLING THE TRUTH JW

Oh yes! Every single bit of building material is stuff I "organized" from various demolition sites, including 20 large concrete paver stones. All the rock is stuff that's coming out of the pond as I dig. Hubby (aka, His Honor The Cook) is getting a kick out of the fact that I'm pulling all these rocks out, only to put them right back in once the thing is lined!

My first bog filter is also going to be the equivalent of a stock tank; I plan to recycle one of those large food storage tanks as an aquaponics setup. I'm also going to turn an old plastic wheelbarrow into a DIY biofalls until the bog gets set up. Lots and lots of recycling!

I'll be skimping on plants this first year, as we're in the "Shmittah" year here in Israel (the Seventh year of a cycle where we're not supposed to plant crops). I'll cheat a bit with adding filter plants, since they aren't crop plants, but until the start of the next agricultural cycle next fall, I won't be laying out for new plants. That should push off some of the cash flow issues!

 

[brokensword]

Oh yes! Every single bit of building material is stuff I "organized" from various demolition sites, including 20 large concrete paver stones. All the rock is stuff that's coming out of the pond as I dig. Hubby (aka, His Honor The Cook) is getting a kick out of the fact that I'm pulling all these rocks out, only to put them right back in once the thing is lined!

that's what us hubbies (our 'honors') do; it's in our job description!

My first bog filter is also going to be the equivalent of a stock tank; I plan to recycle one of those large food storage tanks as an aquaponics setup. I'm also going to turn an old plastic wheelbarrow into a DIY biofalls until the bog gets set up. Lots and lots of recycling!

I'll be skimping on plants this first year, as we're in the "Shmittah" year here in Israel (the Seventh year of a cycle where we're not supposed to plant crops). I'll cheat a bit with adding filter plants, since they aren't crop plants, but until the start of the next agricultural cycle next fall, I won't be laying out for new plants. That should push off some of the cash flow issues!

you don't need to buy anything; just relocate some from your surroundings. They can be weeds for all that matters as long as they can take up nutrients from the bog. I'd really NOT skimp on bog plants as that's a main ingredient for the bog, well, one of the two main ones. You can always replace later when everyone closes their eyes to what you're doing and you can say 'well, smittah; sucks to be you!' if they DO ask!

 

[j.w]

Keeping a budget in control means you really need to think oputside the box . My filters are stock tanks and filter material is lava rocks and sometimes quilt batting or furnace reusable filters . PLANTS PLANTS PLANTS ALSO . Sad to say I wish I had just gone with a fishless pond ,but hubby wanted fish .Anything you see that is free is always worth the extra work to get it . JW KNOWS THAT QUITE WELL . She will drag things for miles that are free JUST TELLING THE TRUTH JW

Yes free is the best! I found several framed pictures the other day in a dumpster where the people who owned the house had a garage sale but when done threw all that was left in the dumpster. He said I could take anything I wanted.

So yes @YShahar any time you can get free stuff for your pond pick it up as ya never know when you might need it for something. You are doing great!

Here are the pictures I got and they even have certificates on the back. Glad I rescued them all! Kind of hard to see them here w/all the glare but they are all beautiful and I do love whales!

 

[YShahar]

Yes free is the best! I found several framed pictures the other day in a dumpster where the people who owned the house had a garage sale but when done threw all that was left in the dumpster. He said I could take anything I wanted.

Oooh! Those pictures are marvelous! Can't imagine anyone throwing something like that away.

From one happy scavenger to another, well done!

 

[brokensword]

Oooh! Those pictures are marvelous! Can't imagine anyone throwing something like that away.

From one happy scavenger to another, well done!

careful; there's rumors this is how Lil Queenie found dear ol' hubby...

 

[j.w]

careful; there's rumors this is how Lil Queenie found dear ol' hubby...

Ha Ha, found him on hippy hill!
We have been married now for 53 years tomorrow

 

[YShahar]

you don't need to buy anything; just relocate some from your surroundings. They can be weeds for all that matters as long as they can take up nutrients from the bog. I'd really NOT skimp on bog plants as that's a main ingredient for the bog, well, one of the two main ones. You can always replace later when everyone closes their eyes to what you're doing and you can say 'well, smittah; sucks to be you!' if they DO ask!

Well, I've got a bunch of things I can use for the bog: a huge taro that is overgrowing its pot, some water iris that I've had since I built the old pond, and loads of bacopa, some of which is keeping the goldfish happy in an indoor aquarium. But yeah, I'm keeping the rules of Shmittah for the most part. I'll wait until the next cycle to set up the aquaponics system, since that will actually involve edibles.

I don't feel too bad about not planting this year. I've got a huge crop of lemons and limes, as well as different edible weeds coming up all over the garden, including wood sorrel and mallow. The wood sorrel makes a nice addition to salads and the bees love it. So while my neighbors are pulling it out, I'm encouraging it to crowd out the less beneficial weeds. It's an annual, after all, and is easy to pull up and put in the compost once it dies back in summer. The garden is pretty overgrown as it is, so I can afford to do without new plants. But next year...

 

[YShahar]

careful; there's rumors this is how Lil Queenie found dear ol' hubby...

Well, that's sort of how I found His Honor the Cook... After going the traditional matchmaker route and getting nowhere interesting, I tried a Jewish dating site. I put out a tender for someone who knew how to cook, liked motorcycles, and had, er... a couple of other talents. Got most of what I asked for (he wasn't wild about motorcycles, but was willing to ride pillion). Here's to matchmaking!

 

[YShahar]

Ha Ha, found him on hippy hill!
We have been married now for 53 years tomorrow

Mazal tov! Happy anniversary!

 

[brokensword]

Ha Ha, found him on hippy hill!
We have been married now for 53 years tomorrow

yeah but, I think he might be tired after getting 52 garage sale Anni-gifts, ya know? heh heh


Happy 53, j.w!!