Pond in Southern Illinois

[callingcolleen1]

We only get tiny grass snakes (Garder) that don't bite people, I used to play with them as a kid. I have had the odd bull snake, and they can get quite big and might eat some fish, but they are shy and I have not seen a bull snake for quite a few years. Your snakes are quite scary looking!

 

[Sheetmetalman]

I like Black Snakes, Colleen--they are usually not friendly when they get this big but they are sharp looking and eat a lot of mice, lol. They actually belong in the same familly as the blue racer and are just as quick. We were cutting firewood in our timber, about 16 years ago and I showed Anne a large blue racer and how if you chase it how it flees but if you turn and run from it, it thinks your prey and will turn around and chase you, freaked Anne out to see this big snake chasing me--she climbed into the truck bed and stayed there till I caught it and took it deep into the timber.Water snakes are a different story--I will kill them were I find them--they're bad news for your pond, fish, frogs and swimmers.

 

[CountryEscape]

When my kids were really little, and I had this old video camera (the type that you had to develop the film!!!), I spotted a blue racer in the back yard, the rat terriers had it surrounded. Ran to get the camera, back out and then filmed it. I figured it would run away, but it just meandered to the woods. Guess I didn't run to have it chase me! I never heard that, neat info. It's the only blue racer I've ever seen, EVER! I love black snakes/rat snakes/whatever else they are called. Love having them in my barns. Good as a bunch of cats, sometimes better at getting rats under stuff. If we would pull a bale of hay in the winter to feed, and a black snake was curled up under it, we would put it back and go to another area to get a bale. They were never killed under my watch.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I don't think we have actual water snakes here in Alberta, just rattlers, bullsnakes and little grass snakes, but they can swim, but from what I have been told, they cannot put there heads under water, and are not water snakes, thank goodness, those racers sound very scary. Never heard of black snakes here, but if they eat lots of mice, that is very good for sure. Here in Medicine Hat, we are overrun by mice and rats, and have now got the horrible reputation as "Rat Capital of Alberta"!

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Took a vacation day and loafed by the pond--better than work anyday

 

[addy1]

Everything looks great! beautiful fish too.

 

[Sheetmetalman]

thanks Addy

 

[CountryEscape]

I have a reminder for myself to message you this week, Tim, see about coming some evening after work if that is a good time for you, or on the weekend. I just figure people like to have their weekends open for "other stuff". LOL I'm not very far from you, probably less than 30 minutes. Let me know when would be a good time.
Love your pics, and fish are gorgeous! Whoever said yellow koi lose their color sure didn't see your fish. :blueflower:

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Thanks Patti, yah I have a soft spot for the solid yellows and the solid orange koi. Any night except tommorow night will be fine to show up--just let me know what day and time and we will be here

 

[callingcolleen1]

Awe, I want to come over too!!! NO FAIR!!! I live so far away, but it is nice that you too can get together and enjoy your beautiful pond!
Yesterday I had many people stop by to "gawk" at the yard and pond. Then somebody drove by slowly and shouted out the car window that my yard was just beautiful! I just love those drive by gawkers! Love my neighbors too, they all come walk by slowly and look my yard. It is good to have lots of neighbors come around, makes me work harder out front in the yard!! Let's face it, would we work this hard if nobody ever came to see and enjoy our ponds?

 

[sissy]

a large rock I found in my yard and dug up and used combo of paint and primer and sanded the face a cleaned it good .Numbers are easy to do on rocks .I have another one near my drive way too .

 

[CountryEscape]

Actually, Colleen, I have very few people that even see my ponds. When the horse shoer came, I made him come see the ponds. Same with the vet. LOL I live on a road that is only traveled by me and 2 other families for the most part. Good thing is not much traffic, ... bad thing is not many people drive by to see what I have done. Not much done in the front, all the beauty is in the back. I call it my paradise.

 

[Sheetmetalman]

Yea, I like having company stop by to view my landscaping and the pond, Anne says I rattle on and on about the Pond, the Fish, the Frogs, the Plants, the Dragonfliessss..... LOL---well you get the point---Colleen's right, we work so hard on everything, and truthfully I do it mostly for me--but it is nice to get validation and compliments for your vision of the way everything should look as well as acknowledgment of all the hard work we put in to this hobbie.

 

[addy1]

Hardly anybody sees mine, end of a very rural road, 200 foot driveway, pond in the back facing farm fields. The only people that really "see" it is the forum people that look at my thread or photos


It brings me joy, that is all I care about.

 

[CountryEscape]

I agree with you, Addy, and SMM. We do it for us, it's just really nice to get the compliments from others that cannot believe we did it all by ourselves!
Tim, are you possibly still free tomorrow evening? If so, please PM me directions or your address (if GPS will get me there). I get home from work about 5:30, and could change and head that way. You've been to my house, so you would have an idea what time I would get there. If I would interrupt your supper time, just tell me, and I'll show up a little later!
Oh, and did I have anything you would like? Water Fringe, water clover or parsley (both of these last 2 are fast growing, and invasive IMO), penny wart, lilies, ... anything I've offered to others this past spring. I'll bring a small cooler to see if you can catch an albino, but no biggie if not. I know this time of year it's REALLY hard to catch fish, with all the things growing and in the way.