Ponds for the soul.

[peter hillman]

I know it's been said before ponds really help your personal health. About 20 mins after I came home from work I thought I'd check my blood pressure. It was a good day at work but we're having a heat wave (96) and I was a bit hot, anyway the test results were not good. No worries, a few minutes at the pond, feeding the fish and enjoying the crystal clear water. Took some pics, read some posts here and took a retest. One hour went from. (holy crap) 146/88 to (oh yeaaa) 118/71.. I bet a lot of insects end up in the water from that tea-rose branch.

 

[sissy]

They can also raise the blood pressure when things go wrong or you don't have the time .Winters are even scarier each year .Lately mine has turned into a chore I don't have time for 10 pm and just fed the fish and even the joy of that is not there .It was just a chore that had to be done .

 

[peter hillman]

They can also raise the blood pressure when things go wrong or you don't have the time .Winters are even scarier each year .Lately mine has turned into a chore I don't have time for 10 pm and just fed the fish and even the joy of that is not there .It was just a chore that had to be done .

Sorry to hear that sissy, the last few years here have been really simple, couple filter cleanings and that's about it. Probably about an hour a month in maint. I'm definitely in the sweet spot of ponding.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Glad to hear you are relaxing at your pond Peter

Sissy, I'm sorry to hear you think of your pond or caring for your fish a chore. I feel like my fish are a low maintenance pet compared the rest of my critters. Caring for my critters (furry, feathered and finned) actually makes me feel good. Tired but good

 

[sissy]

When you have over 2 acres to maintain meaning mowing and edging and gardens to weed and trees and shrubs to trim .Then you add in the house work and shopping and repairs it all adds up to a lot of work for 1 person .So yes the pond is a chore to me and not as enjoyable as it used to be .I just came in and it is after noon time and I still have lots to do with weeding .Heavy rain storm last night made weeds easy to pull ,so that is a good thing

 

[Lisak1]

Our pond is definitely our sanctuary. When I walk in the door after work it's the first place I go - in the front, out the back, stopping just to drop my bags and pat the dog on the head. Our pond takes very little work and the little that there is we enjoy, so it doesn't feel like work. And on a hot day there's nothing like grooming some plants in the pond to cool off!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

When you have over 2 acres to maintain meaning mowing and edging and gardens to weed and trees and shrubs to trim .Then you add in the house work and shopping and repairs it all adds up to a lot of work for 1 person .So yes the pond is a chore to me and not as enjoyable as it used to be .I just came in and it is after noon time and I still have lots to do with weeding .Heavy rain storm last night made weeds easy to pull ,so that is a good thing

I don't have near the amount of land you have to take care of but I certainly can understand where you are coming from. I tend to let my yard have a more natural look and don't bother with much trimming or edging (working full time and taking care of the house and pets and paying bills and shopping etc. something has to give) my hubby works a lot so doesn't always have time for a lot of the "extra" work that needs to be done. We just do the best we can do and that's it. As I have gotten older I don't stress as much as I used to about how my house looks. If I don't have time to do the laundry it will wait until tomorrow because believe me when I say it will still be there.

 

[sissy]

I have always been like that ,my yards in all my houses were always neat and well kept ,even when I worked 6 days a week .I never asked my sons to help unless they did it themselves .I always had a veggie garden that I shared with my neighbors the fruits of my labor .People who know me as a grew up say I am just like my dad .When my pond was established it was not bad also .But aggie and bert have gotten so big that it gets harder and since this is only the second full year with the new pond it is hard .Plus my hubbies health problems add to my work and then my sister has had health problems since last year .I take them both to there doctors because her hubby is a truck driver and only comes home every other weekend .She has 6 acres so i try to help her a little .I will also be 63 in July and it never gets easier as you get older

 

[JBailey]

When you have over 2 acres to maintain meaning mowing and edging and gardens to weed and trees and shrubs to trim .Then you add in the house work and shopping and repairs it all adds up to a lot of work for 1 person .So yes the pond is a chore to me and not as enjoyable as it used to be .I just came in and it is after noon time and I still have lots to do with weeding .Heavy rain storm last night made weeds easy to pull ,so that is a good thing

My partner & I are only on 1.25 acres, but it's run like a subsistence/market farm, plus we both work full time in town. We have about 5000sf in food crops, plus breed our own poultry and sell eggs. Sometimes we raise pigs or sheep too. Then add 3 dogs, 3 cats, and one cranky parrot

The little trough pond was one of those spur of the moment things when we discovered a beautiful Western toad living under a cabbage during a terrible heat wave last summer. We dug a 40gal trough into the ground and added a tiny fountain pump we'd had stored for a decade.
The toad moved in under some pavers we 'edged' the trough with, and disappeared when winter finally came. But by then we had added some clearance sale plants and feeder goldfish. So then we had the usual farm chores, plus trying to keep this hole in the ground viable.
All the plants and fish made it to spring, so cue pond planning mode. We really really couldn't justify a big naturalistic style pond (I haven't even finished wiring the dog kennel we build two years ago), so off to the feed store for a bigger trough.
Now it's cram time, planting, weeding, hatching, building, painting, etc. and all I want to do is keep tweaking my new water toy! In fact, I'm sacrificing most of a day this weekend to repot all the plants, dig in a ground level bog, install a new outflow since I took out my bog filter, and so on. I rationalize all this by using pond water on my crops, but really I just like to stand with a cold beer on a hot day and enjoy the goldfish zipping around and hummingbirds using the dripper I added.
Having it right in the main traffic area of the kitchen garden makes it easy to enjoy, if a little odd in terms of feng shui, but oh well. Even my oh-so-practical partner is having fun playing pond, but it's definitely a conscious choice, not something to use up 'spare time'.

If only the weeds and lawn grass would lighten up a bit

 

[sissy]

I grew up on an organic farm and that was when organic was not a key word back in 1960- 5 acres of farm plus my fathers wood business and he worked at kentile floor tile at night.My dad and i did everything from planting to harvest and people came to our house to buy in droves .Plus we supplied McAteers restaurant with fresh veggies and fruit . .The property here is 2 1/2 acres in yard and 1/2 acre of woods .In 2004 I had a house and dirt .Plus my hobby is building things for myself and my sisters

 

[JBailey]

Lovely! It's awesome that you got to work with your dad that way.

My grandad farmed until he was in his 70's, and my dad (oldest of 9) left as soon as he could and wound up in a big city.

 

[peter hillman]

When you have over 2 acres to maintain meaning mowing and edging and gardens to weed and trees and shrubs to trim .Then you add in the house work and shopping and repairs it all adds up to a lot of work for 1 person .So yes the pond is a chore to me and not as enjoyable as it used to be .I just came in and it is after noon time and I still have lots to do with weeding .Heavy rain storm last night made weeds easy to pull ,so that is a good thing

My sister is rowing that same boat! Her and her husband bought a big property with outbuildings and wells and goats and gardens and....it goes on. A few years ago her husband died and she was left to take care of the things HE created, his sheds, his irrigation system, his extensive garden, the 13 gates that he built around the property. She did best she could for the first few years but now, got a bad knee and ten yrs older just can't do it anymore. I feel for her, but feel she should sell the property and get something she can manage. My sister does not have a pond.

 

[HARO]

Let's be practical for a moment.... ponding is like any other spare-time endeavour. When it stops being fun, it's time to get out!
John

 

[sissy]

true and I will and fish will be moved to the other house where the horses are .I could sell off my other 2 lots here and recoup some of my money .Right now I am managing and will try for a couple of years and then I will move back to NJ .Thing is right now hubby enjoys the pond and feeding the fish and I don't want to take that away from him .The 2 filters are working for now and Mike (a friend) came over today to help a little .I still have to stain both decks and pergolas and that will be done .Mike helped me move some plants and repaired some shingle damage on the shed roof