Sunday, April 14, 2019

Tous les Poissons sont Morts


Yesterday we finally got around to cleaning the pond at Chez Sarge. Spring has been late in getting here and on the few nice days over the past couple of weeks we were busy doing other things, important things. But Saturday was marked as "The Day" to actually get out there and do it.

We pumped out some water into the old pond liner (it looks like a black plastic bathtub) to prepare to place the fish while we cleaned out their digs. The water level in the pond kept dropping to reveal an appalling lack of fish. No remains, no fish.

My guess is that they were all predated, we've been lucky for a couple of years with that, this year, not so much.

All we found was one frog, hibernating (I guess) in the covered hole where we place the pump in the summer. He looked a bit shell-shocked. I airlifted him out of the hole, he moved so I know he wasn't dead, he seemed annoyed that I had brought him into the sunlight. But he eventually ambled on to go do frog things. I suppose.

Pump went in, everything still works. Had to adjust the stones for the waterfall as they were starting to lean rather precipitously out over the water. Took us a while to get that squared away (rock is heavy, in case you didn't know) and then the water itself didn't want to fall properly. It comes from a hose off the filter unit and without some artistic endeavors, it just sprays. Most of the artistry is done by The Missus Herself, I'm a bit of a non-artist in that respect - "Hose works, water issues forth and falls into the pond. Voilà! Gravity does it's thing, it's a waterfall."

Yes, I believed she mumbled something about idiots.

So the pond is clean, we just need to restock the fish. Again.


Though the day started with heavy rains, turning to fog, it did get nice in the afternoon. Then the fog returned.


Coastal living, fog is all part and parcel of this season. Perhaps I will be able to hear the bells on the navigation buoys out on the Bay tonight, that's always kinda neat.

Poor fish.



54 comments:

  1. I'll summarize our pond boulder job.
    It weighed in the ballpark of 600 pounds.
    A half ton chainfall provided a safety margin to get it out of our pickup truck.
    The boulder was skidded into position atop 4 x 4s placed on the ground by dragging it with the truck.
    Then we lashed a tripod out of the 4 x 4s and moved the boulder into its final place.
    Repeat the lifting and moving until the wife is satisfied.

    We stopped providing a sushi snack to the predators some years ago.
    The gurgle of water does provide a wonderful background noise.

    Our pond is much smaller than yours as it had to fit in the space we had.

    The boulder might be just a bit large, but it looks great.

    Good post, and our annual pond cleanout is scheduled for soon.

    As a side note, did you realize that when you are opening the swimming pool, you can stick an electric leaf blower under the edge of the winter tarp and within a reasonably time you have a sort of half blimp looking thing in your yard?
    Another side note, when removing the winter tarp, don't fall into the pool and become entangled in the winter tarp. Just saying. (any reports that I began to shriek "A little help here!" in a voice remarkably like that of a panic stricken little girl is an exaggerated story told by my wife)
    I do think that my wife would have rushed faster to my aid if she had not been convulsed with laughter.


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    Replies
    1. Now that's a boulder.

      I'm sure your wife exaggerates. ;)

      Delete
    2. High frequency sound penetrates other noises better, or so I've theorized, having used the high frequency alarm system myself a time or two.

      Unfortunately, high frequency sound frequently causes violent spasms in those hearing the high frequency sounds.

      At least the neighbors didn't call the local constabulary on you. It may have happened one time or another during a high frequency sound moment...

      Delete
    3. Depending on how exited I am, my high frequency alarm system may be able to be heard only by dogs.

      Delete
    4. I am sure that Lassie will translate and tell everyone you fell in the well, or the pool, or at the pool hall...

      Delete
    5. High frequency won't propagate that far under water, just in case you need to know that...

      Delete
    6. Well, unless Lassie is scuba diving, the only way she'll hear high frequency is if the person is above water...

      Delete
    7. Well, then you'll want either Flipper or Sammy the Seal....

      Delete
    8. Perhaps I should carry a cylinder of sulfur hexafluoride gas on my belt, and that way I can lower my voice pitch enough that my desperate shrieking for help could be picked up by the Navy's ELF or VLF receivers.
      After that I'll be rescued by a Navy Seal named Samuel.

      Delete
    9. John - Now you're bringing ELFs into it?

      Oh, wait...

      Delete
  2. Nice to see all that green stuff again.......here it's white......as far as the eye can see.........white. Neighbor has a fish pond but he has to empty it for winter, freezes solid it does here in the Northland. Nearby lake (two blocks away) had ice-out about ten days ago, not so cold to walk around it now that it's all liquid again. Good luck with your fish buffet customers Sarge.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. In all the time we've had a pond, never seen more than two, maybe three, inches of ice on it.

      The old-timers around here speak of winters in the past where it would have frozen solid. I can believe it.

      Delete
  3. I could rustle up some alligator eggs for you. A bit of yellow and orange paint, and those birds will have a different view point.

    We got a big cold front yesterday, it's cool again, after a day last week near 100... WX runs funny down here in springtime... Touch of rain and thunder, lots of wind, and now it's really cool again...

    Rest ye olde back after all that work on the ground yesterday. Having THAT piece of kit fail out is no fun atoll....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No doubt the birds which dine on fish migrate, to places where alligators live.

      They might get it.

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    2. There's a fun atoll? Where? Can we go? Can we?

      Delete
    3. It's about 80 nm east of Ulithi, remember, it's "No Fun Atoll."

      Delete
  4. So have you ever considered not having any fish?

    The piscine thief might have also been a racoon, or a troop, bunch, group, gang of raccoons. (Okay, weird, single = racoon, multiple = raccoons. I guess the little thieves stole an extra 'c'.)

    Must be nice listening to the sound of your pond, enjoying a cold or hot (depending on mood and weather) drink on your porch, surveying your palatial estate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't get a vote.

      "Racoon" is an unusual variant of the spelling, though it's allowable. "Raccoon" is the more common spelling. (Maybe outside of Florida?)

      Delete
    2. Google allows it. Which, come to think of it, isn't exactly high praise...

      Delete
    3. Blogger marks it as misspelled.

      Delete
    4. It did not come up as misspelled in my Blogger. Hmmm. Maybe an instance of 'Florida Man?'

      Delete
    5. You're running the Florida version, is my guess...

      Delete
  5. In gardens around our former home, we'd put drain tiles (4"), cemented to the bottom or weighted in some fashion. The koi would use them as a sanctuary from the raccoons and hawks. Plastic netting (almost invisible) was also used to great benefit. I had one koi in an inside 55 gallon tank that lived for ten years. I've heard that in Japan, they had great longevity. The ponds of course are deeper and the ice somewhat thicker, insulating better. Our large pond in Zashnokuma, Fukuoka, Kyushu (Itaazuke A.B.) had a slow leak so we'd ask the fire department to fill it in the spring and it would last 'til late September. Right after the Fall Festival celebrating the beginning of the indoor loving season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds wrong - not MY HOME, in the neighborhood. My garden didn't have a water feature, just a "faux pond" and small beach of stones.

      Delete
    2. Ah Japan, they do lovely gardens. Saw a few examples around older, Japanese-built, houses in Korea.

      Delete
    3. We've done the net thing, wife hated it. I was thinking of locating an anti-aircraft battery near the pond, a very small one of course, but then it might get me in trouble with the Audubon folks.

      Delete
    4. Heh. Remote controlled air-soft or paintball turret, either controlled autonomously or by computer or phone. Have the warning system send an alert to phone or computer, take over, shoot miscreant, enjoy....

      Hey, it's less-lethal, unless you purposely aim for lethal areas...

      Delete
    5. Also potentially useful against miscreants in the parking lot behind your house. Or when LUSH comes over and offers up excuses not to post even comments... :)

      Delete
    6. Add a wifi camera and a laser pointer to this.
      https://www.amazon.com/Abrams-Battle-Airsoft-Military-Vechile/dp/B00AAU5KVO/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_200_bs_tr_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6102CCFXPDP1VW2K2AA7
      Why yes, Sarge would have his very own Abrams in his yard.
      (It's been a couple of days with no mention of tanks, I worry that someone might be having a case of AFVFWS, that stands for Armored Fighting Vehicle Fixation Withdrawal Syndrome)
      I did consider buying one for Anti-Bambi use.


      Delete
    7. Beans - I like the way your mind works.

      And that scares me...

      Delete
    8. John - Yes, we need more tanks!

      In the backyard and on the blog.

      Delete
    9. They also have Shermans, Tiger 1s, Panthers...

      Dang, really need to win the lottery now!

      Delete
    10. Shermans, Tigers, and Panthers, Oh My!

      Paul

      Delete
  6. Frogs will eat your fish, too. One bullfroggy bastard cleaned out half my mom’s fish before he got introduced to some .177-caliber lead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't considered that possibility.

      Might have been a bear...

      I crack myself up sometimes.

      Delete
    2. Not me, though maybe one of my nieces came through...

      Delete
  7. Coming back to your blog, knowing the subject, I was suddenly able to read the title. I knew several of the words the first time, but had forgotten the French word for fish.

    Thanks for the post.
    Paul L. Quandt

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    Replies
    1. One must be careful in ordering poisson or poison. Of course, depending on the type of poisson or where the poisson was sourced from or how the poisson was stored, well, the poisson could be poison, especially if one is allergic to poisson, then your own body will poison itself over the poisson.

      Delete
    2. Paul - See you're learning French! Soon you'll be correcting our grammatical errors in French!

      Delete
    3. Beans - What if the poisson was a gift?

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    4. Never look a gift fish in the mouth...

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    5. "Soon you'll be correcting our grammatical errors in French!" Not bleeding likely.

      Paul

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    6. Beans - "Gift" is German for "poison."

      Delete
    7. Paul - Never say never. Or jamais in this instance.

      Delete
  8. Speaking of poison fish...
    Maybe you could weaponize the fish? (not thinking of cute fishies armed with tiny switchblades, well maybe just a bit):)
    Suppose you stocked the pond with Fugu?
    Or, I'm certain that any fish native to Australia would either be able to fight off its attacker, or after losing the fight it would have revenge by killing the varmint that ate it!
    Google translate thinks that "Death From Within" translates to "A Morte In."
    A backyard pond in New England stocked with killer fish.
    What could possibly go wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hhmm, little sharks with laser beams on their heads...

      This is no joke but there are days when Google Translate is completely brain dead. I've entered a phrase in English and asked for a different language and GT just parrots back what I entered. Today's version of "death from within" is "mort de l'intérieur." Something tells me that that is not something a French person would actually say. Seems unidiomatic.

      Delete
  9. I think they ran out of amphibians to eat, evolved into air breathers with skates and slipped down the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had not considered that possibility. I mean the Bay isn't that far away...

      ;)

      Delete

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