Frogs and bathtubs.

I used to have 2 ponds when I lived in Virginia. Both manually put in. One was small, about 3x4. The other bigger,5x8. The small one held a couple of small goldfish and a few plants. The bigger one had water cascading down stones and held all kinds of wonder. Like I wonder where that fish went?
It was eaten by a wild duck that came to visit with it's mate and stayed for 3 days, that's where the fish went.
I wonder what that smell is?
That's the smell of a partially duck eaten koi that floated under the slate that overhangs the pond. A great hiding place for rotting fish,laughing posthumously as you wander around the yard and the back alley looking for said smell. Only to find out 2 days later that is was not a bag of garbage someone left next to the dumpster in that back alley.

Yes, the trials and tribulations of owning a pond.
I bought a few water hyacinths and wondered how in the world those 3 turned into 30 almost over night.

I wondered what that funny noise was in the middle of the night wafting through my second story window as I lay my tired head down. Finally getting up and going out to the yard with a flashlight and discovering about 15 frogs in my pond having some kind of full moon mating ritual/frat party.

I wondered after we moved to our land if I would ever have a pond again.

Living out here in the woods, you have to take into consideration the dangers that can befall creatures in your care. And while a pond can be it's own little ecosystem, I still have a responsibility to anyone I introduce to living in it.
So we decided not to have a pond for now.
well at least we decided not to PUT IN a pond for now. We have a pond though.


This is a bathtub that we found at the local dump. I use it for a trough to mix my own soil in before adding it to the raised beds.
We dumped the compost and bags of the other amendments in and stirred and used about half, planning on finishing the next day. That night it rained, actually it poured...ALL night and when we went out, what to our wondering eyes did appear?... a pond.
And you may ask why I would call it a "pond" instead of an old tub half filled with dirt and water?
Because there was a FROG in it!
yes, a little black and green frog,peeping up over the water line. He ducked as I walked by leaving only bubbles.
This was all in early June. There are five frogs in the "pond' now. I wonder if they will stay all winter.