Tootfinder

Garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) yesterday at the mini-pond. I assumed it was there for a drink but can't rule out that it was looking for frogs or fish. I need to get the trail cam back at this location. #snake #pond

Happy group of four on shore of pond out for America's 250th
#photo #photography #groupportrait #pond

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Sweep Me Off My Feet
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/sweep-me-off-my-feet-live
https://open.spotify.com/track/2YAxd5XsCdgdyKOqsDWa3H

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MorningShow
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

🇺🇦 Auf radioeins läuft...
Pond:
🎵 Terrestrials
#NowPlaying #Pond
https://open.spotify.com/track/0Rz8hTX3IDEzJnsraQSYJG

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AfternoonShow
Pond:
🎵 Paint Me Silver
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/paint-me-silver-live
https://open.spotify.com/track/6R7kT8LRDEeQIuXYyYDENc

My parents and I drove by Dubes Pond all the time on the old route from Manchester, NH to Hampton Beach
#photo #photography #landscape

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #NewMusicFix
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/two-hands-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/0MhwTnzR46PsnLeYskm6RH

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

There's a cute fox in this video but that's just clickbait. What I want to point out are all the mosquitoes flitting about. Probably there to oviposit (the surface is clogged with egg rafts) but perhaps some are just having a drink. And still others may be looking for love. Anyway, all as a way to encourage everyone with a mini-pond to use Mosquito Dunks (safe for foxes!). #fox #pond #mosquitoes #trailcam https://youtu.be/Gwl2sA-LcKw

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #VarietyMix
Pond:
🎵 Terrestrials
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/terrestrials-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/0Rz8hTX3IDEzJnsraQSYJG

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MiddayShow
Pond:
🎵 The Weather
#Pond
https://themightyweather.bandcamp.com/track/footprints

Mosquito egg rafts in my mini pond. I added another Mosquito Dunk because you can also see some larvae. #mosquitoes #pond #diptera #culex

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AfternoonShow
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

ooo. I have a new top candidate for cause of accelerated water loss. Cedar chips.
I checked the whole perimeter of the top pond after the system filled and all was good there. But then I did a check of the bottom pond, which is steeper on the edges and harder to do, so I do it less lol.
Right away I found a problem. The flat stones had slipped slightly into the water (likely due to animal visitors over the winter). Edit: just saw a black (invasive) squirrel on the sidewalk near our house! First time. I wonder if he is the messer of flat stones and stealer of fish from the bottom pond!!
Once I reposistioned them, I realized there were a lot of cedar wood chips that had also slipped down, particularly near the skimmer box and were --- HALF IN AND HALF OUT --- of the water.
They were waterlogged.
This is bad.
Dry wood chips outside the water is obviously fine.
Wood chips floating on or sunk under the water is fine.
Any mass of woody material chips, sticks, logs, or even small gravel on the edge of the water, will act as a siphon. They suck up the water and then give lots of surface area for it to quickly evaporate. It has been a rainy July so the woody debris may have already been wet and not evaporating much, but it has been dry for a few days now, and hot the past two. Any siphoning/evaporatoon action would be supercharged.
In the case of gravel, the surface tension between the rocks can cause the edge of the water to creep uphill and also reach the top of the gravel, enhancing evaporation.
Today I found a whole mass of cedar and dirt along the edge of the pond under the flat stones on top of the liner. It was near the skimmer, likely from the gate work.
Bad news.
So I scooped it all out and up onto dry land, and to make sure woody debris can't get to the waters edge under the flat stones, I added some drainage rock along the edge. This should keep the dry and wet zones better separated!
That was just the near side edge of the bottom pond. I haven't checked the far side by the fence.
I might do that tomorrow, but there has been a lot less disturbance there over the past year, so I doubt it will need much help.
I am pretty confident I found the biggest culprit. If my hunch is right, Ill know later today and tomorrow if the water remains relatively stable. It will be hot today so there will be evaporation, but it should not need an emergency fill tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!
Bonus #poolpond content lol. The milfoil is looking very hapoy. It has settled in and the leafy fingers are vertical poking out of the water which is a good sign that they are continuing on happily in their new location. yay!
#pandemicpond #pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MiddayShow
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/two-hands-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/70wvbulgaxQEwS5UPEcY3B

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Don’t Look at the Sun (or You’ll Go Blind)
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/don-t-look-at-the-sun-or-you-ll-go-blind

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #VarietyMix
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/two-hands
https://open.spotify.com/track/70wvbulgaxQEwS5UPEcY3B

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #NewMusicFix
Pond:
🎵 Skyworks
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 album
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/skyworks
https://open.spotify.com/track/4sJSX4ATg5lBiEqce6kiFO

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://open.spotify.com/track/70wvbulgaxQEwS5UPEcY3B

🇺🇦 Auf radioeins läuft...
Pond:
🎵 Casuarina
#NowPlaying #Pond
#newRelease 🆕 album
#radioeins gespielten Titel als #Spotify Playliste: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3hdH98B6uyXilhcWxCA6nv

i think the reason I have enjoyed building and maintaining the ponds so much is because they are kind of like a computer system.
Most of the time they work fine, and when they have issues, which generally manifests as "I'm losing water", it is for a clear reason.
But like computers, getting to and identifying that reason, and fixing it, is the challenge.
Over the past few days, the #pandemicpond has been losing water at an accelerated rate. In the summer, it should be able to go at least 2 or 3 days before needing a top up due to evaporation.
But these past few days it has been very low after just a day.
There has to be a leak/escape of water somewhere.
I also recently (about 2 weeks ago) changed the inlet at the top of the bog barrel to shorten the pipe and make it not stick up as tall and ugly.
Like computers... "have you changed anything recently" is a top contender for the root of the issue.
Shortening and dropping the height of the pipe increased the flow without having to increase the pump power. But that could have also caused a minor overflow on the waterfall, or raised the level of the top pond to where it might be overtopping somewhere non-obvious.
I suspect this increased flow is the main issue.
However, like all IT issues, you should cover the easy stuff first. I checked all the piping from the barrels to the waterfall to make sure there were no joints leaking or drips down the pipes.
All seems fine there. I also did a check around the perimeter of the pond to look for overtopping. Nothing there at low levels, but I have to check again when the system is full.
I wanted to cut the hose down further anyway, so I have done that. Was able to remove over 4 feet of pipe. The height hasn't changed though so the impact on flow should not be large.
Then I checked the pump itself, cleaned out its filter bag, strained the skimmer box and put it all back. Nothing untoward there either. Basically just regular maintenance.
A thought occured to me though, the main overflow for the pond is behind the skimmer. If it rains a lot or I overfill the system, it overflows there into some rocks and drains out under the garden to the sidewalk.
I wonder if when the new posts and gate were installed, the level of the overflow dropped slightly. This would give less leeway (freeboard) for the pond before it gets too low. 🤔
Re-raising the overflow would be tricky. And best done after the rains return in fall. But it is something Ill have to consider if today's investigations don't fix the issue.
I just finished refilling the pond (overfull oops... typing too much)
Time to check for overflows and seeps around the edges.
#pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #RileyAndCoe
Pond:
🎵 Through The Heather
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 single
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Sweep Me Off My Feet
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/sweep-me-off-my-feet-live
https://open.spotify.com/track/2YAxd5XsCdgdyKOqsDWa3H

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AstralPlane
Pond:
🎵 The Fatal Shore
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/the-fatal-shore
https://open.spotify.com/track/18N8E1AqfwqxNohVGJMX81

🇺🇦 Auf radioeins läuft...
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#NowPlaying #Pond
https://open.spotify.com/track/0MhwTnzR46PsnLeYskm6RH

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #Early
Pond:
🎵 Tourmaline
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/tourmaline
https://open.spotify.com/track/74CnatWGL3mlujo7F2ILkR

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/two-hands-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/0MhwTnzR46PsnLeYskm6RH

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #VarietyMix
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #Early
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://open.spotify.com/track/70wvbulgaxQEwS5UPEcY3B

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #RileyAndCoe
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://open.spotify.com/track/70wvbulgaxQEwS5UPEcY3B

Water lily and fern are putting on a show at the mini pond. #shadow #plants #leaves #pond #ferns #nymphaeaceae

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #DriveTime
Pond:
🎵 Two Hands
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/two-hands-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/0MhwTnzR46PsnLeYskm6RH

a little double pipe action?
i was originally going to use IPEX white solid pipe for this part of the plumbing, but it stuck out like a sore thumb and was difficult to conceal.
Luckily, I got a bonus 50ft of flexible 2" black pipe last year after Amazon sent me it even though I had cancelled and refunded the order. I thought I might sell it but never got any bites. So here we are!
#poolpond #pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

A young raccoon visited the mini-pond last night. And on the lower left you can see a mosquito flitting around, probably waiting for things to calm down so it can lay some eggs. #raccoon #pond #nature #raccoon #trailcam #mammals

Me taking photographs of mosquito eggs in the mini-pond. #mosquitoes #camera #macro #trailcam #pond #insects

Well, this was a chore I have been kind of dreading since last fall! Cutting, splicing, crimping and ultimately connecting and lengthening the cable for the water pump for the #poolpond. I did it, but I am tired and my hands hurt. 😂 😭
It’s a pretty straightforward thing… you cut the ends off the extension cord, cut it to length, cut the part of the pump cord you want to extend in two, and then set about stripping, crimping, heat shrinking, and taping, the two cables together.
But I knew it wasn’t going to be one and done. I started this at 4PM. Thought I had it almost done by 4:30 and then realized I forgot to thread the heat shrink tubing on first. 😣 doh
So I started over.
Then I got half way through try#2 and had to leave….
Came back to it just after 9PM… and spent the next two hours doing, and redoing, it. Until it was, I hope, good.
Won’t know for sure until I plug the pump in tomorrow.
Slightly nervous. 😬
I’ll update you tomorrow! Probably first thing! 🤞
#pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MiddayShow
Pond:
🎵 The Fatal Shore
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 album
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/the-fatal-shore
https://open.spotify.com/track/18N8E1AqfwqxNohVGJMX81

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #Early
Pond:
🎵 The Fatal Shore
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 album
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/the-fatal-shore
https://open.spotify.com/track/18N8E1AqfwqxNohVGJMX81

success!
checked on the pandemic pond this morning and even though it was hot yesterday it is still nearly full!
Very little evaporation loss! Looks like that woody debris on the edge of the water was the culprit.
Woot! IT troubleshooting skills for the win. 😝
#poolpond #pandemicpond #pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AstralPlane
Pond:
🎵 Skyworks
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 album
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/skyworks
https://open.spotify.com/track/4sJSX4ATg5lBiEqce6kiFO

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MorningShow
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
https://pondling.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-heather-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/3fCX6pE8ZLUrpMUT8OJzxn

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #AstralPlane
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 single
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

next up I moved over a chunk of the marsh marigold that grows in the bog barrels.
One thing we have learned after planting these guys there... marsh marigolds LOVE full shade. Really any sun and heat at all and they start to wither.
So I am also moving the little new marigold we bought this year for the poolpond from its initial spot near the edge of the backyard bog pond to a spot under the hazelnut tree.
It's the little guy on the left of the -also new- small hasta. The big round-leafed plant beside the hasta is the big marigold from the barrel.
barrel picture again taken after I split the plant. Crazy how big!!
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MiddayShow
Pond:
🎵 Through the Heather
#Pond
#newRelease 🆕 single
https://open.spotify.com/track/3GRGLRoEf6fWvGa8cbu0ol

The water was perfectly clear… until I planted the first plants into the bog pond and intake bay! First plantings are always a little iffy because the nutrients in the pond won’t stabilize for a few months. Who knows how much nitrogen made it in with the gravel and little bit of clay or maybe it’ll be too much and the algae will come before the filter gets its compliment of “good bacteria” to start actually filtering and purifying.
I made a plant roster on our back door wall so I could keep track. 😂 🌱 🌱 🌱
A few I have never tried before. This is just the start. We will need more but hoping we can split/propagate a few from the front yard #pandemicpond to save time and money. They are all about $15-$20 a pop.
Here’s the run down:
In the Intake Bay (far corner nearest the shed where water and debris is pulled in and recirculated):
1) A big Red Abyssinian Banana. We’ll see how hardy it is, and if it likes being in the pond. It was marked as a pond plant, but says “moist soil full sun” so I made a little spot inside the liner but built up so its base is dry. It’s a very impressive plant already.
2) Standard pond lily - peach flower. They like deeper water so the bay is the place, the little bit of circulation shouldn’t bother it and it’ll have maximum sun. In time it will provide nice shade for underwater beneficial critters, and a landing pad for airborne critters too.
In the bog filter:
3) nearest in the photo is a marsh marigold, these guys are fantastic, very hardy, and very pretty when they bloom. Would like them to colonize most of the edge of the bog filter to provide a nice soft vibrant edge.
4) flat leafed tall plant is a purple iris.
5) broad leafed low plant is a water Cala lily. They should broaden out and provide nice area coverage.
6) the little guy near the edge is a pitcher plant. It eats bugs! So I put it near the edge. Muaahahaha.
7) tall plant in the back is a type of variegated ginger? It’s called Vanilla Ice…. ice. Ice. Baby.
#poolpond #portalberni #diy #gardening #bloomscrolling #home #water #pond #pondlife

good morning!
did some early-morning ponding on the #pandemicPond this morning.
The water level was unusually low, so I started looking around for leaks or blocks. I have been wanting to cut down the vertical PVC at the top of the bog barrels to make it not stick out so much and blend in a little nicer and also because it would reduce the height for the pump, so increase flow.
Well it turns out that connection, where the black pipe goes into the white PVC in the barrel, was a little loose and some water was leaking out and adding to the evaporation budget.
So that gave me the push to do the small modifications on the top end of the pipe. It was also a good time since turning off the pump meant the top pond would drain into the bottom pond. When the system is full, that would normally cause the bottom pond to over flow, but since it was all low, no extra water was lost.
I cut the inlet down a few inches under the water in the bog barrel to move the T down and then cut another 6in from the top pipe to snug it all up.
Then I also tightened up the connections for the over flow/air valve and added an elbow to keep water from escaping out the valve outlet. Only took about 5 minutes. I have been wanting to do this for months. 😂
Result:
black pipe doesn't curl as high over the barrel ✅
no more leak from the PVC connection ✅
no more water escaping from the air valve ✅
noticeably more flow over the waterfall! ✅
Pump is back on and water is replenished from the rain barrel ✅
the fish are happy! 🐟 and me too. ✅
oh oh! did I tell you we have a new fish! The top pond fish had babies and it looks like one has survived to be big enough not to be cannibalized. 😂 It is very skittish and is still mostly black so I havent got a good picture of it yet.
#pondlife #diy #gardening #portalberni

the hasta is super happy in the bottom pond this summer. It likes that it has not been too hot and it is also getting a lot more shade now that the pussy willow and hydrangea are established and a little bigger #bloomscrolling #pandemicPond #pondlife #diy #gardening #portalberni

i was just reminded that the city water is..... not warm... 😂 🥶
gonna dip anyway!?
it's nearing full, full enough for both pumps to be operating well, but family members are having a shower so filling has been halted until they're done.
The poor banana plant in the back corner got a little dry in the feet 😆 😬. Hopefully it's ok. The first plants in the pond always have the toughest job.
The others are looking ok. Marsh marigold is maybe a little too exposed. I will move it to be more under the hazelnut tree. The bug eating plant is not enjoying life. It might perish. Will do my best to nurse it back to life.
#poolpond #gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject

oopsie doodles!
Came outside to do some dirt moving only to find the #poolpond intake bay very nearly empty!
I have not been topping up the water since I filled it about 9 days ago? It has been cooler but windy and the last little bit of rain we got was a few days ago.
It must have just got below the level of the intake bay in the past hour or two as it was on its way to emptying. Luckily i caught it in time.
Water is being added now. I am also going to use the twirly sprinkler to water the flower and blueberry garden and it will also add to the pond at the same time in a nice aerated way.
Adding from the hose is not ideal as all that chlorine goes in at the same time
Anyways, crisis averted and information gained. It is already coming back up nicely.
hopefully it is full in time to have a dip after dirt moving!
#gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject