This past Thursday Alex and I had lunch at Spressos Coffee Cookies Cakes, which offers Wi-Fi. We berformed backups and upgraded TheSwirl to use Wordpress version 2.0.3, applied a security patch, and then Alex showed me a couple of new plugins that he is using on his web site at www.TivoBlog.com. I dumped the embedded version of Gallery 2.0 that I wasn’t using anyway. I will be looking for a new way to handle my pictures.
Thanks for the help Alex.
I spent most of the weekend building a more erosion resistant spillway for the lower pond. Given the recent flooding (6/28 and 7/12) we have experienced the pond has done quite well. The overflow is quite broad and new grass has started, although it doesn’t have a great root system yet.
This weekend I dug a shallow trench and then smoothed and broadened it with a garden rake - about 2 hours work. Then I picked rock, helped on Sunday by Billie Jo and filled the shallow trench - about 7 hours of rock picking. The product needs some cleanup and fine tuning, but largely looks like the picture below.
Tuesday night I was mowing my pasture between the two ponds. I was on my 2nd pass around the section when a young otter ran out of the tall grass headed to the stream flowing out of the pond. He was sleek and a dark, seal brown color. I am sure he thought he had hit paydirt when he found the small pond stocked with small bass and minnows.
This past weekend sister Barbara joined Kathryn, Eric and I in our camper at Soft Maple. Billie Jo, Billy and Dakota brought their tent and joined us. Eric enjoyed the trip as there were several other kids camping this weekend as well. On Eric joined them in burying a brother.
Saturday evening we hiked to a nearby gorge/waterfall.
Sunday morning after breakfast there was a wild game of campsite bocci.
The bass that we previously stocked in the ponds have demonstrated their predatory nature. There were a lot of frog eggs and tadpoles hatching in the ponds - due to the lack of predators. Recently that has changed as I have observed the small bass prowling along the banks to catch bugs and tadpoles near the edges. The other night I watched three bass seemingly hunting in a shallow area as a pack. I can’t say they were working cooperatively, but I was reminded of the raptors in Jurassic Park. Needless to say the tadpole population is greatly reduced and very skittish.
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