The Fugitives... or How I Spent a Long Cold Weekend

This is the continuing saga of the pond, which I love.... however. When I dug the pond in June I did not think ahead, as is my wont, to autumn, when it turns cold and the leaves will fall and fall and fall. (How's that for a run-on sentence?) A dear neighbor gave me fishies for my pond -- how sweet, but a frightful mishap of construction killed them. So I got more. I got three little fresh fishies to replace the three little dead fishies. They were feeder fish. If I had not bought them they'd have been somebody's dinner.

Over the summer they had the loveliest time, flitting and frolicking in my dear little pond. But then summer ended and it did turn cold, and I worried about my three sweet fishies. They would shiver. They would freeze. The dirty dish fountain had to come in for the season as it is too delicate for the weight of frozen water -- so there would be no airation (did I spell that right?).




Oh... my fishies... But I checked with fish people at fish stores and I checked with fish people at pet stores and I checked with fish people at pond stores. Everybody told me the same thing, "The fishies will be fine. They will swim to the bottom where it is warmer. They will winter over beautifully." Finally I believed them... exept no one said beans about leaves in the pond. I am in the middle of Freakin' Sherwood Forest here. Much as I tried to keep ahead of the leaves.... the leaves got ahead of me. They floated onto the pond while I was at work and then when I wasn't looking the leaves sunk to the bottom of the pond where I could not see them... and every school child knows that rotting leaves emit carbon dioxide. Not good for fishies. Not good at all.

When the fishies paddled to the surface, gasping for air I was horrified. Fishies gasping for air at the surface can not swim to the bottom where it is warmer, where4 they will winter over beautifully.... if I did not do something soon I would be an accessory to fishicide (is that ichthyicide? just guessing).

So I spent $50 on an aquarium and $13 on gravel and $7 on food... to save $4 in fish... but of saving the fish is not about $$$$... it's about my heart breaking if I do not save the fish. (But still $70 to save $4 in fish seems unbalanced to me.)

And this is how I spent the weekend... fishing, as it were. And they didn't want to be caught, I tell ya. They weren't coming out alive... It's a fairly big pond. I was risking life and limb, or at least wet sneakers and soggy pants... so I emptied most of the water, all the easier to catch elusive fish.

It isn't pretty saving lives... down right ugly... but then... Oh, they ARE lovely. I have managed to catch two of them.



I also managed to get one sneaker very wet and very cold, but I caught these two. It's hard to tell from the photos, but they are very big -- 4" long and at least 2" top to bottom. I am breathing easier having caught these two... and yet one fishy remains in that shallow brackish water. I am going back in. Cross everything for him -- he doesn't know how nice it is getting caught and all.