Last Updated: 12/1/14

1. On 11/2/14, I did pond chores. The air temperature was in the low 40's, and the winds were 30 to 40 mph. It was horrible. The 1800 gallon pond was at 50 degrees F as was the 153 gallon pond. I squirted the PondMaster filter and the main filter floss but not the floss around the supplemental pump which I plan to pull out next week. It took a while to get the leaves off the net. I netted out another wheel barrow of water lettuce from the big pond. There is still twice that much left, and we should get our first hard frost tonight which will turn it all to mush. I just couldn't reach it all with the net on, and all the plants are still in the way. I will try to cut down the marginals next week.

2. Instead of a gradual lead up to winter, we're supposed to get the "polar vortex" around 11/14/14 so, on 11/9/14, I rush did as much of the remaining pond winterizing as I needed to do. The 1800 gallon was at 47 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 50 degrees F. I removed the PondMaster filter from the 153 gallon pond and put in the Luft air stone and a new de-icer (a lower wattage one without metal to corrode). All my regular de-icers are corroded so I guess I need to order another one for the biofilter in the big pond. I cut down the iris in the 153 gallon pond. In the big pond, I removed the auxiliary waterfall pump so now the waterfall just drizzles. I cut down all the marginals, all at once. For some reason, it seems like fewer plants than in the past. I sunk the two pots of pickerel rush and the two pots of golden club to the middle-depth area where most of the waterlilies are kept. These two plants do not do well in the most shallow areas and have died in the past when they have frozen. I put the green Rubbermaid tub lid with diving weights over the biofilter even though I do not yet have a new de-icer to put up there. I plugged in my green candycane which I can use to tell at a glance if there is power outside when it's dark but the lights were dead! And, of course, Walmart is not selling them this year. The lighted "sculptures" at all the stores are so expensive, and I need something simple but pretty. On land, I cut down the marsh mallow.

I removed the three five gallon pots of tropical waterlilies. The older waterlily had four big and two small nut tubers. The new white waterlily did not seem to have nut tubers, just a growing head so I moved that to a two gallon pot and sunk it in my 50 gallon basement pond. The new pink tropical waterlily had three blob-like tubers. I don't know if they'll survive the winter in damp sand but that's where I put them.

And, of course, I collected more leaves!

3. On 11/12/14, I got two mice, my first ever mice to go in the 20 gallon tank after the last two roaches died. You can read about the mice here.

4. On 11/16/14, I didn't have many pond chores to do. The 1800 gallon pond was at 47 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was down to a chilly 40 degrees F. I didn't get in the ponds to do anything as I did so much the week before. I tried to net out more of the water lettuce which now has frost burn (white edges) but it's hard to catch. I have to do it under the net with another net, and the lettuce tends to move away from wherever I dip. I removed some leaves from around the pond but really hardly one percent of what needs to be done. Instead of doing more of that, I planted some bulbs and used the mower to get up some leaves. A real woman shouldn't have to do hard physical labor and get cuts and bruises. It's a good thing I'm not a real woman! If I were, I'd have a man to take care of that stuff.

5. On 11/23/14, I did some pond chores. The 1800 gallon was a chilly 36 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 42 degrees F. I changed the main pump's filter material for new. I squirted out the bioballs. There was one little green frog in there. I changed the Ammocarb in the biofilter.

6. On 11/30/14, I did pond work. The 1800 gallon was at 41 degrees F, and the 153 gallon was at 46 degrees F. I put a big de-icer out in the top of the biofilter, and I ran an extension cord to the back outlet as, in the past, it always tripped the main outlet (which then turns off the pump which is really bad). I removed the net from the 153 gallon pond and tried to get up leaves from the area (not all that successful).

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