One comment on manure from farm animals. Recent research suggests that kids that grow up around farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies than other kids. The theory is that the constant exposure to relatively harmless bacteria causes the immune system to focus on infective substances rather than on harmless materials such as molds and pollens, etc. I know of no studies that show that exposure to animals and manures (certainly plenty fresh on the farm) causes an increase in the infection rate of children (or adults). If you have worked on a farm, you know that you don't wear gloves all the time to protect yourself from the bacteria. It is to protect the hands from injuries. Agreed that exposure to e coli and other organisms that one has not developed a resistance to or a tolerance of can produce significant disease in an individual whose immune system has not be "hyped" up by continuous exposure to bacteria and other organisms. It is also highly likely that that individual has allergy problems. In the military (the same things happens when one travels), people coming for training from other countries tend to pick up significant GI problems from exposure to the local e coli and other bacteria. If you go to their country for long, you will probably experience the same thing. Again, in general, to contact an infective agent, usually a certain "load" is required to cause infection unless a person is severely immunocompromised. An example is typhoid where a healthy individual will need to consume in excess of 4000 typhoid bacteria at one time to contact the disease. Washing lettuce will reduce but not remove all bacteria. But it is not usually necessary (or possible) to remove all the bacteria (unless you cook it to 160 degrees for 20 minutes or boil it, etc). Our bodies have over many thousands of years developed amazing ability to tolerate our environment. It is reasonable to disagree on this. I'll have to admit I have eaten all kinds of things out in the garden (usually wiping off the obvious dirt first), and have not noticed and ill effect. But then my body has undoubtedly has developed a level of immunity to the organism in my garden. A level of respect for the danger of eating possibly contaminate food materials is certainly warranted. For me, fish pond water would not concern if it had been applied early in the production of the crops. Just an opinion.

It would need some sun depending on the plants you like. I have a 3 foot by 2 1/2 ft black plastic? water trough pond with yellow snow flake, anacharis, water hyacinth, dwarf papyrus, bacopa, 2 gold fish, volunteer toad poles and a frog now and then. It is on the northwest side of the house partially under an oak tree canopy on the left side of the front door in the foundation bed and gets sun from noon until dusk. I move some of all plants and the fish into the sunroom for the winter and don't have to buy new every year. We have cold periods and can have 3 inches of ice on top of the pond in winter. I have left the fish out and used a bubbler some winters but since there are just 2 fish they are happy to come inside. I think you will enjoy a little pond. I have used a small fountain, a bubbler and nothing in the pond. It is very relaxing to sit on the porch and enjoy the fish, flowers, dragonflies and fountain. I enjoy the mating toads to some degree but they get very loud sometimes.

THANK YOU for thinking of the health and happiness of your fish, and being honest about what you can manage. I wish more people would! (And yes, I do think there must be a fishy equivalent of "happiness" that they experience.) There are discussions all the time here about minimum gallons per koi to allow etc. and yes it may be true that you can technically keep them healthy with not a lot of space, if the filtration is adequate.... but I always wonder WHY BOTHER if there's not enough room for them to move freely. To see a group of koi moving together in a school across a large pond is an AMAZING sight. You don't see that when they are cramped. Without enough space they just kind of dart around aimlessly or don't move much at all. Which brings me to goldfish. There are some bred especially for ponds with bright colors and long fins - some look exactly like koi - only they stay small 10-12 inches maybe. You can get that same schooling behavior in a lot less space.

Catching a snake is frustrating and time consuming if you are sitting out there waiting for it to come out of it's hole. You can't sit quietly enough to keep it from knowing you are there. They hunt by detecting heat and vibrations. The easiest way is to use the normal behavior of a snake to get it to go where you want. Snakes like warm dark places so you can lay out a paper bag ( a pillow case will be too bright, a burlap sack will do fine) with an opening arranged so the snake can go inside. Wire or a frame of some sort will help keep it open but the object is to create a dark cave. If there is no sun to make the bag warm put a heating pad under it. The snake eventually will go inside, curl up and go to sleep. Then you can scoop up the bag at the open end, twist it a couple of times and tie it off. Twilight is a good time as is noon. Those are times the snake finds a place to nap. Put the snake, bag and all in a garbage can with a snug lid. They can get out of anything that is shorter than a standard garbage can. The advantage to this is you don't have to chase it and it won't be injured and you won't get hurt either. Sandy