Our pond is dirt based - no liner. It was a former cellar under a small building but kept filling with water. The previous owner filled it up with rocks. We tore down the building, rearranged the rocks and let Mother nature take over. The pond filled with water. Our gutter water runs into the pond to help keep it full. We have an overflow running under our driveway and down a hill to keep the pond from overflowing. Fish and one now large water lily are doing well. A filtration system was added 5 years after the original set up. Muck is a problem so a few years ago we removed the fish and sucked out all that we could. Instead of using small rocks again, we replaced them with various sizes of field stone. We have 30+ fish and they seem to thrive. We never feed them. Our situation is unique. This pond somehow links underneath our patio as the fish winter under our patio. They swim through the rocks and re-emerge in the Spring. We have no idea what is under our patio. . how much water is held. . how deep. .but we know when the pond gets low the fish disappear. I do add tap water during the summer months as the pond does evaporate rather quickly. It's not likely the chlorine will hurt the fish as I add it in gradually over a few days. Sometimes I put dechlor in but usually I am careful not to add too much. Our tap water has never hurt the fish that are in there. In fact, as the water is added, the fish swim underneath - possibly enjoying the cooling hose water. This pond is approximately 10' x 10' and 2' deep.

I guess the key to collecting for me is to keep what I love. I don't collect to sell. The ones I hang onto I do so more out of sentiment than value. My paternal grandmother died Dec. 1997, and I inherited the Barbies she had at that point and I completed the set of Barbies. My daughter is a Christmas baby born 2 weeks after my Grandmother died. So for me, the holidays are even more meaningful and personal. I enjoy looking at them...the late 80's ones that have the big hair and big shoulder fashions we all used to wear are such fun. The bride dolls were hers also, and they are just so beautiful, that I can enjoy them. My maternal Grandmother has a great many dolls - and is now debilitated with a stroke and in a nursing home. I was asked to select the dolls I wanted to keep, and I only took home the ones I truly love. Several of the Madame Alexander babies, an Ideal walking doll from 1961 and right now I cannot remember her name (I have it in the book at home - I think her name is Toodle), 3 Shirley Temples and an Ideal from the late 30's that we bought together. I played with Toodle as a chld, as did my aunt who has passed away since. So these dolls mostly have sentimental value and will be loved more than 'collected'. And the Crissy's came from her, which also remind me of fashions growing up. The outfits are a hoot to see and enjoy! I am sorry your Holiday Barbies were devalued. I see auctions often where they go from $300 up to one set I saw that went for $1000. The collections and singles on ebay right now are undergoing active bidding with some singles up to about $70 right now, depending on the year and rarity. My collection includes a 1998 error box, where the pic on the back is different from the outfit on the front. But I will never sell! :-)

Sarah, here's the link. For some reason, when I post a new message the link boxes don't show, but they do when I post an answer. Very strange. I'm really looking forward to this plant fair. Has it been raining up your way, as we have had rain off and on in Sydney. As the fair is on a farm property I guess it could be a bit muddy. Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Fair

Poohbearlvr, I'm so sorry for all you lost. Years ago we had a freak October snow storm that took down a number of trees. The damage was so bad since there were still leaves on the trees, so the weight of the snow was just too much. Any way, one of the trees we lost was a chestnut that my father had given us as a sapling just 3 months before he died. Some things you just can never replace, and I really feel for your pain. Anyway, as for the Edithcolea... I'd say they really like heat, very good drainage, and plenty of bright light, close to full sun for me here in Connecticut, but I imagine not quite as much for you in Florida. My momma plant gets watered regularly in the summer when it's growing, not so much in the winter. I'd say in the winter I water no more than once every couple of weeks, sometimes less. In the summer, a once a week, more if it's really hot. Lately I've been watering the babies every 3 days or so. That will probably slow down soon. My big plant flowered the end of summer 2016 - it was a very hot sunny summer that year, and it grew like a weed and flowered beautifully.