Your pond sounds about 1500-2000 gallons. One way to figure out true capacity is measure how long your tap+ hose takes to fill a 3 or 5 gallon bucket and then how long it takes to fill the pond. You should be able to do the math. Best thing to do is pump out this water, clean the remaining silt out, set up a submersible pump in a prefilter going to a skippy or other biofilter that feeds a waterfall. Refill, get filter going, buy some waterlilies and some other plants good for your climate, pot them and place into pond. After about a week, put in some cheap goldfish. If after a year, you have kept them alive and have discovered if local predators (birds, coons, ...) don't snack on them, you can go for more expensive goldfish. Your pond is too small for koi. You can get a submersible pump that also has a fountain attachment or a separate fountain pump. My pond (1500 gallons) is pretty low maintenance and is set up the way I describe above with goldfish and rosy reds, waterlilies, and several types of marginals + parrot's feather.

We moved to house with mostly hardwood and some tile. After much research, we bought a Miele canister vacuum--absolutely love it! We only use the Bona system for cleaning the wood as advised by installer--also love it! You can buy the whole system at B,B & B. On granite, I only use mild dishwashing soap (joy, etc,) and water and dry with dry towel or use wet microfiber and dry with dry microfiber. I do the same with my marble vanity and marble floor. Also love the microfiber for many things. As graywings said: go to the wal-mart or auto store and get the ones in the auto dept. Just be sure to wash separately and don't use fabric softeners on them. They are great for dusting, mirror cleaning, countertops, etc. The tile depends on what it is made of. Are you talking marble, ceramic, etc.? If you use the liquid bath soap rather than bar soap, your shower cleaning will be much easier. I personally like to wipe down our shower and clear glass doors with a microfiber cloth rather than a squeegee--seems faster. Also second the NO MURPHY OIL SOAP and pledge! I usually just use microfiber cloths to dust, but when I do have a piece of furniture that seems to need oil, I use Wieman's lemon oil and then wipe off excess with a soft cloth. I love the cleaning pads that are not abrasive. Think there are several brands; I like the Dobies(Target) and another I get at Ace Hdwe. I use these mostly on porcelain sinks, ceramic tile, etc. I have a microfiber mop I like for my tile floors. I like the kind that has a wringer on the handle--can't remember brand but think Target carries these. I like Charlie's Soap for laundry. I get mine online in a large quanity that lasts forever! Hope some of this helps. Enjoy your new home!

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2 Scan saved at 11:57:20 AM, on 3/24/2009 Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600) MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6000.16791) Boot mode: Normal Running processes: C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXBCES.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXPPS.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cisvc.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\CTsvcCDA.exe C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe C:\Program Files\MozyHome\mozybackup.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgrsx.exe C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgnsx.exe C:\WINDOWS\System32\MsPMSPSv.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\fxssvc.exe C:\WINDOWS\BCMSMMSG.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe C:\Program Files\DellSupport\DSAgnt.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe C:\Program Files\MozyHome\mozystat.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\cidaemon.exe C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://www.dellnet.com/ R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://g.msn.com/0SEENUS/SAOS10 R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.oprah.com/ R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157 R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896 R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896 R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157 R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings,ProxyOverride = *.local O2 - BHO: WormRadar.com IESiteBlocker.NavFilter - (3CA2F312-6F6E-4B53-A66E-4E65E497C8C0) - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgssie.dll O2 - BHO: (no name) - (53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F) - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll O2 - BHO: DriveLetterAccess - (5CA3D70E-1895-11CF-8E15-001234567890) - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswshx.dll O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - (9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6) - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll O2 - BHO: AVG Security Toolbar - (A057A204-BACC-4D26-9990-79A187E2698E) - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\AVGTOO~1.DLL O2 - BHO: Windows Live Toolbar Helper - (BDBD1DAD-C946-4A17-ADC1-64B5B4FF55D0) - C:\Program Files\Windows Live Toolbar\msntb.dll O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - (DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9) - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll O2 - BHO: JQSIEStartDetectorImpl - (E7E6F031-17CE-4C07-BC86-EABFE594F69C) - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\deploy\jqs\ie\jqs_plugin.dll O3 - Toolbar: Windows Live Toolbar - (BDAD1DAD-C946-4A17-ADC1-64B5B4FF55D0) - C:\Program Files\Windows Live Toolbar\msntb.dll O3 - Toolbar: AVG Security Toolbar - (A057A204-BACC-4D26-9990-79A187E2698E) - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\AVGTOO~1.DLL O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\System32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [BCMSMMSG] BCMSMMSG.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dla] C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ISUSPM Startup] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\UpdateService\isuspm.exe" -startup O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSConfig] C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries\MSConfig.exe /auto O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG8_TRAY] C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgtray.exe O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ZoneAlarm Client] "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe" O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe" O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [DellSupport] "C:\Program Files\DellSupport\DSAgnt.exe" /startup O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Weather] C:\Program Files\AWS\WeatherBug\Weather.exe 1 O4 - Global Startup: MozyHome Status.lnk = C:\Program Files\MozyHome\mozystat.exe O8 - Extra context menu item: &Windows Live Search - res://C:\Program Files\Windows Live Toolbar\msntb.dll/search.htm O9 - Extra button: Real.com - (CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE) - C:\WINDOWS\System32\Shdocvw.dll O9 - Extra button: (no name) - (e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583) - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - (e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583) - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe O9 - Extra button: Messenger - (FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683) - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - (FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683) - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll O16 - DPF: (F04A8AE2-A59D-11D2-8792-00C04F8EF29D) (Hotmail Attachments Control) - http://lw9fd.law9.hotmail.msn.com/activex/HMAtchmt.ocx O16 - DPF: (F5A7706B-B9C0-4C89-A715-7A0C6B05DD48) (Minesweeper Flags Class) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/binary/MineSweeper.cab56986.cab O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\(4D7C7228-2B7C-4C19-AB8B-80BFC676C5B9): NameServer = 65.61.64.5,65.61.65.5 O17 - HKLM\System\CS1\Services\Tcpip\..\(4D7C7228-2B7C-4C19-AB8B-80BFC676C5B9): NameServer = 65.61.64.5,65.61.65.5 O17 - HKLM\System\CS2\Services\Tcpip\..\(4D7C7228-2B7C-4C19-AB8B-80BFC676C5B9): NameServer = 65.61.64.5,65.61.65.5 O18 - Protocol: linkscanner - (F274614C-63F8-47D5-A4D1-FBDDE494F8D1) - C:\Program Files\AVG\AVG8\avgpp.dll O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.DLL O20 - Winlogon Notify: avgrsstarter - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\avgrsstx.dll O23 - Service: AVG Free8 WatchDog (avg8wd) - AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\AVG\AVG8\avgwdsvc.exe O23 - Service: Bonjour Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\Bonjour\mDNSResponder.exe O23 - Service: Creative Service for CDROM Access - Creative Technology Ltd - C:\WINDOWS\System32\CTsvcCDA.exe O23 - Service: DSBrokerService - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\DellSupport\brkrsvc.exe O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT.exe O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe O23 - Service: Java Quick Starter (JavaQuickStarterService) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe O23 - Service: LexBce Server (LexBceS) - Lexmark International, Inc. - C:\WINDOWS\system32\LEXBCES.EXE O23 - Service: MozyHome Backup Service (mozybackup) - Mozy, Inc. - C:\Program Files\MozyHome\mozybackup.exe O23 - Service: Intel NCS NetService (NetSvc) - Intel(R) Corporation - C:\Program Files\Intel\NCS\Sync\NetSvc.exe O23 - Service: NVIDIA Driver Helper Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32.exe O23 - Service: TrueVector Internet Monitor (vsmon) - Zone Labs, LLC - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe O24 - Desktop Component 0: (no name) - http://www.greys-media.com/main.jpg -- End of file - 7561 bytes I am still seeing windows live toolbar on here..weird. I will have to go back into add/remove and see if it is still listed.. could have swore i removed it

Heat will kill bedbugs as well - I've left CL sofas in my car for a day or two in the heat of summer as well as in the middle of winter - both temp extremes will kill any cooties. It's supposed to be quite warm this week in this area and I assume yours too since you aren't that far away from me - if you could leave it in a closed van parked in the sun on a sunny day, I doubt you'd have to worry about bugs. Smells and such are another story. I've bought a lot of upholstered pieces on CL and at thrift stores and got burned once, with a sofa that had a smell that just wouldn't go away (I smelled it in the store but thought it was just the thrift store background smell that I was smelling). I febreezed it, set it in the sun, put dryer sheets in the cushions -- NOTHING got rid of that smell so I eventually got rid of the sofa. Now I make sure that any upholstered piece I buy passes the whiff test. I also size up the people and the house where it's coming from - if it's a gross looking house or the furniture looks like it's had a hard life, I pass on the furniture. But in the past 2 years, I've bought 2 sofas, a big sectional, and a chair from CL without a problem or any bugs. All of the pieces came from spotlessly clean houses, look brand new and cost about a tenth of what I would have paid for them new so I have only positive things to say about buying upholstered stuff on CL. And re: the bedbug paranoia -- just because you buy something new doesn't mean it can't also have cooties -- most new furniture is shipped over from foreign countries in shipping containers that can harbor bugs. And there was a big stink on the news lately about new mattresses picking up bedbugs on the delivery truck (because its the same truck they use to haul away old mattresses and they often have old mattresses and new mattresses on the truck at the same time as they make all the deliveries/haulaways for that day.) Bedbugs skeeve me out to no end (I make my dh strip and leave his luggage and clothes outside when he gets back from business trips to cities that are known to have a bedbug issue in their hotels) but if you obsess about it enough, you'll be afraid to go anywhere or buy anything, so at some point, you just have to roll the dice and hope for the best.