Mike, I have been checking in on your winter pond thread. I gotta say, I had mixed emotions when you announced that your were shutting down. All that work, you must have been disappointed, but then when it stops being fun then it's time to rethink. Sandy, I often think about changing careers. I'm a Project Manager and could probably do it for any discipline, just got hooked on the construction industry and stuck with it. The older I get, the more the stress bothers me. I was always able to leave work behind when I went home at night, it's been keeping me awake lately. I enjoy the challenges and there is always something new to learn. But it is starting to become less fun and more work. I would like to have the pond done this summer. But I would like a lot of things. I'm in no rush. To me it's more about experimenting, researching, enjoying the process, even the building. When it's done and I take that first cannonball then it will be about ponding, a different purpose, re-analyzing, the couldve, wouldÂve, and shouldÂve brothers will take over my thought process. I know myself well. I have never had anything come out perfect on the first try and don't think I would be happy if it ever worked out that way. I love to tinker. My Bride always asks, "Why aren't you ever satisfied?" She doesn't get it, I am satisfied, couldn't be happier. I stopped at Wal-Mart again yesterday, they restocked the cat litter. It clearly states that it is 100% clay, but doesn't state what kind of clay. I had assumed that bentonite would be the clumping type of litter, but this stuff is non-clumping. I bought one bag and will experiment with it this weekend. I have a five gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom for my clay experiments. We have friends coming for the weekend so I don't know if I'll get my samples dug just yet. I may sneak out the back door early Sunday morning for some test borings :-).

Good article for the most part. I strongly disagree with the part that recommends QT for 2 weeks though. QT should be a minimum of 4 weeks (from trusted suppliers) and up to 8 weeks for other suppliers. I would never say that we should not buy koi for a while. I went to a koi show earlier this month and came home with 10 new ones. 5 came from trusted breeders (Quality Koi, Lotus Land Koi Farm, Hammock Koi Farm). Those koi have been in QT for nearly a month now and will go into my pond in another week or so. I also got some koi from dealers that import koi. Those koi are in a different QT a long way from my pond. They will remain in QT for at least another month....maybe longer. We don't need to fear buying new fish, but we need to be VERY careful who we buy from! I would not buy from Ebay (except from Richard Rombold Jan Jonquin koi). I would not buy from any pet store or most water gardening stores. I would not trust the dealer to QT my fish....that is MY job. IF we use our heads, buying new fish can be perfectly safe and won't endanger our existing koi collections.

Alan Lacy, especially his first two books, and a more recenty one "The Gardener's Eye". Henry Mitchell's "One Man's Garden" (Still re-read that book if bored on a winter's nite.) Christopher Lloyd........who threatens to stop on sight and heave certain plants right over the fence and outta your garden because they're soooo obnoxious. two writers out of New York who write on indoor gardening, who's names escape me for now...Hmmmmmmm... Jamaica Kincaid.......only person I've come across who can make me long for something called yellow Russian hollyhocks. A local writer here in S Calif....Tineke Wilders. I just plain like her style. :-)

A few Days ago I happened to watch a report on the Italian TV telling thereâÂÂs a web site where the most important and beautiful cemeteries are listed. I didnâÂÂt catch the name, but I remember a few names listed among the first ten. The first is Highgate , I also remember Pere Lachaise in Paris but canâÂÂt remember on which rung it was placed in the ladder. As far as Italian ones are concerned, they listed the Catacombs in Rome , even if they are not a cemetery strictly speaking, and always among the first ten thereâÂÂs Staglieno that is in Genoa, my city, which is deemed by us Genoese the eighth world wonder, maybe we exaggerate just a bit, but it is true that is really impressive. As it often happens, IâÂÂve never been inside it, from time to time my wife and I are used to saying, sooner or later weâÂÂve got to visit it but so far we havenâÂÂt. Once I remember reading in a novel this phrase, more or less, if you want to see some really awful marble, go to Staglieno in Genoa and I was outraged, what ?!?!?! Are they really talking about our wonder?!?!? I was sure I had read it in "Farewell to Arms" by Hemingway , he spent some time in Sampierdarena in a Genoa neighbourhood , thatâÂÂs I Know for sure, but I checked it on Barnes and Noble using the search inside option, and neither Genoa nor Staglieno is named. Speaking of cemeteries and lates, thereâÂÂs one funny (both meaning: strange and ah ah ah) thing to say. In Italy poetry isnâÂÂt read that much, I have to say we donâÂÂt read much in general, but the most sold popular poetry - book is not by an Italian author but by an American one , Edgar Lee Master and the book is, of course, Spoon River Here is a link that might be useful: Staglieno