Thanks, everyone, for the great advice. I think I was in flat out panic mode when I posted yesterday! I'm a bit calmer now. Frankielynn - so sorry to hear about your fish. I lost several fish a few years ago when the temps were so cold. I hope the others are okay. I have a few white goldfish and I can attest that the orange ones can change to white at any time in their lives! I'm planning to set the stock tank up in the basement today but not obsess about getting the fish out (just yet). The long range forecast is mild (I'm on the coast) and the longer the fish can stay in the pond (assuming it has water!) the better for them. Of course I'm keeping a close watch on water level but all the rain and melting should help keep it up, at least for a week. My Dad is even considering some sort of short term patch. In the mean time, I'll get some filtration set up and maybe some plant lights. It's a matter of "when" I move them, not "if". If I get extremely lucky and keep the pond going until late February, I might even get a small, metal sided, pool and set that up outside. I found one but it can't be set up in the winter. That would be a lot better for the fish than a small stock tank. I'm a big proponent of Sanitred. It's designed for use in pools and fish ponds and is even used for animal enclosures in parks and zoos. I bet when we finally do drain the pond we'll discover the crack is *not* in the Sanitred coated area but the untreated rock. Here is a link that might be useful: Sanitred for ponds

H. macrophylla Next Generation Almost Heaven - Ball Hort size: 2-3', zones 5-9 "A compact, comtinuously blooming mophead variety. Begins to bloom in early summer and carries on right through until frost" ----------------------------------------------------------------- H. macrophylla Peppermint Swirl - Van Essen size: 3x3', zone 5-9 "Sensational ornamental shrubs with dazzling blooms will jazz up your landscape. Pink or blue mophead flowers, displaying a very unique “peppermint candy” variegation." --------------------------------------------------------- H. macrophylla Blarney Stone ('SMHMSV') - Proven Winners size: 2-3', zones 5-9 "Soft pink or blue flowers look beautiful against the chartreuse and green variegated foliage, and appear every year on this reliable reblooming hydrangea. Soil pH will affect flower color. Fresh and green as the Emerald Isle, its variegated foliage is a first for reblooming hydrangeas. Add it to gardens for months of beautiful color." ------------------------------------------------------------------ H. arborescens Lime Rickey (SMNHALR) - Proven Winners size: 3-4', zones 3-8 "Lime-green flowers appear each summer, even after harsh winters. The large, full mophead flowers add unexpected color to summer gardens, and are great as a fresh or dried cut." ------------------------------------------------------------ H. macrophylla Double Hot Pink - Van Essen size: 2-3x3-5', zones 5-9, reblooming ------------------------------------------------------------- H. macrophylla Electric Rouge - Van Essen size: 5x5', zones 5-9, Reblooming

The kids went to school here today. It was in the teens. Just got a message saying school is on a one hour delay tomorrow. Temps are supposed to drop below zero. It's 11 degrees right now. I had to work the past three days. Saturday was horrible, blizzard like conditions. I drive 25 miles to work. No snow plows out when I left early that morning. I couldn't see landmarks and was driving about 20 mph on the parkway. I ended up going off the wrong exit and had to turn around and get back on it. When I finally made it to the end of the parkway I knew I was going to be late for work and called to let them know. The house super asked how I managed to get where I was because she had gotten a bunch of call ins because the parkway had a truck turned over and it was closed. I must have just missed it. Tractor trailer and a salt truck. Not looking forward to going back this week. I have three more days to work and then I go on vacation. Hopefully the freezing cold weather will be gone soon. A homeless man froze to death in Lexington, I think last week. All the shelters are above capacity and people are going out in the city looking for people who are out in the cold. Not afraid to drive myself in snow but other people terrify me. They drive way to fast for the conditions.

Ouch, summers. I've read about the killer hornets. Hope they can nip that in the bud, I mean kill 'em off. Regular hornets are bad enough. There's a cicada killing hornet here that is huge but doesn't seem aggressive . Last night we got down to only 37 degrees so no damage. I guess the weather forecasters cut themselves some slack ...I take their predictions as inexact and they don't know my micro climate. But they'll predict 33 degrees, then the hourly prediction shows it getting down to 36 at the worst, yet they put out a freeze warning. They have all bases covered. Time to put my plants back out in the sun.