Saturday…

[Ron Sower]

We arrived here in Cabo just fine yesterday...long slow lines at Phoenix airport...longer faster lines at Mexican airport...our resort is the nicest one we've been to in our timeshare system...we're told by many it's the best...so far we agree...

Hope all are well and doing great today...already miss my fishroom...that's really sick, isn't it? 
Off to breakfast now...happy aquariuming!...

[LizStreithorst]

I know we're all dying to see pics of the place, Ron.

I've never been to Cabo.  Even when I lived in Mexico I was a homebody.  I went to University in Cholula in the state of Puebla.  I lived in a settlement in the out in the country.  We had electricity, but no running water.  I showered and pooped in the dorm bathrooms on the campus.  Even back then, I wanted to live like other people wouldn't like.  I asked a lady who was laying her laundry out to dry on the grass after having washed in in the river to do my laundry for me.  It cost me almost nothing, but it was a way for her to make money.  Once a week I had a lovely hot bath at the common baths just across the dirt lane from where I lived.  Men could choose either a private shower or  communal bath.  Women had no choice.  Bathe with your female neighbors, or don't bathe at all.  I'm sure all those ladies gossiped for days about the white "hippy girl" who bathed with them.  I'm sure that I was a great curiosity to the entire tiny neighborhood.  There are many vignette type stories I could tell about that time.

It's another perfect day here.  The number of skeeters has diminished.  I thought they were getting fewer but I could tell for sure when I took the babies for their run this morning,  They are still pretty fierce in the areas close to the woods, but In the full sun they don't even come around.  My most enjoyable thing this morning was being able to sit outside in my ugly little veggie garden staring at my newly planted broccoli, a tomato plant that grows but will not flower, a little splash of zinnias covered with butterflies, dead weeds from my Round Up spraying, some bushhogged pasture some unbushhogged weedy pasture, trees and a clear blue sky as a backdrop.  It was relaxing.  It's looks barely civilized.  I like that.

I sold the auction I put up for the Pitch Black Ram pairs.  I sure did luck into something good breeding those.  They honestly do nothing for me.  I don't know why anyone would pay what I get for what I consider to be a small, plain black fish, but folks keep buying them.  The Discus breeding is my hobby.  My Discus will never pay for themselves.  The Rams are more of a business.  I breed them so they can support my Discus.  Here lately they've been supporting my horse and dogs.  They even paid my power bill and water bill.  Not bad for a fish.

Take care everyone and for sure, be happy.

[wsantia1]

Good afternoon Ron and Liz. Ron that is really sick. Enjoy your vacation. It's another beautiful day here but the heat returns for a couple of days later in the week. The humidity is already back. There won't be many good days like this left in this calendar year so I have been out all morning tryin to enjoy it the best I can.

Today was play around in the shrimp tanks day. I don't really do much with them any more and I am sure it's just a matter of time before I give up on them. We have our club auction in about a month so I'll probably put some blue and yellow Neos up for auction.

The week before last I got some Sterbai cories and put them in quarantine, The fish looked fine but they were not moving much so I was concerned. The quarantine tank is a bare bottom tank and it looks like my Sterbai don't like the bare bottom. 

It just so happens that I have some sandy colored smooth gravel on hand so I dropped some into the cory tank and lo and behold that these cories haven't stopped moving around and grazing ever since.   Hopefully they will be okay from here on out. I'll just make sure I put gravel in their forever tank.

That's all I have for now folks. Wishing you all a great day.   

[LizStreithorst]

That's interesting about cory's and substrate.  I'll stick that piece of knowledge in my head.  I know for sure that my Hillstream loaches enjoy my pebble substrate.

[Barb]

Hi eveybody, misses a couple days, sorry.  I am OK, but struggling with pain from the muscle treatment I got on my upper leg on Friday.  Hurts a lot.  Haven't felt like doing much, but had things to do and places to go so I just did.  Liz I enjoyed your Mexico stories.  And Willie the gravel with cories info is good to know.  Glad your weather is so nice.  It is pretty good here too.  Ron, have a wonderful trip!!  My son and his GF are visiting later tonight through Monday pm.  Don't feel like being a hostess but will do it anyway.  A trip to the beach tomorrow should help me.  Have a good weekend,
Barb

[LizStreithorst]

I'm sorry your feeling pain, Barb.  IME NSAIDS are better for that type of pain than Tylenol.  Remember, that muscle pain is good.  It is telling you that your muscles are trying to get stronger.  I always kind of enjoyed muscle pain, but I know I'm weird.

Willie, have a nice time with your friends in DC.

Ron, you are living your ideal life.  You would be shocked if you saw what my ideal life looks like.

I had an Asian friend for a good while.  I helped him get his start in Discus.  He had never known anyone  who lived, as he said, "in the woods".  He was kind of spooked being here but he helped me fix something  having to do with carpentry that I wasn't smart enough to do in exchange for my help with Discus. 

Today is my last day off.  I've had a nice break, from worrying about shipping.  All I'm doing today is washing my sheets.  What with dogs sleeping in the bed I should really wash them every 5 days.  I would if I didn't hate changing the sheets so much.

Real life starts again tomorrow.  3 boxes to ship.  2 are Discus which I always stress over.  All 3 boxes are going up north so they'll need heat packs except maybe the box with the Rams.  All the labels are printed and the fish separated and being starved for 24 hrs, but today I'll put all that out of my mind and enjoy the pretty day.

[LizStreithorst]

I got dragged back into real life, but I was only back into it for a brief time. 

I blew off one guy because he kept putting me off.  He finally decided.  I emailed the cost and asked if I should send him an invoice.  This is the part of the "business" I really hate.  I mean, buy the auction, decide how many pairs you want, tell me, I'll send the invoice, pay the invoice and I'll take care of you.  But some people have a hard time with that.

The other one was one I didn't mind.  It's one of my Discus customers worried about matching his water parameters to mine.  For him, my babies are a big deal and he wants the best for them.  I told him that having to match water parameters is a myth and my babies will do fine in his water.

I'm back to relaxing now.  I think that my fitted sheet is dry and ready to put back on the bed.  My light blanket is about done and ready to be hung out.  Getting in bed tonight will be like getting into a piece of art.