Thursday and the rain is gone

[LizStreithorst]

We've had scattered thunderstorms for day's here.  They were very scattered but when they showed up they put on a big show.  Huge claps of thunder, big wind and a deluge of rain.  It lasts an hour or two and then it's gone.  The ground absorbs it so well that I haven't even gotten my feet wet going out three times a day to feed Charlotte.  The sun just poked out.  Everything is so green.  The chicken are in my front yard enjoying the overgrown grass and weeds.  It's a pretty sight...Very naturalistic.

My first cleome is in flower.  Of course it's in a place where it's not officially supposed to be.  The darned weedy things come up in droves where they're not supposed to be.  I'm not wage war on them this year.  What grows will be allowed to grow.  When I get tired of the look I'll ask Shawn to mow.

Gladys's first Glads are just coming into flower.  I'm going to have tons of corms to give away this fall.  I guess these old type glads grow in uncared for pastures.  Humm...wouldn't they be pretty growing in my pasture?  That's a nice idea.

I have one strange plant coming up that I have no idea what it will be or where it came from or what it will be.  All I can tell is that it's not a weed.  Ill take a pic of it and send it to Felder.  He'll know.

I guess today's weather has turned me into a nature girl.  Nothing new is going on in the fish room but all the fish are well.  Nobody has purchased my Pitch Black Rams which surprised me.  I can't imagine what happened to my Hawaii guy.  The shipping price for 1 pair ($40) put another guy off.  I know they'll sell, though.  They always do.  My 5 baby Discus still alive after all their brothers and sisters were eaten should be old enough to take newly hatched BBS today.  I have a batch that will be ready by this afternoon's feeding.

Ron, it sounds like your water is too hard.  It depends on what minerals are in your water, not how much mineral content. I found this out with my water.  MY TDS is 115.  I used to lower it to 90 and eggs were fertile.  Then suddenly something changed.  My pH was the same.  My TDS was the same. But I couldn't have a fertile spawn even when I took my TDS down to 20.  These days I hatch my ram and Discus eggs in a gallon of 100%.  You can also use a gallon of distilled water.  It works great.  I can teach you how if you want.

[wsantia1]

Good afternoon Liz and everyone. It's cloudy here but no rain is in the forecast. It is currenty 70 degrees and feels really good outside.

Well my Pitch Black Ram are free swimming. Unlike the other spawns I had this one appears to have no gold fry that I can see.

I haven't had any success with the black ones so I'm hoping this is the one. So far they've had vinegar eels and microworms to eat and are eating well. I have BBS brewing and that should be ready in the morning.

Now I'm on my way back to the fishroom to fine tune my BBS operation. I scrambled to put something together for the BBS this morning and once I finished putting something together I found the parts to my old setup.  I'm sure I will need it.

Have a great day everyone.

[LizStreithorst]

Great news on the fry Willie!!!!

[wsantia1]

Thanks Liz

[Barb]

Hi everybody, I just finished reading all the posts from the last couple days.  You all have fish spawns, outdoor plants, and aquarium plants going real well I see.  Here there has finally been rain off and on lately. I think the drought is over.  My veg. garden is really growing fast. I have zucch I see today, will be big enough to eat in a few more days, they grow so fast.  Liz, are the glads you sent me all the same color? I have never grown them before.  Their tall green leaves are so pretty, I look forward to blooms.  I bet your wild and natural looking garden is lovely.

Still no sight of my baby turtle, Hope it is still in the pond.  My neighbor across the street had a mother deer and new born fawn in the yard the other day, she got a pic of them.  They actually came right into her yard, through the open gate, to eat the corn she had on the lawn to lure then in.  It worked.

I have been busy helping my mom with stuff, my neighbors, and  a couple friends.  Maybe I will need some of them to help me when I have the surgery.
You all have a good eve if you read this,
Barb 

[LizStreithorst]

They're all yellow, Barb.  They're not like the new fancy variety at all as far as blow you away type of flowers.  These were the ones that old country folks would grow because it was what was available.  I liberated these from an very old homesite that had a tree fall on it during Katrina.  It was abandoned when I spotted these Glads growing along the highway.  I feel very fond of these because if it weren't for me they wouldn't still be alive.  They're prolific as all get out.  When mine's flowers have burst into beauty I'll send you a pic.

Hurray for me!!!!  I just sold 4 pairs of rams.  2 to a guy on Simply and 2 to a guy who bought my AB auction.  They didn't say a word about the shipping cost.  I had 2 others interested in a pair each but they didn't buy because of the shipping cost.  It made me feel bad, but I can't control the cost of shipping.