What kept me busy last weekend

[marla]

So I've been wanting to put up a small arbor on the back side of the pond, entrance to the upper area. Well my hubby finaly said "lets put it closer and bigger (5'x8') and hopefully it will shade the big pond. So even though we were babysitting for a 3 day weekend he decided now's the time! So baby in tow we hit the lumber yard, with his design (always bigger then mine, even the pond) and in the 90 degree heat and humidity started to build. I forgot how much can be accomplished during nap times. And as for the other times, the little guy kept busy and cool in the rubbermaid container that now serves as a QT for a shubby with a tail sore. Lots to do to finish and no it doesn't shade where we thought as early as we had hoped.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/2005_0718feet30008.jpg
Tae stayed much cooler then us
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/2005_0718feet30009.jpg

[Jackie Ramo]

Stunning Marla, wow!! Are you going to plant it or put a bench under it or both or what???

That grandson is toooooo cute!!! hug him once for me!!

[marla]

Thanks, need to put on some corner braces and maybe a large square of trelis on the center of either side, so you can see the falls, yet get under at plants I think I might do a bench and move the hostas that are there and the stepping stones and revamp. Next year if I get to it, maybe Busy's legs. At first I thought it would over power the pond, but once I get some plantings it should soften it up.

[Jackie Ramo]

Busy's legs would look great. Meant to do them for my arbour this year but I killed all my seedlings and this year they didn't offer the small plugs at the local nursery. Those legs hold one heck of a lot of plants!!!

[Busy B]

I really like the arbor but your grand baby is just tooooo adorable!! Love his name too!

If your worried about heat...just for an experiment I tried just wave petunias in the legs. I'd show you a pic but I haven't really watered it well:-P :roll: If you were to pinch them as they start growing, it will fill in pretty well and less plants used.

[Terri]

Marla it looks wonderful! What a great addition. Tae is just WAY TOO CUTE! Oh my those big blue eyes could melt you :grin:

I love your pathways, and I'll say it again - that waterfall is terrific!

[Merlin]

:lol: What a great use for the container , boy is he gonna break a few hearts when he is older. The pond looks good too :) .

[marla]

Yeah this one was better then the wading pool because he couldn't get out, and we needed him to stay put for a short time while we finished up a few things. Otherwise he wants to head straight for the pond, and he'd climb in if I let him. :smile:

[Jackie Ramo]

Mine heads straight for the compost pile and the small pile of gravel there... getting smaller each vsit as he moves it ... to the lawn... :lol:

[marla]

Compost, Yuck!!! Well we're finnished for now, as you can see the waterfall is now non-existant, pump went out some time last night. My husband went to pick up a spare (only a 3000) so we will have some type of flow till a new one gets in. Thank goodness it's still under warrenty, hope this isn't the norm or you'd think they'd go out of business.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/2005_0725arbor0005.jpg

[Jackie Ramo]

Pretty Kitty. Made me miss my siamese gone for years and years now but never forgotten.

Arbour looks great!! I hope you get the pump fixed. Seems to be a big outbreak of pump problems this year.

[marla]

The kitty (sammy the killer cat) came to stay with us about 5 yrs ago when my daughter and family moved to Germany. It was only to stay for the 3 yrs they were gone. Well now that they've been back for 2yrs, they still haven't come to claim him. He goes about 20lbs and is quite fiesty, wish they had declawed him he hates having nails trimmed. Our pond guys were closed but are letting us borrow a 3000gph pump till a new 7500 comes in. What a difference makes just a piddle compared to the bigger one.

[marla]

I'm amazed, with this loner pump the water is much calmer. WE SPOTTED 3 LITTLE BABIES !wow! !!!!! May be more, they look just like the one I found in the little pond wondering how it got there. These seem just a tad bigger, most likely goldfish or shubbs or a cross, the koi are new and to young. Can't wait to see how they color out though.

[Jackie Ramo]

20 lbs!! mine was about 8 lbs soaking wet... not that she liked that part!!

I'm sure the water is quieter with the smaller pump. Nice that they would lend you one though.

[Rembrandt]

Nice project! Nice cat! She looks just like Cinn's Siamese. "Sony". Ours is an inside cat only. She's not spoiled and neither are our fish! :lol:

Rembrandt

[Jackie Ramo]

:lol: Love the shower picture Will that be hot or cold sir???

[Rembrandt]

Jackie,
She likes the cold water best. She is getting in her "wash your hands and face?" position. It is a game that Pam and Sony have. Sony loves to play in the water and Pam will turn the water on and Sony "paws" at it and washes herself. Sony will even jump in the shower with ya if the shower door is not completely shut. A quick adjustment of the showerhead usually runs her out. :lol:
Pam even has her potty trained. :-?
If there was a way Pam could potty train her fish.... I'm sure she'd figure it out! :roll:
Rembrandt

[Jackie Ramo]

Well if she can potty train fish - you have married a very rich woman!!! :lol: !rofl !rofl

[marla]

Does Sony drink the water from the faucet also?? Sammy waits at the door to get in after the shower. Try to keep all the cats in but they all open the screen doors. This one hides around the corner of the door so when you open it he's out like a flash. If I think of it I try to come in a different one then I go out. :wink:

[marla]

OOPS, should have gone to the next page before I replied. Wish I could potty train my four, but then again what would the dog eat for dessert? :eek:

[Jackie Ramo]

Marla!! I was having breakfast!!! !bonk :lol:

[Cinnamon]

Marla her name is actually Sonja. We call her Sony for short. Yes she drinks and plays in the water. She will watch it then I tell her she better wash her hands and face or I will turn it off. Sometimes she tests me and I turn it off. When I go to the bathroom she has to go also. She thinks it is a "petting thrown"! :lol: !rofl If you don't watch it she scurries in so fast you almost sit on her :lol:

[marla]

Even though Sammy was a loaner, I think he's here to stay. The major down fall is he has never gotten along with one of our other males. He actually stalks him like prey. He will jump up and eat only Finny's food I think just to taughnt him. He will just sit near Finny and stare him down calmly. It's comical antics in a way but I do wish those two got along. He gets along fine with the other male and female and the dog. He does have much more of a character then the other 3 cats.

[Rembrandt]

Hey all :)
Just getting caught up on the posts.
I am so used to calling her Sony, I forget her real name is Sonja.
We also play with her using a laser penlight. I have a game called "ring the bell" where my office door is at the end of the hallway and I have a Christmas bell mounted on the door. I can get her fired up and zip the laser down the hallway with her hot and furious after it to the end of the hallway resulting in "thud" ----- ring the bell. :lol:
She will stare at me to get my attention and then stare at the speaker where I always keep the laser, then back at me, and then back at the speaker. As soon as I make a move towards the speaker, she gets into her "attack mode". We have a lot of fun with her.
She was a "throw-away" cat that we stumbled across. My sister and her small boys had lost their cat and Pam and I were just keeping our eyes open for one. I just happened to have Pam with the day I was working claims in the Pt Arthur area and at one of my stops, there was chaos as the guys were chasing this cat around the parking lot and it darted under cars and everywhere. One of the workers there said he tried to catch it and put it in his truck when the cat went ballistic and tried to shred his truck. Long story short, .... Pam walked over to where the cat was last seen and the cat came to her. She picked her up and walked to the truck (I drive a Toyota Xt-cab) and got in with her. !wow! The guys at the shop just held their breath waiting for the doors to fly open. I bid my farewells and walked to the truck awaiting a flurry of cat fur but there was Pam and Sony. Sony was laying next to her leg. She slept most of the way home.
We called my sister that night and told her we had found her a cat. She asked if we could keep it for her that night and she would just pick it up in the morning. We agreed........ and have had her ever since. :smile:

My appologies for the long story but it is a good one.
Rembrandt

[marla]

No appologies needed. Pet stories are great and this one is also. I can just see those guys watching you. The siamese are pretty just one person type loyalties. Glad she didn't get shredded, sounds like you have a great one. I have a laser pen I use to play with the cats also, sometimes it takes a while to get them going. Sammy has a stuffed hedgehog that he came with. I try to keep it hidden because when he does find it he walks around the house with it in his mouth doing this low moanful meow it is annoying. You use to be able to throw it and he'd get it when he was at my daughters, but now he just moans, kind of sad.

[Rembrandt]

:(
...sorry to hear that. It is amazing how attached you can get to animals. They become people in a way. Now we have a crew of fish that we are getting attached to as well! Oh well.....
Rembrandt