When life is not full of obligations and projects... I do frequent "Garden"web's woodworking, football, and cars forums.

Ponders gotta be the funniest and funnest people around though. I triple dog dare you to show me another forum on GW as great as this one.

Hi Jean! Im all over the place! I started on the bluebirding forum and got called a troll over there and then a stupid liar because i wasn't completely stupid like they wanted and i knew to much ,so i must be a troll. So they are not my favorite people but i LOVE MY BLUEBIRDS and i go there alot. Then i go to the bird watching forum alot then i come here to ponds were the sweethearts are for a chat. Then i go to fruits and orchards, wildlife gardening, shrubs and Tennessee gardening. I went to the pet forum once and they were fighting over there so i didn't stay. There are a lot of others i would like to visit but my family already says i neglect them so maybe some other time. I know i want to visit native plants and perennials too. I am a plantaholic and obsessed bird watcher too! :-)
Bonnie

Lately IÂve been reading the threads in the Wildlife Garden, Native Plants, Woodlands, Meadows and Prairies, Integrated Pest Management, and of course Bluebirds. HavenÂt posted though. No time.

I visit the Tropical planty things forum and the Bromeliads. The Rose forum is usually great for a laugh ... in a nice way! Very funny and witty folks there but I just lurk. I mainly lurk at the Orchids forum until they go off on how fun it is to shoot or poison squirrels then I just go off on them.

Bonnie and I were deemed Trolls at the same time by the Unwelcoming Committee at the BB forum. WooooHooo! The high point of my life! LOL!!! There was a post about illegal activities and I called them out on it and did not back down. It was great! :-) I lurk at the Birdwatching forum too. It used to be a very friendly place but you are correct Jean, the atmosphere has changed. I'll post there if I know something.

I've read the plumbing forum and the renewable energy forum, but am not a regular there. I also read the hypertufa forum to learn what I can. I am guilty of popping in, getting my question answered and then disappearing, but I don't have much expertise to offer so they're not missing much. One forum that is as wonderful as this one is the tractors forum, and the Glyphs forum for music geeks is big fun, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Where are the good men? Here.

I'll have to let DH know about the Tractors forum, if he ever gets tired of his Aces High game online. :D

I regularly visit and post on the California forum - a very different crowd, very prim and proper, but there are some really nice, down home folks in the off-topic area - as well as the Salvia forum, because my name is Brenda, and I'm an addict. :D

Brenda

Hot Topics and Name That Plant and to a lesser degree The Insect and Animal forums. Bird forum occasionally.

The BB forum - too much blue OCD for me. I slapped this one dude that said he fast pitched starlings into trees because I personally think that is a sick thing to do. I understand and agree to a large extent the need to promote natives and not the non-natives but throwing birds into tree trunks doesn't sit well with me and you all know me I don't hold back sometimes:-) There is a post similar to that right now about freezing a frog in Discussions. Why someone has to write that is beyond me. Just do it and shut about it. Geez - no balls to kill it and eat it's legs. At least it would not have died in vain.

I forgot all about the wildlife gardening, I'll have to check that one out. I'd be useless on the Name That Plant forum!

And now I remember why I quit reading the discussions forum, the bullfrog in the freezer got me really riled. And she never even mentioned she was trying to protect the natives, she just wanted to be rid of a "pest".

And she is back asking what should she do next year when another one shows up. How about shove it up - oh never mind - that would be too mean to the bullfrog. Yeah - poor frog - he had a bad habit of needing to eat. Her attitude riled me up too Jean. The post is creepy.

Well, since she thinks they are smart I should advise her to post a sign that says 'Bullfrogs Stay Away or Risk Getting Shoved in the Freezer Because Pond Owner Says you are NOT NICE.'

"What a Maroon"...... Bugs Bunny

I don't read the discussions part much either 'cause we don't have a ~real pond~. I don't know enough to even chance a comment for 99.13% of the questions asked there. I would not want to give someone the wrong advice. We have no filter or pumps. Just a hole in the ground with some water and frogs, toads, salamanders.

Well heck. I don't know much about much except how to spin a story or two. LOL! But if someone is going to post how much fun they had trashing House Wren nests WITH EGGS ... look out! Do Not mess with the Wrens!

Daisy. Dear sweet Daisy doggy is trying her best to make sure Mike's dream koi pond extravaganza is never made a reality. So far she is winning.

3DChick

Chickadee thats the kind of pond i want. A simple one with no filters to change. I just cant afford a new expensive pond hobby because i already spend to much on plants :-)
What can you grow in a pond like that and can you have fish. How big should it be and do you have it lined? I want a log or two in there so i can have turtles and frogs. I love frogs too. Why would somebody freeze a frog? Frogs are good for the environment aren't they, they are not harmful.

I rescued a Carolina Wren today from drowning. The poor little thing had fell into a pan of water i have outside and i heard this funny noise and i looked and it was the little wren almost drowned. It was so teeny tiny and i put it in my hanging basket to hide it because it was so weak and it stayed there for a long time and then it jumped out. I never saw it fly though, so i dont know if it was a baby or hurt itself trying to get out of the pan. I sure hope it will be okay. Because of the drought we are only allowed to water with the hose three mornings a week and if they catch us doing it at a time we are not supposed to they will shut our water off. So to save the new trees and shrubs we planted this Spring we fill up pans and buckets of water to take to the plants on days we cant use the hose. That's what the little Wren fell in was one of my water pans. I didn't know we had them here (CAWR) because i had only seen House Wrens that got in my house sparrow traps so it was a birdy high point for me because i didn't know they were here.
Chicka didn't you have Carolina Wrens nesting in one of your orchids? How did that turn out and how many babies, you never said.

Jean i like this thread. It is fun to see what everybody else likes too. I like the wildlife forum because it is so funny. Everybody takes pictures of poo, and asks everybody else what made it. Cracks me up :-) It also helps by telling which plants attract a lot of animals and wildlife. I just wish more people would post because it doesn't seem very active sometimes.
Bonnie

Hi Bonnie.

Our wildlife pond is about 3000 gallons and lined. We have Bettas in it during the summer for mosquito larvae control but catch them in September as they will not survive cold temperatures.

Plants? Depends on the size and the amount of light you have. Here's a partial list of our pond plants:

Marginals:

Colocasia sp. - "Black Majic Taro"
Colocasia sp. "Chicago Harlequin"

Cyperus longus - Hardy Umbrella Grass
Cyperus papyrus - Egyptian papyrus

Equisteum scorpoides - Dwarf horsetail

Hibiscus moscheutos - Swamp Hibiscus
Juncus effusus 'Spiralis' - Corkscrew Rush
Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal flower
Mimulus guttatus - Yellow Monkey Flower
Thalia dealbata - Hardy Water Canna

Typha latifolia variegata - Variegated Cattail
Typha minima - Miniature Cattail

Floating:

Hydrocharis morsus - Frogbit
Pistia stratoites - Water Lettuce
Azolla - Fairy Moss

Oxygenators:

Ceratophyllum demersum - Hornwort
Cabomba caroliniana - Cabomba

Water Lilies / Floating Leaves:

Water Lily 'Attraction'
Nymphoides geminata - Chocolate Water Fringes

I have a description of our pond somewhere in here. Lemme try to find it for you.

Good job on your Carolina Wren rescue! They are so very cute, aren't they? Until you get too near their nest. LOL! Yes, we had 4 baby Carolinas fledge from the orchid nest. Only lost one orchid because of it but 1 orchid vs 4 new Wrens? It was worth it!

We have 2 wading pools for the dogs. When the dogs are not outside playing and no one is watching the pools, we place willow tree limbs in and across the pools. If a bird should fall in they will be able to climb on the branch to safety.

In this thread is a description and pic of a Camp Nappy pond.

Here is a link that might be useful: Birdbaths

LOL, there are a lot of forums that I go to for specific problems but the Hot Topics forum is one I favor thanks to Semper Fi. The Ponds forum is the one that seems most like home. I'm glad I found it. Sandy

After reading the updated posts on the bullfrog thread, I just had to come over here and applaud you ladies (CT, Jean, Z-chick) for your comments! Ohhhh, I was SO tempted to post, too, but...I think you all said it best.

Z-chick, I especially appreciate your post. It was to the point, thoughtful, and not demeaning in any way (not that the woman shouldn't be "demeaned" to the maximum...:D).

You ladies are why I love this forum!!

Brenda

Thanks, Brender. I guess the news that I am capable of beheading fellow creatures comes as no surprise to most of us here. I am not particularly proud of it, but I do what I think is right, and I stand with downcast eyes when the time comes to answer for it. Would that my heart were as brave as the stark kindness that Jeanner and C3D and others bear. I am not kidding. Thank God they are here, because without knowing that there are those who call in to work to say they'll be in after they help a hummingbird out of the garage, I could not do what I do. The world needs both of us, I think.

And you know, if there's any particular skill I have, it's the ability to spot genuine feeling. That Mary is posting open and honest, and she took a wrist-slap for it. It's easy to criticize while hyper-editing oneself to stay safe from the criticism of others, But it's through Mary's kind of open, honest blundering that we all learn. She may have been a dumbass in this particular circumstance, but she was an honest dumbass, and there's not much more we can ask of one another.

Well Zinnia .... If you feel you need to approach with downcast eyes for causing an instantaneous painless humane death of a fellow creature then I'm on the express train to someplace that's hot for eternity. I think you are a fantastic person, Z! :-)

Unfortunately I think I have been responsible for more euthanasia of more species than the rest of the forum. I have put an end to the lives of my own animals by giving that final injection myself. The only pain is the needle poke into the vein and they go to an eternal sleep quickly.

That poor bullfrog! Have you ever been shoveling snow and your feet and fingers get really cold? How uncomfortable is that? This frog had his toes frozen first then the freeze went up the legs as well as deeper into his entire skin. His eyes got frozen ... maybe they burst before he was unconscious. Then maybe consider to thaw him out so he may regain consciousness and experience the excruciating pain of frost bite of his limbs, skin, eyes...

Gruesome isn't it? The original poster of the freezer frog obviously thought only of removing her problem and did not think in advance of the potential cruel death she inflicted on the frog. The door to the freezer is closed, probably made it soundproof so she didn't hear him struggle through the cold and pain...

But I posted a link so maybe the death of future frogs will be kinder. I pass judgment on no one. She didn't know. Now she does.

C3D

"But it's through Mary's kind of open, honest blundering that we all learn. She may have been a dumbass in this particular circumstance, but she was an honest dumbass, and there's not much more we can ask of one another."

That is true when you look at it from the first post and I was going to let it go with my first post until she came back with an attitude, blaming someone else for her actions and changing her story to a native story to get herself off the hook. That is when her dumbass honesty went right out the door. Then the others pile on. Glad C3D ended it with the truth about euthanasia.

I'm with you Z-Chick on the instant brain death method. She really would have faired better if all that 'support' didn't show up to aggrevate the situation. Who am I to judge her - nobody. I've cleanly killed plenty of animals and that IS hypocritical from a death standpoint. I am sorry but I could not let it pass because she was killing a hapless creature and looking for congratulations. She faired FAR BETTER than the frog and we all know she will do the same thing again - she said so directly. She will control her pond against nature. Wait until the first snake shows up, or raccoon, or heron......

If anything - other posters will learn not to be such dumbasses but I don't believe it will stop them from posting to learn. This person was not posting to learn.

I am done with it (I hope) unless another dumbass pops up (and then this dumbass will jump right back into the thick of it). Not much more I can say to the original OP however - as I shredded her actions to the maximum already (good, bad or ugly as it may have been).

The 'plant boy bring it' was hysterical BTW. Good thing you said that because that post hit about 3 major nerves for me and I did hold back.

Anyway - who wants to lay down money that thread is not done:-)

"I am done with it (I hope) unless another dumbass pops up (and then this dumbass will jump right back into the thick of it). "

Oooops - just had to jump there again. I cannot believe the crap some of those that say 'time to move on' say. If they didn't say anything it would move on. Are they that clueless? Too bad I find posts like this (after the initial skirmish) amusing for amusing sake. C3D freezing post is also challenged. I don't know how anyone can say freezing to death is a good way to die. I'd like to stick their arm in a 33 degree pond for about 10 minutes so they can know first hand. It is painful as hell.

And I ask - what does a croc or tiger killing you or your child have to do with some self-centered queen killing a hapless frog for her convenience? Is the dude loopy?

I dunno about the honesty, she's changed her story a few times. If she really felt she did the right thing I don't think she would be trying to cover her tracks. So maybe she is feeling some guilt. I know I would not have reacted the way I did if she had done it humanely, had done it for the right reasons and hadn't sounded so damn righteous.

Don't you think it's a little ironic that she is probably a non-native who has non-native fish she's trying to protect from a non-native frog? And I'm willing to bet that it was a non-native bird that it caught.

The other thing that gets me is that I'm willing to bet that bullfrogs would have made it to the west coast all on their own, just as house finches have made it here from the west coast and have had a part in the decline of the purple finch. I'm not sure that makes any difference in the long run and in the scope of the problem but just food for thought.

But you know what's really obvious here, is that it is SANDY'S FAULT that the pond forum has it's panties in a wad because she send us over there :^)

"But you know what's really obvious here, is that it is SANDY'S FAULT that the pond forum has it's panties in a wad because she send us over there :^) "

I am sorry to say that I deserve that distinction because I mentioned the freezer frog which got you going, which got Sandy going, which got Scott doing something, which got me going, then C3D and finally Brenda. At least Mary has come back on to take responsibility and the next frog in her pond won't die the same way (hopefully). I am not sure about the rabid native Oregonian - I've seen it before the virulent anti non-native types that are so angry that any death method of a non-native is a good death. That anger deserves to be reserved for the people that perpetuate the movement of animals all over the globe for profit. The only person I could have a bone to pick might be bugsby as he called me stupid, but hey - he doesn't pay my rent. LOL

Anyway - sorry to twitsted up any of the conversations ponders panties into a wad.

LOL @ it being Sandy's fault!! I can see her shaking her head and thinking, That's the last time I give advice. LOL I hope not!!! :D

I have comments on the other 2 mentioned by CT in her above post, but....the hills have eyes. :D

Brenda

The whole thread is gone. Good. I think the last thing I saw was a recipe for frog legs by bugsby and some let go of your quilt by party unknown.

Hills Have Eyes - YA THINK! LOL

What hills and what eyes? Im clueless again. Sorry :)

Chickadeedeedee that is a great looking pond why would someone say its not a real pond? Again ,i am clueless. LOL....You really have a lot of plants listed that will help when i get my pond built. I read somewhere that barley straw is supposed to help a new pond or something like that. Your a sweetie and thanks for digging it up for me. When are you going to take some more pictures of your pond since it has been puppyfied. I love how you dug around the roots of the trees that is really cool. My biggest problem is trying to figure out where to put the pond so i can enjoy it the most. I have three favorite spots and i dont think i need three ponds! LOL...I think your right about putting sticks in my buckets because i would feel so bad if i killed somebody just wanting a drink. Where would be the best place to buy a pond liner? I have read that the rubber lining is better than the thick plastic. I didn't think i could have a pond without a filter system so thanks for the help :) I heard you all are having really bad weather up there and i hope and pray you and yours are okay. Be safe.

Look out the hills are alive :-0~~~~~~Bonnie

...with the sound of music...frog music that is, and bird music, and cicada music, and cricket music, and wading racoon music...