Replies & Thanks

I greatly appreciate the blogging community. Providing laughter and support, sometimes tears of joy or even sorrow, your virtual friendships are a treasure.

Thank you, Strayer, for inspiring me to attempt fixing my aquarium pump. And Pam, you made me giggle over the image of your one year old grandson dropping toys in your fish tank. I never tire of both your creative and altruistic tales, ladies.

I must say that a twenty-nine gallon aquarium is considered small to serious hobbyists. Larger ones are actually easier to maintain. I know that seems counterintuitive but so many tropical creatures grow too large for me to keep. The greater freshwater volume is also more forgiving of quality. Oh, well. To live is to learn. Right?

I miss keeping these frogs, which didn't fare well.
This was from 2013

If you get back into the aquarist hobby, Katie Isabella’s mom, let me know if you do and your preliminary decisions. Learning from others is so helpful. ~hugs~ As for my tank filter’s restoration, dearest Sandee praised me as handy. ~rolls eyes while grinning~ I appreciate the giggle. Safe and happy sailing, my friend.

Sharing an appreciation of running water with lovely folks like Pradeep Nair, Liz A., plus the families at Cleo’s house, Brian’s Home, and
Cats-astrophic Events made me smile. It’s a good reminder during these divisive times just how many joys we humans have in common.

What made you smile today? And if nothing did, would it help to share your day’s disappointments?

Feel free to vent. And best wishes to all, my dears.

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Rise & Shine

For the last few days I have not been on my computer long enough to finish a rather long and involved blog post. Something(s)... ahem... keep distracting me.

I never expected to laugh so much. My husband remarks on this a lot, too, happy to hear it.

The Dactyl sisters often get me out of bed before dawn. Today Tara rummaged inside my aquarium cabinet while Polly started playing with electrical cords Sunday morning. They know what motivates me. I'll have to tell you about Jezebel's latest antics later. In the meantime let me show you the beautiful morning sky.

Here Comes the Sun...

Did you know aquarium stands often have openings in back for equipment? Have you figured out that Tara is too smart for her own good? And that fish food has an expiration date? ~shakes head~ At least these antics are inspiring me to clear out some outdated things.

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Mrs. Fix(ed)-It

Ever since the big aquarium die-off in 2019 thanks to ich my tropical fish-keeping struggles have continued. Right now I have no pets at all living in my ten gallon tank. The filter is still running in case I decide to try again but with two curious young cats it’s best left alone. That room turned into a virtual storage locker for items threatened by Terra’s boundless, energetic curiosity. ~grin~ My twenty-nine gallon tank houses just two spotfin gobies and some snails.

In the last week or so that filter began making unusual noises. I disassembled the unit planning to lubricate its magnetic impeller, which worked in past. Alas, the core with attached rotating fins came out while the magnet stayed behind. I didn’t even realize this initially; the thing has been so reliable as to need no regular maintenance. Taking apart my smaller filter revealed the problem. Of course a size difference made swapping parts impossible. ~sigh~ My husband suggested ordering a new filter upon learning all my finagling rendered that larger pump useless.

The Crucial Part

So I did. Still, I decided to try a marine life safe adhesive on the impeller (I found no Aqueon replacement impellers for sale). Immediately reassembling the unit failed spectacularly. Oops. Allowing a second application of glue to cure overnight achieved partial success. The pump functioned with a horrible racket. With nothing left to lose I took nail clippers to the four plastic fins, angling the inward facing corners. Success! Now I have a spare filter.

Would you go ahead and replace the older filter? Or should I lobby my husband to support me in buying another tank? ~wink~ Have I mentioned his recurring nightmare in I secretly converted our cellar into a huge fish habitat?

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Harbingers of Spring - & - Learning to Accept My Power Animal

There is no doubt that flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials tell us summer is nigh. Inside our home the annual earnest ant invasion began. I am happy to say that applying fresh caulk upon the kitchen window ledge seems to have solved the problem. I discovered this trick a few years ago and much prefer this solution to using poisons.

Discovered on an afternoon walk

Another creature that likes our home are centipedes. They tend to appear in high numbers during early to late spring and again in autumn. I’ve mentioned these insects before and apologize if you’ve read these same stories.

At any rate, my husband remains oblivious to their presence while I see them almost every day. Years ago a particularly obnoxious crop of these creepy crawlers gave me close up and personal attention. One found its way onto the bedspread and trundled right toward where I lay stretched across the mattress with my journal. Another got inside an unlatched DVD case and fell down the front of my blouse when I picked it up.

Ugh…

I am trying to intellectually embrace these beneficial hunters. They are fast, strong, and nocturnal. What’s not to like? And it’s impossible to know how many harmful insects centipedes have spared us. My instinctual disgust does result in crushing a specimen here and there.

Have you ever witnessed a housecat gleefully fling a centipede about? Can you suggest how I might overcome my revulsion?

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Health, Home, and Garden Updates

A check-up with my primary care physician last week revealed a pleasant surprise. I lost a few more pounds, despite not going to lift weights or swim at the YMCA. It seems simple housekeeping, heavy duty yard work, and chasing kittens keep me plenty active. ~grin~ Below is footage of the small DIY in-ground fountain I installed.

The sound of running water has always appealed to me. I prefer waves crashing onto a sandy beach but this will suffice for now. Sad to say, we don’t have so much as a pond or stream on our property.

I appreciate all who read my silly blog, but special thanks to Pam for checking in saying you missed fresh posts. And to answer your question, the new sink faucet is awesome!

My husband found this at a huge discount
just because its package had been opened
& we found not a single (!) missing part.

While I can’t even tell from my own photo, would it bother you that the stainless steel finish doesn’t matched the soap dispenser’s brushed metal look? Would you be willing to pay upwards of five to seven hundred dollars (US) for such an apparatus?

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