Do it yourself

Mantis tiller is the way to go to dig a hole. You did well there, Boss Keane will be happy.

One thing to watch is you might want to get something to cover the top to keep the fish safe. Invisinet bird netting or something. My mother had a pond with all manner of goldfish. One we even called the "Steeler Fish" due to its coloring. One morning all were gone.

This post guilts me into making a post of a monster-raised bed I am doing in the back yard. But we need action here! I got two new hives going but not posting until something new to report there. Maybe though I will, as I am trying two different sizes of hives.

Although many people associate RVs with the young, able-bodied and adventurous types, there is indeed an 'Old Geezer' component. I've seen them in shopping center parking lots in Florida.

There is a web site for those who choose to retire to an RV, but are not forced by economic reasons to live in an RV. Its a geographically and historically oriented site that deals with history, festivals and educational courses as they might be encountered along the highways. You get the best of both worlds. Leisure travel and low costs.

Living in a 'downsized home' can be fine for Seniors but often the 'downsizing component' can lead to a geographically mobile location. If you look at recent developments you will find things on Amazon that are solar charged battery operated air conditioners/fans suitable for car/RV windows. No excessive battery drain but all the comforts of home. Many of the RVs are underpowered rigs limited to well paved roads but many are Expedition RVs able to deal with mud, snow and ice.

For some it seems its more the ability to trek rather than some need to constantly be actually treking somewhere. Near a medical facility, near a Farmer's Market, near a park, near a golf course. All can viewed as desirable but now the mobility factor lets you change your mind from time to time.

Face, I really admire and am jealous of your ambition.

Quote: DRich

Face, I really admire and am jealous of your ambition.

I wanna say crack, but it's probably
meth. I kid, it has to be pharm grade
amphetamines..

Seems like Face would be a good contestant for Survivor. Good combo of basic utility and social skills. 1 million big ones might just be waiting for him to sign up.

Quote: AZDuffman

This is a neat thing! $200 each time you stop a blade, but for institutional use where there are more accidents it saves injuries!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiYoBbEZwlk

Here is another video where the nventor actually puts his own finger into the blade.

Quote: AZDuffman

I got two new hives going . . .

Good luck with them. Some scientist recently discovered a caterpillar that munches on bee honeycomb will happily much thru all our plastic waste also. Might be good for your compost pile.

Quote: Pacomartin

Here is another video where the nventor actually puts his own finger into the blade.

I'm in favor of such safety devices even if they add costs to the machine and those costs are imposed on the safety conscious users. One moments inattention, one distraction ... and the costs of rehabilitation can be huge. Employers should not be allowed to just pay their workman's compensation premiums and keep going. A machine wrenching safety device is better than someone losing a finger.
Now if only we had such a device to stop the hammer in mid-swing!

Quote: DRich

Face, I really admire and am jealous of your ambition.

Thanks, DRich. I suggest ditching TV. Saves money and encourages productive activity =)

Quote: Evenbob

I wanna say crack, but it's probably
meth. I kid, it has to be pharm grade
amphetamines..

Weed and chocolate milk. Never was much a fan of uppers. I'm high strung enough naturally.

Quote: rxwine

Seems like Face would be a good contestant for Survivor. Good combo of basic utility and social skills. 1 million big ones might just be waiting for him to sign up.

Ha! You are fooled by the writing. I'm non-social and garbage at game theory. I could eat bugs and starve no problem, but that's the least important aspect. I'd be gone by the second week and spend the next 30 days camping a half mile away =p


Had a bit of a lull as it's November again here, they're actually calling for snow on Saturday. But I did manage a crick run for some rock and today was nice, so I did as much as I could before my car parts arrive. I started by re-doing part of the liner that wasn't supported and fell in during the last storm, and then spread the rest of the rock I had. I'm still a fair bit short and need even more for the falls I'm building, but while it'll be a back breaker, I think my truck can handle it in just one more load.



/sigh. Now that I look again, maybe 2 more loads =/ Either way, I'm almost done with that part.

Next was the falls, both to finish the cosmetic portion and begin the life support portion. I decided on something similar to my last effort, only this time to do it large and in sections. I basically built an odd set of stairs. To begin, I made a 4"W x 4"H x 32"L box to serve as the initial pool. The flow on this pump is far to voluminous to point straight down the chute, it'd blow all but the largest rocks out of it and I need the smaller ones to disguise the liner. So the hose from the pump will exit under the rock border of the pond, run underground to this staircase, run up the side, and dump into this long, thin box up top. The front wall of said box is but 2"H, essentially making a slot. The water will simply overflow into the chute, negating the blast direct from the hose (in theory =p)

What follows is two simple steps, each 9"H x 32"W x 24"L. The steps are set slightly below the side walls to create a 3" lip to prevent flooding by the present rocks and keep the water inside. I also tilted them backwards to create a deeper pool for the water to fall into than it is where it falls out of. I did it both in hopes of slowing down the general appearance, but also to give the trickle a deeper bloop and blurble as opposed to the trebley pish and pash of it rapidly smashing on rock. If I don't like it, I can always fill it with rock and make the audio as adjustable as I'd like. Pretty much all I've left to do is decide how to waterproof it.

I do have a mess of fibreglass on hand and with it could make it more artistic and flow-y to blend in, as opposed to the utilitarian box shape it is. But in all likelyhood I'll just wrap it same as the last. Tain't as pretty, but it's a f#$%ton easier and I got a lot of irons in the fire.





That stuff's all pretty much as good as done. No more thinking, just simple labor. Now I've got to put some serious thought into filtering. So far, I love what's happening. I got copious amounts of dirt and mud in it, both from the rain washing the newly placed rocks, and the huge storm splashing the surrounding garden everywhere. Still, the pond remains clear. It's all settled nicely, isn't churned up by the noticeable current, and even helps camouflage the liner. But, damn. It's so big it just grabs everything. This weeks it's all the apple blossoms. The whole thing was giant swirl of pink. I fished those out and now it's full of sawdust lol. And I can already see that every bloom and blossom that wound up in my vines is now gonna wind up in my water.

I've got a good enough idea for a bio filter, that being no more than a Gatorade cooler type sealable container into which I can put layers of media, bio, and charcoal material, all connected by more line and bulkheads. Line in on top, line out on bottom, layer, layer, layer in middle. Easy game. The one I'm not confident on is the skimmer. I suspect I'll do something similar to that of a pool, and perhaps T a line from it into the main pump line with an adjustable one way valve, creating just a dash of suction. I suppose with a bit of plexi and caulk I could do just about anything, so I reckon I'm gonna give 'er a whirl that way. If it doesn't work, I'll just do it manually like I used to with a long pole and net. Whatever. I hope to have it so full of water plants it'll be hard to tell anyways.

So far, so pretty good. Those falls I designed last night on the floor. Made it today in about 2hrs. Even got the whole thing out of one sheet of plywood. Feels good to have things work like they're supposed to =D

Hmm, how's the waterproofing going to work? Water + plywood = bad juju. Consider hiding the hose from the submerged pump under the "stairs" instead of going up the side.

I liked the last waterfall you built. It won't work for this project?