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Farmer's Almanac Weather Prediction for Ontario: "Rain spreads across east across the region, followed by clearing and colder weather."
I've had so many plant-related experiences this weekend, that I've got enough material for another entry. This morning I happened to catch Martha Stewart on The View (I have a TV on my desk okay). She said two things that interested me. The first is that she works so much that she actually enjoys chores. I guess I can see her point on some level, but the chores she enjoys are not the chores I enjoy. She enjoys ironing. I hate ironing and make a point of buying clothes that don't need to be ironed. I also hate washing the dishes. If I find myself washing the dishes too many times in a row, look out. I get nasty. Anything that connotes housework or housewifery is on my bad list. I do however enjoy chores such as cleaning up the deck and gardening. They aren't chores. They are an opportunity to get outside and use my muscles.
One of the View "ladies" also asked Martha if she would rather garden then have sex. Martha's reply was that it depended on her partner. That's not an answer. Who wouldn't rather be gardening then having sex with say... Rodney Dangerfield(the most repulsive celebrity I could think of off-hand)? According to some unknown study, people who garden said they prefer gardening to sex. Urg. Those types of studies are so bogus.
I'm starting to warm up to Martha. There was a time when I wouldn't even look at the magazine for fear of tainting my young mind with her magazine's evil obsessive-compulsive ways and sick need to bring back the 50's. Then one Christmas season Davin and I caught an episode of the show on tv. Martha was handling meat, and I have to say, once you've seen Martha fondling meat, there's no turning back. She gets very excited about carving a turkey and well... that's just entertaining. The next thing I knew we were watching it all the time. Will Martha have a barbecue this week? What crazy new detail about herself will she inadvertently divulge? Then I saw the gardening issue and it didn't seem like such a bad thing to give in and buy an issue or two. Then the regular issues had appeal too because there was always at least one article about a plant I was interested in. The next thing I knew I had an army of Living issues occupying valuable shelf space. I've since curbed the spending, and I rarely watch the show (her nutty phase seems to be under control a bit now) but when Martha's autobiography comes out you know I'll be lining up to get a copy. Cause despite her compulsive need to present an image of perfection and refined culture, Martha can't hide the real person... most people who are trying too hard can't. And Martha definitely has a bit of white trash hidden in there. Anyone who likes the taste of Jack Daniels that much must... The other thing I like about Martha is that despite that prissy veil, she's not afraid to get dirty. It seems obvious that while they try to keep her manicured, the woman gets some serious crap underneath her nails.
On the subject of dirt, I did another round of deck clean-up on Saturday. It was nice and sunny out so I took the opportunity to get outside and accomplish something. I pulled up another tomato plant, leaving me with one yellow pear plant. I also washed all of the terra-cotta pots. That's no small task and definitely teetering close to the "dishes" category of chores, but it wasn't that bad.
I had said in my last post that I would be waiting to add new fish to my aquarium but I realized that it was unnecessary since I had kept 25% of the old tank water, left the filter uncleaned, and used all the same plants, substrate and decor so there would be a healthy culture of good bacteria living in the tank to get the process going. So I put the snails and fish back in, and bought a few new plants and fish. As long as I wait a while before adding any new fish, and I keep monitoring the nitrite and ammonia levels it should be good. I even have a nitrate tester. So I'm set. I like the tests because it makes me feel like a chemist.
 I bought a number of new plants but still need to go to another store for more because they store I went to didn't have a lot of the plants I had planned for the tank. I got a new sword, green hedge, an unknown grass, a Rotala indica and a cabomba. I really regret the cabomba. I bought it on a whim because I had had one before with no success. It was so long ago, I didn't remember why I had a problem with it. I rationalized that whatever the problem, I was more experienced and could handle it. Well some of my plant books say that it likes acidic, soft water. My aquarium is on the alkaline side with hard water. It's too late now. I have to make a go at it. The sword I purchased is not a typical amazon sword. The leaves are oval rather than pointed. I'm yet to properly identify it.
 I bought nine very small fish. I was sure to choose hardy fish that can withstand a new set-up. In the past I have focussed on livebearers such as swords, platys and guppies. I promise you that my guppy days are OVER. I don't care how beautiful they are, or if my uncle is giving them to me for free. Those fish breed. They will breed themselves into over-population. In the past I had a multitude of tanks. Now I have one tall 40 gallon and a 20 gallon display tank (also very tall) that I plan to turn into a terrarium. I have no room for guppies and their reproductive ways. I am not the kind of person who cares to breed fish and I especially can not "cull" aka kill unwanted fish. My new plan is to have a nice community tank. Get a few fish I've never had before. I like shoals of fish that dart around. My new setup is very fast moving and requires some quick swimmers. So I bought 4 cherry barbs and 5 danios of various kinds. The selection at the store was hurting so I only purchased one long fin zebra, one golden zebra and three zebras. The fish seem happy darting about the tank exploring the little crevices and hiding places I constructed, and checking each other out. My only fear is that all the fish are male. The danios seem mixed but the cherry barbs are iffy. I looked and looked for photos of both sexes but I'm still unsure. The plants look great but I prefer a heavily planted tank. I like the various implements such as the heater and filter parts to be hidden. So in a week or so I'm going to trek north in search of more plants. If you have any suggestions let me know.
This time last year: Last year's Thanksgiving
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