Plants You have a lot. I'm not on site so hard to tell, but from the pics I'd probably remove all the plants from the pond and vacuum or scoop the bottom with a swimming pool leaf rake. When removing the plants note how deep they are. Moving them to deeper water might be an issue. For everything other than lilies moving plants to more shallow water, or even above the water is almost always better for the plants, so that would be OK if you like. Then I could assess the plants and pond better. Pots, baskets, directly plants? Can pots be reused? I can now see the pond without plants. How's it look to me? Were some plants hiding something that I want to continue to hide? I come up with a plan. Buy replacement pots? Maybe reduce the number of species returned to the pond. If the plants are planted directly in soil, not pots, you really have to empty the pond and deal with the plants. Fish have to be moved. That's a whole deal I won't get into now. Most (all) the plants will have to be divided. Depends on when last done. I just made a post on this. Most of dealing with plants just has to be learned with experience. But here's some things you may not know... When removed from the pond the plants can stay out of water for a really long time. Weeks, even months. The leaves may die back but the roots (rhizomes) last a long time out of water. Keeping them in water can actually cause rot. You can also plant them in regular garden pots with dirt, same as a regular garden plant, and just keep them well watered and they grow great. This is true for every plant except lilies, floaters and plants that grow completely underwater. Some times if you look up a plant on the web or printed on the label when buying a plant it will say 6" of water, or 12" of water, or whatever. Many people think that means the plant must be in that much water. This is actually the maximum depth the plant can take. Most of these do better the less water. Even planted in the yard many of these plants will do well. Here in Phoenix many kinds of "pond plants" are used in yards. This is because "pond plant" isn't really a very good term... "vernal pool plant" would be better. They've adapted to living in standing water and also dry periods when there's no water which is what a vernal pool is. So knowing this can make your life easier, more options. Plants inside the pond = more work. So reducing them will be less work in the future. You can put some of these into pots around the edge of the pond, or in the ground, or switch to other kinds of plants around the edge. Gives you the same lush look with way less work and the pond appears much larger. Here are some pics of a pond I built in San Jose CA to demonstrate. No plant is inside the pond. And here the pot on the left is a "pond plant" called Horsetail Rush. It's a foam pot with no drainage hole, soil from the yard. This plant, like most "pond plants" can be very invasive, but no problem in a pot. And no drainage holes means no straining from leaking water (the pot on the right need drainage and therefore a catch pan under it). Go on vacation for a week or two the pot is fine with no watering. When it's time to divide it's no big deal.

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

Thanks Claire for the comment. I like this one better too because I can zoom in while videoing besides having clearer videos. It's mostly Crooked Beak's bottom bill that is growing out. Squeaker has been teaching Baby how to Squeak like him too- it's funny listening to them. --------------- Hi organic_bassetlvr. I been having many redpolls show up (have on videos), but there still is some that seem to have what looks like a black top with a long black spot on the chest Claire provided photos and info about the redpolls in her post about 'Great Backyard Bird Count' (thanks again Claire!), so I'm leaning towards them being redpolls more than the warbler. It's no problem on skipping the orbs, it was just something else I was sharing. I'm glad you enjoy Crooked Beaks story and thank you for your kindness and concern. --------------------- Hi dreamgarden. Thank you for you kindness, I'm glad you like! The camera I was referring to about videoing and being better was the Sony HD (Handycam) HDR-CX260. The new camera before that was a Samsung HD- it seem to have multiple problems like with focus, sound and stability. The camera before that was my original Kodak EasyShare that just started having multiple problems too- it was a good camera. The cameras I have for monitoring outside are the IR night vision. I have 16 of them now to monitor the birds and any other activities I have around the house. I did install mine myself and have them all hard wired (I can't use wireless) . You might have better luck with the wireless than I did (frequency issues). The wireless are easy to install, it's also the best bang for you buck. You can get them on ebay- http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4G-Wireless-Home-Outdoor-CCTV-Security-Night-Vision-IR-Color-Camera-System-/221041070311?pt=US_Surveillance_Security_Systems&hash=item33771310e7 Or you can type in- '2.4G wireless CCTV IR Night' on ebay search. The system comes with two wireless cameras and a receiver. It cost under a hundred dollars too. The 16 cameras I use are the 2.4 GHz waterproof 380 TVL 1/3 CMOS NTSC 3.6mm lens CCTV Night vision with audio. ------------------ Here are some videos I added if you haven't seen them already- "Zippy" the Red Breasted Nuthatch- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYPQ5FpBDw --------- "Rav" the Raven- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyyaWHIN_lM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2R7k7tjle0 --------- "Sue and "Lou" the Common Redpoll- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UelrTOoY0U ---------- "Centra" the European Starling- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-j6gXSQ9FM ----------- Some other Redpolls- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klb44uKe6Z0 ----------- My dog "Cody"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f11FUslzBA Hope you like them, Ed This post was edited by Trickyfingers on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 21:50

You can encourage or discourage certain behaviors in cats, but they aren't trainable the way dogs are. Dogs are pack animals with an innate desire to please their pack members. Cats are solitary beasts with no particular desire to please anyone but themselves. "Letting a cat have his own way" isn't generally an option; it's a given. That said, there are certain tricks and tools one can use to modify even feline behavior. For instance, if your cat gets on tables and counters where you don't want him, line the edges with wide, double-sided tape (like carpet tape). Cats HATE getting sticky stuff on their feet, so they'll stay away from the tape. Double-sided tape works, too, to discourage cats from clawing furniture. Some cats just love to play with their water, and your boy sounds like one of them. He may outgrow it; he may not. Just put a waterproof mat (like a dish drainer) under his water bowl to prevent the splashed water from ruining the floor. Climbing your porch screen? Don't let him out on the porch unless you're there to supervise. Waking you up in the middle of the night to be fed? Stop feeding him first thing in the morning, or leave food out for him all night. It sounds like Jasper and Jayden are already friends, so the only real issue here is whether or not you can afford two cats. Please, please, please remember that there is a LOT more involved in being financially responsible for an animal than just providing food, housing, and occasional vaccinations. Cats CAN and DO sometimes become ill and/or injured and require very costly veterinary care. You need to be willing to put money into a vet emergency fund for such situations - saving twice as much money for two cats. Be aware that an emergency, after-hours trip to the vet can easily cost several hundred dollars - much more if the emergency requires more than routine diagnostics, surgical intervention, or overnight care. I think Jasper would probably love having a sister, but only if you can afford to provide for two cats under all circumstances. When you move, put Jasper into a large crate (borrow a large dog crate, if possible) with a litterbox, food, and water, and leave him in it until you have finished moving everything from your old apartment into your new one. He will likely be rather freaked out by the move, and you want him in a safe, secure place from which he can not accidentally escape during all the moving confusion. Once you and your possessions are safely in the new apartment and things are quiet, let Jasper out of the crate and allow him to explore his new digs. Put the litterbox in an obvious place so that he'll be able to find it easily. You can gradually move it to a more discreet location once he has become acquainted with your new home and is feeling comfortable and relaxed moving around it. It sounds like a very exciting time in your life, and I'm glad you have Jasper, and perhaps Jayden with whom to share it. Laurie