A cat leaping out to the potted plants isn't at all likely if I'm reading you correctly that the plants are all clustered in the center of your pond? surrounded by water? Accidentally knocking a plant into the pond would not cause your fish to hide like they are. Something has been after them, that is what causes them to hide like that. A heron or raccoon has been into the water after them. They are scared for their lives and with good reason. A heron could easily knock plants over when landing there to use the plant island for a fishing platform. A cat watching doesn't scare them, I've seen my fish come right up to a cat (before electric fence for raccoons) Cats don't dive or wade into ponds after fish. Look at your pond really early in the morning, dawn/sunrise. I bet you'll see a heron. There is a DIY "Scarecrow" on the website below if you are handy, it adds up to less than they retail for if you make it yourself. Here is a link that might be useful: Heronizer

Just my own opinion for what its worth which isn't much: Its a trade off. Unless you want to discuss vegetable garden subjects, other forums are often more interesting but other forums are often ruder & many people are egotistical, competitive, irritating etc. This usually happens in lively discussions so a thick skin is required. Its true people are basically nice in the midwest but, getting back to the subject of forums in general, the Oklahoma Forum focuses 90% on vegetable gardens & to a lesser degree lawns & common urban landscape plants, so some people feel out of step, lack subjects in common, come away feeling like an observer & non club member or simply find many posts boring. Still, its nice to see people being nicer. Personally I do like a lively discussion even when its not all politeness at times. Gardeners can get passionate when worked up about something they really care about or something that works for them even if the majority disagrees. I've never lived anywhere else. Folks used to just be nice by nature without talking about it or being complimented which would have been embarrassing. I've seen us patting ourselves on the back for this all the time on the local news in the last several years. Thats new. This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Thu, Apr 17, 14 at 16:45

Just wanted to follow up on this. We did end up ordering from blocktop.net. Since we needed a smaller top than originally thought, the quote was a little more than half what I mentioned above, I can't remember the exact total. It included the edge of my choice and shipping. Here's my impression of the company: This is an assumption based on my experience: the cost is kept very low by keeping overhead very low. Customer service, ordering, questions, fabrication, shipping, anything that needs doing -- Mark seems to do it all. I give high marks to the quality of the product; it was delivered in excellent condition with good packing; and the price was incomparably low. Toward the customer service, I can't be as effusive. It was a struggle to communicate what I wanted. I'm not verbally eloquent but a good CS person can ask questions or tell you what they need to know to help you describe what you want. Also, the timing was not exactly as sharp as he stated on the phone -- he said two weeks and it was more like 3 1/2 -- but it could have been worse. Though I had e-mailed and called at least 3 times to check on it, he didn't let me know of a delay in shipping due to finding a scratch on it that he needed to repair. (At least he took care of the scratch.) However, if my assumption is correct and it's a one-man show, I give him a pass on the CS and the timing. He's not a PR person, but he is a craftsman and his workmanship was certainly spot on.

Hi, I have a large art glass bowl, with a crack of about 10" long, roughly half way across. It is clear glass, which is painted on the bottom side. (The crack is barely visible through the beautiful painted design on the underside.) The bowl is strictly decorative. The net talks about several ways of masking the crack and/or repairing it. What would be your advise for making the crack disappear? Thanks, ... john