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Platy Problem Stalls Guppy Dreams
My vision of an aquarium chocked full of guppies has yet to materialize. Three pairs of guppies couldn’t keep up with two extremely prolific platy females. I’ve been trying to remove unwanted platies for months. Ridding the tank of platies has been surprisingly difficult. The smaller they are, the harder they are to catch–even after…
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Lessons Learned…Finally
My gardening style revolves around buying whatever catches my eye and finding a spot for it later. I could write a book about my mistakes. Like it or not, the key to success is planting the right plant in the right location. Many of my poor choices limped along for days, weeks or even months…
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My Best Gal
I have never experienced anything quite like Tootsie. Saying she wants to play all the time, while true, misses the point. It’s not about playing so much as having my attention. Adjusting has been a challenge. She tap-dances on my last nerve–a lot. A failure to communicate is often the problem. Working with the trainer…
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Countdown to Harvest
When I started seed for my fall garden last month, lingering summer heat and insufficient rain were concerns. High temperatures dropped into the 80s a few days after I planted everything. Rain, however, is still in short supply. My still unmet goal is a harvest-ready crop by the middle of December. Although seed got off…
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Most Prolific?
Keeping live-bearing tropical fish in has been fun and educational. At roughly the same time, I added two females of three different varieties to the tank. The most prolific variety surprised me. I expected red cobra guppies to run away with the competition. They had a head start of several weeks and a reputation for…
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Getting Ready for Fall
The last of the tomato plants went to the compost pile last week. Bell peppers are still producing, but the other summer veggies are gone. Time to start my fall/winter garden. Experience helps. Wisdom accumulates with each new season. Lessons learned last year resulted in a few changes this year. I need to plant fall…
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Suddenly Speedy
I’ve logged 3500+ miles in just over 1000 outings on MapMyRun since 2012. After every mile, a female voice announces the number of miles this time out, the average time per mile, and the time for the last mile. The free version saves these details, a map of the route, and tons of other information…
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Population Explosion
The population in my 29-gallon aquarium is growing exponentially. The momma fish keep having babies! Several will soon be grandmas. I have no idea how many guppy, platy and molly babies have been born. Given the chance, fry of all three varieties grow quickly. Hiding until they’re too big to be eaten by bigger fish…
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Veggie Delight
For me, gardening is mostly about flower. A sense of obligation and a desire for fresh tomatoes motivate me to plant a few every year. Harvesting just a few is typical. Some years, I don’t harvest a single fruit. Lessons learned last year led me to switch things up a little. Overcrowding is much less…
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Full Tank
Once the goldfish had to go, the vision for my 29-gallon aquarium shifted to guppies. The tank is too big for just guppies, so I expanded the vision to a community tank with mostly livebearers. Changing my mind all the time is a gift. The Red Cobra guppies are doing great. They’re always on the…