Better late than never
I finally got my camera back. Left it in Charles' Jeep after Autumn Trials in QT (Omaha for you non-nerds) but I'm still missing that first role of film with all the ditching pictures and The Sex Slaves from their last CCC show. Holly was so pissed I lost that. I don't really blame her. But now at least we can glory in the Emperor looking down Topaz's dress. Amtgard is dirty.
Speaking of Amtgard! Sunday was awesum! Locally, the turnout was mediocre tending towards better. We were Attacked! by the Ivory Tower (Lincoln NE) but the good people of Querna Tema leaped to our defense! What that really means is we had around 35-40 people, mostly from out of town.
WHY CAN'T WE ALWAYS HAVE THAT MANY PEOPLE OUT!?!?!
And then Mindee showed up. Glad I didn't completely creep her out. Local males quickly showed interest in this New Girl. Poor fellows. :D I hope she comes out again. And brings Lee. That would make four. Slow and steady wins the race. Oh yes. Much fighting, much dying on my part. A healer from QT tried to subdue me during FaD (Hello! Barbarian!) but in his defense, he was legged and didn't have many options as far as retreat go. (Panic! Panic!) Raku shot down a fellow archer on the opposing team in the worst way possible. What is it with arrows and and male genitalia? Need to bring Raku back here. He rebuilt the Ivory Tower from nothing to pushing barony in less than two years. No one here can recruit like him. We need to get a move on.
Anywho, was good to see some familiar faces from out of town. Need to get down to IT for our own raid someday soon.
The bog is doing okay. Main pond has cleared up dramatically due primarily to the settling of free floating algae in the bog. Is a strange thing to see. The clear spaces caused by channeling of water flow through the algae gives a very strong impression of a freshwater sponge (next year, next year!) but any movement stirs it all back up and over the fall it goes. So I tried syphoning it off. But... the syphon is too strong. Sucking out gravel. Bah! Sitting out there with the aquarium syphon would take a week. Water celery/parsly growing new leaves. Is the varigated cultivar and the varigation is hot pink. Will by very striking when up to size. Diphyllum has four or five new leaves up and the fourleaf clover cutting has two or three almost at the surface. Used a piece of black plastic lawn edging so I could let the Azolla out without it washing into the pond, but the birds had other plans. I saved a bit in the rectangular pot for such an event. Just going to let it grow in there for now. Watercress not doing a lot, but is looking healthy. Have to keep shaking the algae off the Myriophyllum so it can get light. Blackbirds keep knocking over the new mangroves. Water poppy has new leaves and the plantlet at the end of the runner it came with has a leaf at the surface, so we almost have two! The rain we had a few days ago shorted out the pump and all the water syphoned back into the pond. The vals dried out a bit. Either that or they got sunburned from being in such shallow water. Holly moved one to the pond, just in case. Hyacinths doing fine, no string algae in their roots in spite of the direct sunlight. The bigger (ha!) mini cattail is doing good, smaller one could go either way. Spider lily is no change, but once again, blackbirds knoking it over. Had to put rocks around it to hold it up.
I need a scarecrow for my pond. Crazy. I like watching them drink and splash around, I just don't want them knocking my plants over. Bog is shallow enough that sparrow chicks should be able to make it high enough to breath. For the pond... well, last year we had way fewer dead birds, and I did pull one off of the lilies alive. Getting better.
The bog works. Thank the gods. Next year: Water Mimosia, FW sponges, 2nd attempt at black mangroves. And maybe a lotus.
Speaking of Amtgard! Sunday was awesum! Locally, the turnout was mediocre tending towards better. We were Attacked! by the Ivory Tower (Lincoln NE) but the good people of Querna Tema leaped to our defense! What that really means is we had around 35-40 people, mostly from out of town.
WHY CAN'T WE ALWAYS HAVE THAT MANY PEOPLE OUT!?!?!
And then Mindee showed up. Glad I didn't completely creep her out. Local males quickly showed interest in this New Girl. Poor fellows. :D I hope she comes out again. And brings Lee. That would make four. Slow and steady wins the race. Oh yes. Much fighting, much dying on my part. A healer from QT tried to subdue me during FaD (Hello! Barbarian!) but in his defense, he was legged and didn't have many options as far as retreat go. (Panic! Panic!) Raku shot down a fellow archer on the opposing team in the worst way possible. What is it with arrows and and male genitalia? Need to bring Raku back here. He rebuilt the Ivory Tower from nothing to pushing barony in less than two years. No one here can recruit like him. We need to get a move on.
Anywho, was good to see some familiar faces from out of town. Need to get down to IT for our own raid someday soon.
The bog is doing okay. Main pond has cleared up dramatically due primarily to the settling of free floating algae in the bog. Is a strange thing to see. The clear spaces caused by channeling of water flow through the algae gives a very strong impression of a freshwater sponge (next year, next year!) but any movement stirs it all back up and over the fall it goes. So I tried syphoning it off. But... the syphon is too strong. Sucking out gravel. Bah! Sitting out there with the aquarium syphon would take a week. Water celery/parsly growing new leaves. Is the varigated cultivar and the varigation is hot pink. Will by very striking when up to size. Diphyllum has four or five new leaves up and the fourleaf clover cutting has two or three almost at the surface. Used a piece of black plastic lawn edging so I could let the Azolla out without it washing into the pond, but the birds had other plans. I saved a bit in the rectangular pot for such an event. Just going to let it grow in there for now. Watercress not doing a lot, but is looking healthy. Have to keep shaking the algae off the Myriophyllum so it can get light. Blackbirds keep knocking over the new mangroves. Water poppy has new leaves and the plantlet at the end of the runner it came with has a leaf at the surface, so we almost have two! The rain we had a few days ago shorted out the pump and all the water syphoned back into the pond. The vals dried out a bit. Either that or they got sunburned from being in such shallow water. Holly moved one to the pond, just in case. Hyacinths doing fine, no string algae in their roots in spite of the direct sunlight. The bigger (ha!) mini cattail is doing good, smaller one could go either way. Spider lily is no change, but once again, blackbirds knoking it over. Had to put rocks around it to hold it up.
I need a scarecrow for my pond. Crazy. I like watching them drink and splash around, I just don't want them knocking my plants over. Bog is shallow enough that sparrow chicks should be able to make it high enough to breath. For the pond... well, last year we had way fewer dead birds, and I did pull one off of the lilies alive. Getting better.
The bog works. Thank the gods. Next year: Water Mimosia, FW sponges, 2nd attempt at black mangroves. And maybe a lotus.