Plants & Fish

We finally got around to planting a garden this year. In fact, we got so excited about growing our own vegetables that we planted tomatoes, asparagus, carrots, shallots, and basil in the flower beds in front of our house. I'm not sure what our neighbors will think but we didn't really do anything with the flower beds last year and I think that something/anything growing will be an improvement. We chose the plants that would have a beneficial effect on their neighbors, our first attempt at companion planting.

I haven't included a photo of the garden proper because, well, it doesn't look very good. Over the winter we had been dropping our compost on it and, come spring, I just tilled everything together. Is that so bad? The soil isn't nice and sifted like gardens are supposed to look; it has leaves and pieces of cut grass mixed in. In some places you may even find a banana peel. Seriously, do you think that is going to be a problem?




We also got a little beta fish named Whisper. I'd developed a keen respect for these fish after meeting the specimen that Kendall and Jewel have in their home. One day while we were visiting, Tyson and Brooklyn dumped handfuls of spicy potato chips into its water. Fortunately one of the adults noticed what had happened and plucked it from the thickening sludge. We did an emergency water change, but I was still pretty sure there was a toilet bowl in its immediate future. To my surprise the fish survived! Apparently they are even semi-amphibious as it was once found lying on its side on the counter top - no one knows exactly how long it was out of the water for.

These two events have made me question why I ever bothered with salt water fish. These guys are cheaper and a lot less work. I took Kendall's advice and put it in a square container so it was easier to see. We noticed there is a little freshwater snail that must have hitchhiked along with the plant we bought - the snail's name is Surprise.

That's it for this week. Enjoy the rain.




- C