It’s been a little over a year since I first embarked on this thing. While I can’t say it’s thriving, it’s definitely Not Dead – so I’ll call it a win.

Not much to look at…..

I sometimes have to fight the urge to poke around in it, trying to make it look “neater”. That big glob of green crap at the top….the mass of “fuzz” at the bottom…. But I remind myself that it’s not dying and there are still critters swimming and crawling around inside it, so my policy of “benign neglect” will continue. All I do is add a little more pond water from the original source every now and then when the level gets uncomfortably low (close to the narrowest part of the neck).

Actually, I don’t go back to the exact source for the extra water. The trail going to that part of the pond is now overgrown to the point where it’s not worth hacking through the brush to get to that little inlet. Fortunately, there’s another part of the same pond where a clear trail leads down to a rocky area where one can get right to the water’s edge without getting mud on your shoes. I do try and scoop up some floating things, and, with luck, another swimmer or three. I’m wondering if catching rain or snow over the winter will be OK if there’s some reason I can’t make it to the pond when it’s time for a topping off.

By the way, I have tentatively identified the largest snail – the one that’s a bit bigger than a large sesame seed, but smaller than an unshelled sunflower seed – as a “bladder snail”. It looks right, if it’s about half the size of what one would expect. And though I’ve never seen it with the characteristic air bubble, I understand they are more active at night – when I’m not watching. Those who keep them in their freshwater aquaria say one should add an occasional bit of calcium to the tank to help them build their shells; a bit of crushed eggshell is a common suggestion. I might try that – though the reported “downside” is that its decay might result in an increase of toxic ammonia in the water. Eh, I’m not keeping the thing perfectly sealed, so maybe if I think of it the next time I’m cooking with eggs….