Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.
After 15 years of enjoying and caring for our Koi fish we decided it was time to get rid of the pond. We are in our 80’s and taking care of the pond has become too difficult. That was made abundantly clear recently while trying to clean vegetation around the pond I took a fall. I scraped up every available limb on my body!
So, sadly the decision was made to let the Koi
go. I could have sold them for some of them are valuable, but I just didn’t want to scatter them. Instead, I contacted Koi Rescue and one of the members lives a stone’s throw from my home and was willing to take all 30 Koi and put them in their pond. Perfect solution. I will be able to go 5 minutes away occasionally and visit my fish.
By the way, after 15 years we have named most of them. We know their individual characteristics. Some have always been shy and nervous. Others are more adventurous. Still others are pigs at feeding time and as a result have outstripped the smaller ones in size. That is not to say any of them are small anymore. They range in size from 18 inches to 36 inches. When we bought them, a few at a time from California Koi farms, all were no bigger than 4 to 5 inches.
Over 15 years we have probably lost only 3 fish. I don’t know what we are doing right but they are healthy and happy Koi.
What will happen to the hole that the pond occupied? Well…we’ve decided to install a pool and spa in its place. I’m looking forward to soaking these old bones in the spa. We’ve decided on a conceptual design and have secured a contractor to oversee building it. It won’t be a typical, square, modernistic looking pool. I want another waterfall and to use as many of the rocks as possible that made up the Koi pond. We are saving the 3 pigmy palms and 1 date palm, but the rest of the landscaping will go as they are common plants. Our plan is to acquire plants easily maintained that complement the ‘naturalness’ of the new pool.
As we go through this process of building the pool/spa I will share our experiences. It will probably turn out to be both interesting and frustrating at the same time. At least I will not be freaking out about the time needed to build. Over the years I have at least acquired some patience.
Another life’s chapter is about to begin, and I am looking forward to it.
© Joyce Clark, 2024
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