We are totally off the grid, but we do have 2 solar panels pumping water from our well into a 2400 gallon tank.
We've run a hose from the top/overflow area of the tank down to the pond, where the fresh water enters into the bog area.
The idea is that the bog plants will filter the water and this IS helping keep down the green algae bloom.
It's been a busy season, so just these 3 photos, but they'll give you an idea of what we're seeing and how the pond is growing:
We have more deer in the forest this year than we've seen in the last 10 years.
We think we 'recognize' 10 different individual deer. Above is one of the twin fawns.
We've learned that a doe bears her first fawn at age 1 1/2 - a singleton.
Thereafter, she has twins. This fawn is one of a set of twins.
We take our camera out with us each evening while we eat dinner out on the deck
and photograph whatever comes in to get a drink.
Just minutes after taking this this fawn's photo, it, its sibling, and mother left, and then the bushes shook.
We expected yet another deer to appear, but no....
It wasn't a deer! It had rounded ears and a snout, and OH MY! It was a bear!!
We'd never seen such a lovely, mantled bear before. We are calling him "Mickey" - after Mickey Mantle.
He quickly got a drink, turned and quickly left - he never even looked around to see us there, about 40' away on the deck.
It was almost dusk, but I had the camera in hand and managed to snap off 3 shots; this one is mostly in focus.
This shows the whole scene. The 'cage' you see behind the bear is the protection for the young Quaking Aspen we're growing
behind the pond.