I spring cleaned our pond this weekend. It is always a bit scary stepping down into the unknown. Especially since earthworms like to overwinter in the pond. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there are earthworms that live their entire lives in our pond.
You might be surprised to hear this, considering the prevailing wisdom that worms come up from underground during rainstorms because they would drown otherwise. Allow me to direct your attention to episode 26 of Wild Kratts: Mystery of the Squirmy Wormy.
Wild Kratts is where I get my scientific animal knowledge these days. The upside for a worm living its life underwater? Fewer (are there any?) predators.
Anyway, it's kind of hard to avoid stepping on worms when stepping into the pond in the spring when the bottom is obscured, and kind of hard to avoid stepping into the pond when one is cleaning it. It's definitely got the eeewww and cringe factors going on. I pulled up so many worms, y'all (and only stepped on a few with my bare feet). And they were big. Some of the biggest earthworms I've ever seen. It's like our own little worm farm down there. I am confident that I removed all of the adult worms, but I did see some egg cases down there that I didn't bother to scoop out, so I'm sure we'll have another bumper crop next spring. You know, just in case you were hoping to go fishing.
Are you wondering what the worms eat while they're living in our pond? Algae. There is plenty of algae down there for them to eat. Less now, of course, since I cleaned it, but plenty for the reduced number (0) that currently make the pond home.
And are you wondering what we're going to eat? Well, here you go: here's what's on the menu this week.
Supper:
- Tuscan chicken sandwiches, rolls, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots
- Beef stroganoff, corn, bread with butter
- Creamy chicken and wild rice soup, bread bowls (to make bread bowls, roll out rounds of dough, then drape them over something round and oven safe, like small oven-safe bowls turned up-side down, or crumpled balls of aluminum foil, then bake until done), carrots
- Cheesy ham & potato casserole, green beans
- Fend for yourself/leftovers
- Hamburgers with or without buns, crinkle cut fries, raw veggies
- Grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes, grilled green veggie
- Hot beef sandwiches, rolls, salad, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots
Other:
- Pizza sauce for canning (Ugh! The ingredients are still sitting on my counter...and now we're out of pizza sauce)
- Blueberry Walnut friendship bread muffins (we liked these so much, we're making them again)
- Double chocolate friendship bread muffins
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