Maxima Clam Tank July 30, 2008
Posted by ugottalaugh in Animals & Pets, Fish and Tanks, boyfriend.Tags: beautiful, colors, fish, fish tanks, maxima clams, purple
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My bf’s next project (after the 100 gal is setup) is a Clam Tank. Not the kind that you eat, but these kinds: Maxima Clams. Aren’t they pretty? I said pretty, not cute. ha ha My only question was: do they have purple ones?! ;)
After doing some image searches on Google, I saw so many incredibly beautiful clams that I could understand why my bf wanted his own setup. Of course, I also read that it wouldn’t be an easy task, taking care of & feeding these clams. But, that’s not my worry, because it’ll be his project. I’ll just get to sit there and stare at them, which is fine with me! Below, is a picture of the 30 gallon tank he plans on using, filled with rock that we collected on our Rock Hunting Adventure.
There won’t be any fish going into this tank, which is probably a good thing. I think we have plenty of fish right now! Of course, I’ll completely forget that the next time I enter our fish store… and so will my bf.
I really am excited to see the clam tank set up, but I think it’ll be a little while. But when it is, you can be sure that I’ll be posting pictures! In the meantime, maybe I’ll do a search on purple clams… he he he.
Chocolate Chip Starfish – But they’re so cute! July 30, 2008
Posted by ugottalaugh in Animals & Pets, Fish and Tanks, Funny, boyfriend, humor.Tags: aquariums, chocolate chip starfish, deadly, fish tanks, Funny, innocent, picasso trigger, urchins
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Here is one of two Chocolate Chip Starfish that I insisted were so cute, we just had to have them!
Up close, they look soft and doughy, like a cookie! The day my bf bought them for me, I was ecstatic. We put them in what we call our Puffer Tank, which holds all of our aggressive fish. Anyway, the starfish adapted very well and immediately commenced to roaming around their new home. Satisfied and happy, I ended my day with a smile on my face.
The next morning when I woke, I went to look at my starfish. Still doing great, still roaming around… wait a minute. Why is that starfish on top of that tuxedo sea urchin? What’s he doing? I grabbed the eel’s feeder stick and gently nudged the starfish off of the urchin. Still not fully awake, I couldn’t figure out why the urchin looked different. So when my bf got up, I told him what I’d seen and asked him what was going on.
“Oh yeah,” he said “Those starfish are so cute, aren’t they? So innocent looking! You just had to have them! Your starfish ate my urchin!” Then he started laughing, and in his best imitation of me, said, “Oh, they’re so cute… can we get them? They’re only seven dollars… killers, they’re killers!” Further research informed us that these cute, innocent creatures would eat anything that moved slower than them. And they can move pretty quickly, lemme tell ya!
Oooh, I felt so badly! My bf has teased me to this day about my choice in sea life… but it’s all in good fun. The two starfish were transferred to what my bf calls the “Doesn’t play well with others” tank. He had previously bought a Picasso Trigger fish, which we were reassured would get along with the other tankmates in our Puffer tank. Not. Into Solitary he went. But now he has some buddies with him. And he moves around way too quickly for these starfish to make a tasty meal of him.
Well, ya live and learn, right? I did learn that no matter how cute something looks, it can still be deadly. And, as my bf always says… research, research, research! :)
Lack of Motivation, Thoughts on Love and Loss July 28, 2008
Posted by ugottalaugh in Life, Love, Thoughts, boyfriend, children.Tags: blogging, boyfriend, children, fear, grateful, healing, lack of motivation, loss, Love, pain, resting, sadness
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It’s almost 1pm, and I haven’t done much today, besides some blogging this morning and feeding all the fish. I’m feeling a definite lack of motivation. So where do I head? Right here to my blog, of course. :) It’s not that I don’t have things to do, it’s that I have no desire to do them. My list requires lots of physical work, visiting with someone I’d rather not, and running a few other errands. I feel tired just thinking about it! Maybe my awesome, adventurous weekend wore me out. As my bf left for work this morning, he said, “Honey, take it easy and rest today. We did a lot this weekend.” Oh, but wouldn’t that be nice? I thought, as I told him “I couldn’t possibly… I have too many things to do!” I am not old and feeble, nor am I injured. That isn’t why my bf made that suggestion. Come to think of it, I don’t know why he made that suggestion. But you know what? Some part of me listened to him and is now refusing to obey me. I won’t complain, though… I’m content just writing for now. Especially since I hear my son in the kitchen doing the dishes. And I could’ve sworn I saw him taking out the garbage. I wonder if he fixed himself up a nice cup of that Iced Cappuchino Coffee that he loves so much? Omg… what was that noise? Is that the washing machine I hear running? No, it can’t be… it is! I think my two boys gave me the day off today. Bless their big hearts. :)
I keep writing and deleting, writing and deleting. What is it that I want to say? I think this is one of my scattered days. Seriously, though, I feel that there is something in my subconscious that is seeking attention. But what? I was reading a blog this morning. A positive blog, about Love. But in the content of that blog, I felt a sadness and pain. Being an empath, I can feel another’s emotions even across the internet. It’s not a bad thing at all. It helps me to understand, identify with and connect with a person even more. I identified with that sadness and pain, because I have been there. I have felt it, to the core of my Being. Upon recognizing, and feeling, those feelings of the writer, my heart literally ached. For the writer? For myself? It doesn’t really matter… I yearned to replace that sadness and pain with Love. At that moment, words came to me (as they do when I’m doing a reading)… comforting, reassuring, hopeful words… and I thought about those words long after I had signed off here. Why then, am I still thinking about that sadness, that pain? And possibly feeling it? Being the way I am, sometimes when I feel another’s pain, it sticks with me for a while. Until I figure out the reason for its lingering.
After I had signed off and done a few menial tasks, I looked at my cell phone and saw that I’d missed a call. It was from a hospital in another town nearby. My first immediate thought went to my boyfriend, who is working in that town. I was gripped with fear. I have been here before. My stomach knotted up, my heart was beating way too fast, I didn’t know what to do. My son simply suggested, “Why not call him and check on him?” Yeah, easy for you to say, I thought. It took me ten minutes to call my bf, and my body slumped with relief when I heard his cheery voice. He heard the fear in my voice and instantly reassured me that all was okay.
It isn’t until now, as I am writing this blog, that I realize why those earlier feelings lingered. It reminded me of the indescribeable pain and sadness that I had felt when my son’s father died. I thought that after all these years, I had gotten over it. My reaction to that missed call from the hospital proved me wrong. I still don’t know who called me. It could have been a wrong number for all I know.
I think that because I have been feeling so blessed lately, so grateful for all the Love I have in my life, it has made a part of me feel vulnerable and open to loss. If I love as much as I once did, it could all disappear in a flash… If I love as much as I once did, I could be hurt… If, if, if. I cannot live by if’s. My motto has always been ‘Live in the Moment,’ not in the past, or the present. Cherish and love all that you have in your life. Not because it could be gone tomorrow, but because you have it today.
So, there I have it. What has been swirling around in my subconscious. I’m sure I will think about it more today, but I have a feeling I will also come to terms with it. I think I’m going to take a walk outside, breathe in some fresh air and thank God again for all that I have, have had, and will have.
Rock Hunting Adventure July 28, 2008
Posted by ugottalaugh in Adventure, Fish and Tanks, Mother Earth, Nature, Photos, Thoughts, boyfriend, children, fun.Tags: Adventure, country, fish tanks, hiking, hills, homestead, incense, peace, ritual cleansing, rocks, sage, sweet grass
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Ah, yes, we went rock hunting this weekend! My bf, my son and I drove out into the hills, despite the intense heat. Our mission? Decorative rock for our new 100 gallon saltwater fish tank. Why pay $5.00/lb at a fish store for live/cured rock, when you can get it for free and cure it yourself?
We drove 20 miles out of town, and another 5+ miles deep into the hills. It was beautiful!! My bf had grown up out there, so he knew his way. Including where the was a road, when I could’ve sworn there wasn’t one! We trekked around quite a bit, looking for just the right rocks. I wasn’t sure what my bf had in mind for our tank, but I sure had fun looking. At one point, he brought us to this hillside….
Awesome, isn’t it?
As we roamed around in other parts of the hills, I started to smell something familiar. I must’ve looked like a dog who’d caught onto a familiar scent as I put my nose in the air and started sniffing. ha ha When I finally looked down at where I was standing, joy hit me as I recognized what I was smelling. Sage!! It was everywhere! I wish I’d taken pictures, because never before, had I seen so much Sage. I forgot all about my bf and son as I began to gather Sage by the handfuls. I absolutely love the smell of Sage, and I also use it for cleansing rituals, or just burning as incense. After putting my treasure into the pickup, I went to find my bf and son.
When I came upon them, I said, “Hey! I found a ton of Saa…. omg! Is that Sweet Grass?!” Wow, I’d really hit the jackpot! They looked at me and just looked away. ha ha I also love Sweet Grass, I’m sure you’ve guessed. I picked enough for myself and my mother, who also likes it. Then I went back and picked even more Sage for my mother. I stood there for quite a while, just smelling the air. It filled me up, that beautiful sweet scent.
The scenery that we hiked was so incredibly beautiful. Even though it was so darn hot out, we truly enjoyed our adventure. My bf showed us one area where people used to live, gosh, who knows how many years ago. Old wooden houses lay there in crumbled heaps, but you could see where they’d once gardened along the now dried up creek. It made me long for that simple life. At that moment, I would’ve gladly given up all that I have to live out there in the country. When we left, I kind of felt sad. I didn’t want to leave the peace that filled that valley.
When we got home, we unloaded all the rock we’d gathered (well, they gathered). I have to say, driving home on the highway with the windows open, the smell of Sage and Sweet Grass that filled the pickup was awesome! Anyway… my bf washed off all of the rock and we spent the rest of the weekend cleaning all of the fish tanks, and setting up the rock in the new tank. I’m sure bf will rearrange that rock at least another dozen times before he’s satisfied. However he chooses to display it, I know it’ll look fantastic. Btw, we saved about $500.00 getting that rock ourselves. Pretty good, huh? Here’s a picture of some of the rock. I’ll also post pics of the tank when it’s all set up!
