June 12 - Much has been going on at zenpond. The blue heron has been enjoying breakfast at zenpond every morning and the fish have caught a bacterial infection. Between these two, the fish population has been seriously reduced. john took one fish and a water sample over to Waldo Pets for testing. The water tested fine. john placed some very strong medicine in the pond and it has reduced the problem considerably. Now if he could figure out how to stop the heron without hurting him!

At the end of May, john looked up from reading to see Mother Duck and eleven ducklings all in a row entering zenpond. john was a nervous wreak all day trying to see that the ducklings were not harmed. He had to reach in and save two of them after they fell into a hole. Finally, john realized that he would soon have a nervous breakdown playing "Father Duck". He decided they were just going to have to take care of themselves. The next day, one duckling was missing. Finally, several days later, john and joyce could only see three ducklings in the pond. Several days after that, there were six ducklings and Mom. For about the last two weeks, there have been six ducklings and Mom. Sometimes they go to a neighbor's yard, but they usually come back each night. Right now, they have settled in for the evening. Mom nests in the creeping pholox directly in front of the Buddha with the babies next to her.

john couldn't get rid of Shingles (or a pinced nerve?) for 8 months. He is sure the problem resulted from the stress of the remodeling project. He finally became over-medicated, sick,weak and the problem was getting worse. Someone recommended that he go to "The Wellness Connection" to see if they could help. They recommended that he try acupuncture treatments. To his surprise, after three sessions the pain was gone! He also started walking three miles each day and also quit taking the medicines for Shingles. He now only has a slight weakness in his right leg ... and is sleeping the entire night. Wow!

john is now able to build the spa deck to replace the one removed after the remodel "bump-out". he finished the section that allows he and joyce to go from the house to the spa without getting muddy.