This morning, I decided to tackle the leak on the north side of the Babbling Brook. It was more annoying than detrimental to the health or functionality of the pond, but it needed to go away. While I was at it, I moved the rocks on the low spot, stuffed some clay underneath and topped up the pond. We’ll see how that went when spring comes! Anyway, the leak…

P had got me a can of landscape foam and four tubes of silicone. I now have no foam, one full tube of silicone, and one with maybe an inch left in it. The spot I sealed looks like hell, and I hope I don’t have to move the rocks…ever…but I might have got it this time. I thought I had it, so I checked it at 1730h, and there was one small trickle. I dried it with paper towel, found the spot where the silicone wasn’t touching the rock, and blasted the crap out of it. For good measure, I smeared silicone over almost everything. If it still leaks tomorrow morning, I give up.

Foamed the crap out of it first.

They are not kidding when they call this “expanding foam”. I had it stuffed under the rocks, bulging a little, and it felt dry. It wasn’t finished.

Once the foam was dry, I trimmed it with a bread knife, and discovered it wasn’t fully dry. Dry enough to trim, though. For the record, even mineral spirits doesn’t remove landscape foam from a steel knife blade. Didn’t even budge, but a wire brush and steel wool took care of that.

The end result. It’s a mess, and yes, that’s all silicone, smeared over everything, but once the rocks are back in place, it won’t show. Whew, I’m getting to hate this leak!

While I was waiting for everything to dry, I hauled some dirt and transplanted the Heuchera richardsonii  (which I have to think about before I remember its common name, prairie alumroot). I think it’ll be okay here; it won’t mind morning sun.

I decided upon Northern oat – grass (something like that) to put in the back. I’ll probably just get seeds; it’s expensive, as are most native plants, and it apparently seeds easily. Anyway, as I was putting down pine bark mulch, I found a piece of…something that isn’t pine bark. Nice varnish!

Now some pretty flowers.

Helenium, taken yesterday.

Morning glories are a bit out of hand, but so pretty that I don’t care!

Baseball backstop, not baseball-y at all. Pretty, in fact!

Also popular with MLBs because…

I can’t get over how much better this verbena looks! Hard to believe this is the same near-dead plant that hung outside the Man Cave window. It’s bloomed like crazy, then quit for a bit, and now it’s going again!

Non landscape-related; my feet are ready for chilly floors.

Found this online, made it funnier.

P.S. I also sealed the hook in the cap of the new bird feeder pole. Not that it would really matter if water got inside, but I’d rather it sealed, just in case.