TheSwissAquarist Journal 2.0

[The endler guy]

On 12/13/2022 at 8:51 AM, Minanora said:

It's so pretty though!!!

I agree but when its that cold it can be as pretty as it can be and its still not enjoyable, especially when there is feet of snow and it takes all day just to leave your house 

[Minanora]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:35 AM, Aiden Carter said:

I agree but when its that cold it can be as pretty as it can be and its still not enjoyable, especially when there is feet of snow and it takes all day just to leave your house 

Aww. Yeah, I'm not a fan of snow. This why we moved!

I will say at temps that low it's not so bad because at least there's no layers of ice to deal with when you're shoveling. A backpack leaf blower is a godsend with super deep, dry snow... if you don't have a snow blower, which we never had.

Gets bad when you're closer to 0°C and the sun makes layers of ice to deal with. This is what we usually dealt with where we used to live. Then the mud... Oh, the mud.

[The endler guy]

On 12/13/2022 at 2:08 PM, Minanora said:

Aww. Yeah, I'm not a fan of snow. This why we moved!

I will say at temps that low it's not so bad because at least there's no layers of ice to deal with when you're shoveling. A backpack leaf blower is a godsend with super deep, dry snow... if you don't have a snow blower, which we never had.

Gets bad when you're closer to 0°C and the sun makes layers of ice to deal with. This is what we usually dealt with where we used to live. Then the mud... Oh, the mud.

but then it melts and freezes  

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/13/2022 at 9:05 PM, Aiden Carter said:

but then it melts and freezes  

And creates black ice to slip up on!

[TheSwissAquarist]

Update on the 8 gal cubish tank:

I got about 20 new Endler babies ! It’s starting to get a bit overstocked in there…

And I’m trying to fix a Tetra heater…I’ve had it for 6 months and it seems to have bust 😳.

[Minanora]

On 12/13/2022 at 10:48 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

And creates black ice to slip up on!

Yup! We used to go sliding all over at our basketball courts when I was a kid. It was a blast. As an adult I bruised my tailbone falling on ice when I was pregnant with my son. Everyone was freaking out, meanwhile I was laughing and trying to get up. I felt like an overturned turtle. The wind was blowing so hard! Once I finally got up, my jacket pockets were full of snow! So I made a little snowball and threw it at my husband.

Just gotta make the best of it! It's cold, dry, slippery, and slick, but you can't do much to change it. 😂

At least there's no bugs out this time of year, and the snow fills the rivers and lakes! Which makes for lovely spring and summer recreation. 😁

Also, your Endlers babies are adorable!

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/14/2022 at 2:58 PM, Minanora said:

As an adult I bruised my tailbone

My mums cracked a couple of ribs when falling down steps with ice on….ouch.

On 12/14/2022 at 2:58 PM, Minanora said:

Also, your Endlers babies are adorable!

Thanks! Bit if an old pic:

[Patrick_G]

On 12/8/2022 at 10:52 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Looks even nicer in daylight 😁.

Do you literally live in a ski resort? 😆

It’s beautiful, I really need to visit Switzerland!

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/14/2022 at 1:48 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

And creates black ice to slip up on!

I did a 180 on black ice.. in my car.. on a highway..  hit the concrete divider.  Then after my car was repaired I moved to Florida.

On 12/14/2022 at 8:58 AM, Minanora said:

As an adult I bruised my tailbone

Yeah that doesn't feel good.  I did that when I was younger, rollerskating at the skating rink, and the way I fell, my skate was under me and my tailbone landed on my wheel.  Ouuuuuchhhhh!

On 12/14/2022 at 8:58 AM, Minanora said:

I was laughing and trying to get up. I felt like an overturned turtle.

I can picture this with a soundtrack of circus music. 🤣 Or the Benny Hill theme song.

Edited December 14, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Minanora]

On 12/14/2022 at 9:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I did a 180 on black ice.. in my car.. on a highway..  hit the concrete divider.  Then after my car was repaired I moved to Florida.

Yeah that doesn't feel good.  I did that when I was younger, rollerskating at the skating rink, and the way I fell, my skate was under me and my tailbone landed on my wheel.  Ouuuuuchhhhh!

I can picture this with a soundtrack of circus music. 🤣 Or the Benny Hill theme song.

Owwies. I've only ever crashed my truck in the rain. Same kind of thing though. Hydroplaned around a curve, overcorrected, (rear end was super light, I'd just upgraded the springs to boot) 180° into a utility pole. Ejected all of the change out of my ashtray, broke my 12V battery brackets... Found Bondo in places on my truck that I had no idea there was damage. Good Bondo work is hard to find. So I was impressed with that bit. Totally took out a road sign. If the pole hadn't stopped me, I would have been in a 20' ditch. I got lucky! Without the pole my truck would have been totaled.

Florida is nice. We thought about moving there. My husband was born and raised in Cali though so he is reluctant to leave... Which I get, I guess. I'm not a native Californian, I just like that we get very little snow, if any, every season.

Switzerland.... It's so beautiful there... I could almost tolerate the cold! There are even lakes to wake surf on.... Epic.

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/14/2022 at 1:18 PM, Minanora said:

Florida is nice. We thought about moving there. My husband was born and raised in Cali though so he is reluctant to leave... Which I get, I guess. I'm not a native Californian, I just like that we get very little snow, if any, every season.

Take him on a trip to Denver.  It's my second favorite place.

Ya'll need some Subaru's in your life! I miss mine, such a fantastic driving car and very safe.

 

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

Craziest thing about living above 9,000 feet is seeing flowing water from snow melt along the side of the road at -10⁰ farenheit. Thin atmosphere and full sun do some crazy things 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/14/2022 at 10:18 PM, Minanora said:

There are even lakes to wake surf on

No waves whatsoever…but paddle boarding is  quite fun!

[Minanora]

On 12/14/2022 at 6:27 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Take him on a trip to Denver.  It's my second favorite place.

Ya'll need some Subaru's in your life! I miss mine, such a fantastic driving car and very safe.

 

I drive a 2003 4runner these days. 250k miles going strong and super safe. I love old Subarus though. We've been to Denver, bother in law used to live there. It is nice.

On 12/14/2022 at 9:28 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

No waves whatsoever…but paddle boarding is  quite fun!

Gotta make your own waves! There's a place on lake Zurich that offers wakesurfing activities. Right on the water in Zürich. Any time I think about living somewhere, I look to see where you can wakesuf nearby. It's an activity I'll never give up. Won't ever move where we can't have our greatest joy.

Paddle boarding is a blast. We usually do it a lot in the spring and fall when there are less boats at our local lake. Our dogs love it, my son, not so much.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/15/2022 at 3:29 PM, Minanora said:

Our dogs love it, my son, not so much.

This little one turns into a shivering wreck after a quick spin on a paddle board 

[Minanora]

Such a great photo! 😍

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/15/2022 at 6:58 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

This little one turns into a shivering wreck after a quick spin on a paddle board 

Reminds me so much of my pup and the way they have their day.  A shadow goes by the door (clouds) or a leaf makes a noise or moves and it's a gigantic barkfest.  When they do manage to sleep, it's so nice to see them actually relaxed for once.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/15/2022 at 9:57 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Reminds me so much of my pup and the way they have their day.  A shadow goes by the door (clouds) or a leaf makes a noise or moves and it's a gigantic barkfest.  When they do manage to sleep, it's so nice to see them actually relaxed for once.

I live in the center of town…so it’s not exactl’y the quietist of places.

[TheSwissAquarist]

Poor hotel in Berlin had a 12.8 million euro aquarium blow…1 million litres of seawater.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/14/2022 at 4:18 PM, Minanora said:

I've only ever crashed my truck in the rain. Same kind of thing though. Hydroplaned around a curve, overcorrected, (rear end was super light, I'd just upgraded the springs to boot) 180° into a utility pole. Ejected all of the change out of my ashtray, broke my 12V battery brackets... Found Bondo in places on my truck that I had no idea there was damage. Good Bondo work is hard to find. So I was impressed with that bit. Totally took out a road sign. If the pole hadn't stopped me, I would have been in a 20' ditch. I got lucky! Without the pole my truck would have been totaled.

WOW!!!!!  Glad you're ok.  My dad is a retired mechanic, owned his own shop, taught me how to drive. Always told me if I lose traction and start fishtailing to turn into it.  I did that, and I seemed to recover, but then just a moment later, a mega back-and forth fishtail happened and sent me into the 180.  It was strange, like a side to side wobbling kinda, and then the spin.  Turning into it didn't matter.  When you don't have traction, not much helps.  But I tried.  I had anxiety every time I drove in the rain or snow after that.  Took a few years to get over that.

Edited December 16, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[itsfoxtail]

On 12/16/2022 at 9:01 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

WOW!!!!!  Glad you're ok.  My dad is a retired mechanic, owned his own shop, taught me how to drive. Always told me if I lose traction and start fishtailing to turn into it.  I did that, and I seemed to recover, but then just a moment later, a mega back-and forth fishtail happened and sent me into the 180.  It was strange, like a side to side wobbling kinda, and then the spin.  Turning into it didn't matter.  When you don't have traction, not much helps.  But I tried.  I had anxiety every time I drove in the rain or snow after that.  Took a few years to get over that.

Wow, reading your story is absolutely insane! I had quite literally almost the exact same thing happen in the pouring rain. Highway, one little fishtail, drove into it and corrected it. Had a turn in the highway afterwards and then a fishtail I couldn't come back from. Skidded through a lane right into the grass/ditch of a median for at least a hundred yards before hitting the guard rail on the other side of the highway. Definitely scariest moment of my life.

Mechanic who fixed my car up (miraculously just tore off the bottom sheath part of the car... and I'm literally still picking bits of grass out of one of my wheels almost what... two years later?) said I had an oil leak that was old and leaking down right by one of my tires and that it could've played a role in not being able to recover once the fishtailing started. I choose to think that was the case but always drive like a little old lady in the rain now, lol!

[TheSwissAquarist]

Getting ready for my shift at the LFS, and picking up a rescue dog 🐶 on the way home 😁. 
I’ve been wanting to try vallisneria for some time…

[itsfoxtail]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:35 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Getting ready for my shift at the LFS, and picking up a rescue dog 🐶 on the way home 😁. 
I’ve been wanting to try vallisneria for some time…

The GOAT aquarium plant if you ask me.

[TheSwissAquarist]

Special announcement: Pippa has arrived after a 22 hour drive from Bosnia !

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/16/2022 at 11:18 PM, itsfoxtail said:

Wow, reading your story is absolutely insane! I had quite literally almost the exact same thing happen in the pouring rain. Highway, one little fishtail, drove into it and corrected it. Had a turn in the highway afterwards and then a fishtail I couldn't come back from. Skidded through a lane right into the grass/ditch of a median for at least a hundred yards before hitting the guard rail on the other side of the highway. Definitely scariest moment of my life.

Mechanic who fixed my car up (miraculously just tore off the bottom sheath part of the car... and I'm literally still picking bits of grass out of one of my wheels almost what... two years later?) said I had an oil leak that was old and leaking down right by one of my tires and that it could've played a role in not being able to recover once the fishtailing started. I choose to think that was the case but always drive like a little old lady in the rain now, lol!

Wow. I don’t blame you. It’s traumatic! I moved the FL because there’s no ice 😏

but when it rains it comes down in sheets with very little visibility and roads often have a few inches of water during these storms. Driving in those conditions so many times fortunately desensitized me to the anxiety, for the most part. If you do it so many times and nothing bad happens, you can relax a little. 

On 12/17/2022 at 7:11 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Special announcement: Pippa has arrived after a 22 hour drive from Bosnia !

Oh my gosh, soooo cute!!!