The 55-gallon pond turtle habitat is nearing completion.

The thing fits awesomely in the "kitchen window."  

The previous owners of the house added a solarium, which is why there is this weird (or cool?) open window in between  the kitchen sink and sun room.  It's also a big reason why we picked this house, it makes the layout a little unique and is a nice place for a long dining table. 

It's the perfect viewing place!  It gets very bright yet indirect sunlight, so plants should thrive but the water stays cool and won't bake the inhabitants.  It's high enough to be way out of toddler reach, but Torin has discovered that it is great fun to watch when standing on a chair on the other side... this is already a favorite activity, and it doesn't even have a turtle yet. 

It's also a practical spot... since it's right above the kitchen sink, water changes (and handling water that potentially has salmonella in it) will be super easy, since it can go straight down the drain using a siphon.  There's just enough room at the side edges to fit a second filter on the left and scoot the turtle topper over on the right, and keep the cords out of the way.






What does it take to make a turtley paradise? 

Luckily the items in italics are the only ones I had to get, because the rest were leftovers from previous pets or aquariums.


The Essentials:

• 55 gallon tank (the "rule" is 10 gallons per inch of turtle, ours is 5" x 6" with a max growth to 8"), yay for the yearly Petco sale! 
• Turtle topper for a dry area for basking plus a ramp and underwater platform for easy breathing whilst submerged... the goldfish really like the platform.
• Heat lamp for basking
• Thermostat for heat lamp
• Thermometer for accuracy of the thermostat (needs to be ~95 degrees F, so they can regulate their body temp to 82.4F)
• Thermometer for water (adults prefer temps of 50-63F but can go up to 80F)
• UVB lamp (not pictured, since the fixture is still in the mail) above turtle topper
• Filter for 70 gallon tank
• Dechlorinating water treatment
• An inoculation of healthy bacteria from another tank that's about 5 years old 
• Aquarium test kit
• Reptile vitamins/calcium 
• Turtle food:  raw beef, cooked chicken, veggies, fruit, leafy greens (basically stuff from our regular dinners)... and especially bugs I find in the garden.  As an adult, he is supposed to eat 2-4 times per week, in an amount equal to the size of his head plus neck. 

The Fun Stuff:  

• 50 pounds of Aqua Quartz HTH pool filter sand, which was about 2 inches on the bottom...  I'm VERY happy with how it looks (so much better and more natural-looking than play sand or aquarium gravel!), but did have to wash this well before putting it in. 
• Baby malasian trumpet snails, to dig in the sand and mix it up for the health of the good bacteria
• 1 ramshorn snail... will he be eaten, or just be part of the clean-up crew?
• 2 feeder goldfish, to see whether the turtle will be friendly with fish or eat them
• Bubbler and small air pump, for interest and extra oxygen for the fish
• Broken pottery for fish to hide in, so they have a chance to not be eaten
• 2 fake plants... not sure where they came from or why I have them
• A tiny sprig of anacharis, the only one that didn't have a significant amount of algae growing on it from the other tank.
• A small pane of glass on top (a custom one that had been on the hermit crab tank to keep humidity in) to keep water in from the bubbler
• A small potted plant on top of the glass pane since I am sad that I don't have aquatic plants yet

Things to come

• The mopani wood, once I am done boiling out the tannins
• Red cherry shrimp, if the turtle won't eat them and if the water gets stable enough
• Water hyacinths and other aquatic plants if I can find them
• Water heater for winter, if necessary... though probably not!
• Food dish
• Basking rock or some cover for the turtle topper
• Branches, rocks, shells, etc for decoration
• Moss or some sort of substrate for in the turtle topper, if I can find something that he doesn't drag into the water
• Another filter for a 45 gallon tank (a second 70-gal wouldn't fit), since turtles are dirty and it's recommended to have at least twice the filtering that a regular tank would need

Mopani Tea

I have this lovely piece of mopani wood, all knotted and twisty, tan striped with near-black.  It used to be the geckos' climbing branch, but I hear that it works well in aquariums.  It's a super hard, dense wood, so it doesn't need the months of soaking to get it to sink that many woods require.


Let the tannin leaching begin!

The problem with wood in an aquarium is that it leaches tannins, which change the pH and darken the water.  This isn't actually a problem if you want a black water tank that looks like a real pond full of leaf litter, and lots of people do this intentionally. 

Since our turtle tank is going to be in a very prominent spot and lit from behind, the tannins will just make the water look dirty.  And I want the pH to stay as close to our tap water's pH as possible so that I can do large water changes when needed without shocking the inhabitants.  So the tannins need to go!

I stuck the wood in my largest stock pot (actually the pressure cooker, with its metal plate to keep the wood from touching the bottom) and started boiling on Tuesday. 

Mmmm, wood soup.

How exactly do you get the tannins out?  

Some say to boil the wood for a few hours, and it'll be done.  Some say to leave it outside in a bucket of water for 1-6 months.  Some say it takes a full year or two for it to stop releasing tannins in the tank even after boiling, and you just have to do lots of water changes to keep the water clear.  Some say it is impossible to get all the tannins out of mopani wood, and you are doomed.

So it appears that I have my work cut out for me.  I really want this specific piece of wood, because it is thick enough to be a good resting spot for a 6-inch turtle.  I boiled for about an hour, then put on the lid and let it sit until the water was cool enough that it was safe to move... this took 6 hours.

The photo above is actually from the 2nd boiling, which was left to cool overnight.  The water was completely opaque the first time, but this time it just looks like a very strong tea. 

By the 4th boiling it looked like regular black tea, and I just started the 5th boil.  Here's hoping that there are enough tannins leached out by the weekend, 'cause that turtle is going to need at least something in his tank to add some interest.


And now, I sit back and wait.

I must wait for the tannins to boil out, for the tank accessories to arrive in the mail (the filter comes today!), for the turtle to arrive.

In the meantime, Torin can now easily point out turtles in his animal and first-words books.  I am 99% sure that he understands what is happening. 

Torin makes a new friend.

This weekend my parents came to visit, and they had a surprise...

'Sup.

Grandpa used to bring me random reptiles (and a few amphibians) that he found in the wild to keep as pets.  This is one of the 2 turtles that were lost about 20 years ago after hibernation outdoors!

It was either mine or my sister's (my brother's... well, it was a different species and we found those bones under the shed the next year).  My sister's turtle was named Hickory Dickory Dock (so she could call it hickie Dickie), but I don't remember the name of mine.  I'm considering letting Torin name it. 

Hesitantly checking each other out.

It was just hanging out in the leaf litter, not too far from the house.  After a little research, it is a (male?) western pond turtle, probably at least 28 years old.  Hey, maybe we're the same age. 


Wait, a POND turtle?! 

There aren't any ponds on my parents' property... there's a pool (how did it never end up in the pool?), plus a tiny stream that only exists for a short part of the year.  I am currently in the process of putting together a pond turtle paradise in the form of a 55-gallon aquarium, since he will come live with us this weekend.

All the Ladies

A wave of ladybugs has marched into my garden.

I can see why, 'cause the aphids have been here in huge numbers for a month at least.  I didn't do anything about them, and there is evidence that wasps have already begun to inject them with eggs.  Ladybugs have also been laying eggs, because I've seen all sizes of their larvae crawling around with full bellies.

Ladybug on some random brassica (I thought it was a radish, but it was not).

My method of organic gardening has been to just sit in the corner, hugging my knees, rocking and ignoring everything.  Stick around ladies, there is an infinite buffet set out for you.

Open for business

It opened, it opened!!

Peek-a-boo

Last year this area had a rather small white poppy (which I didn't plant), and it was the only one that I left to go to seed.  It would be awesome if this was a descendant... I haven't noticed poppies like this before, yellow on the outside with an orange square in the middle. 

Even though it's taking up precious space in front of the trellis, I will keep the seeds and intentionally sow them next year to see if any white or yellow ones pop up.

Closed for the night

I guess I'll have to check this in the morning.

There is a short story behind this flower!  Stay tuned... 

First Dinosaur Kale Harvest

I put two large leaves like this on my half of the Boboli pizza the other night... Ryan opted to eat his raw.

What a leaf!

The kale was WAY more bitter than other kale I've had, but the bitterness went away after cooking.  Wet and chopped, it looked even darker than seaweed. We're having a hard time with aphids on all the garden greens right now, but this kale was pretty easy to clean due to the lack of nooks and crannies. 

I wish the other dinosaur kales had survived winter!  My kaley mission is to plant more... a LOT more.

Sunflower Bud

This sunflower stalk has seen better days.  It's a little upset about being chewed half to death, so it has decided to unleash its spawn upon the world.

I'm pretty sure it's hiding fangs.

Sunflower buds can look a little creepy.

The plum tree's haircut is complete.

I finally, FINALLY finished trimming that plum tree.

My mission was to cut the top off so it was flat, which is how other people in the neighborhood do their trees.  I did most of it at the end of February while there weren't any leaves on the tree, hurt my shoulder, and then picked at the tree for the next month. 

I used my dad's chainsaw-on-a-stick, a manual trimmer on a pole, and a hedge trimmer on a pole to get the whole job done.  Now that the older thicker branches have been lopped off, the plan is to get up there on a ladder every February with the hedge trimmer and just mow it straight across the top before taking care of inner branches.  This was a huge trim, so next year I will go easy on the poor tree.

Apple on the left, plum in the middle, japanese maple on the right.

Well, it's mostly done... the last 2 tufts on the top there are for my husband who is taller with longer arms, 'cause I can't reach them without doing really precarious things on a ladder.

The best news at all is that this year we have PLUMS again!!  Lots of 'em.  Might even be able to make some preserves!

Oink oink, little lemon.

Will I ever get a full-size, ripe yellow meyer lemon off this ancient tree? 

Sure, when pigs fly.  

It's been 3 years without fruit since we moved into the house... and now this happens!!

Just a little apple flower

This was my moment of zen from the day.
 

90% Sunflower

We have a sunflower!

Well, part of a sunflower...

The 18-month regression strikes!

Wow, today was a long day.

It was the first time that Torin couldn't handle being in the library group (it's 15 minutes long, he lasted all of 5) and that I had to remove him from the room for crying and disrupting the group... I wasn't the only one though, 'cause a minute later two other moms followed me out with their kids too.

So we waited outside for the group to be over so that we could do the play time that always follows.  He couldn't handle the play time either... he was nonchalantly yoinking toys from other kids' hands (that's a new behavior!), grabbing toys and running out of the room to stash them in library shelves, and finally attempting to just run up and down the aisles.  We had to leave. 

So I drove him to the playground... let's get him out into the fresh air and let him run amok!  He was only interested in being on the big-kid equipment, but there were about 20 much older kids who were literally screaming from excitement and running/stepping over him, so we had to leave. 

I immediately take him to the park.  Big, empty park... no dangers, just grass.  Torin decided that his new mission in life was to attempt to run into traffic, over and over and over.  So we had to leave.

We got home, and he wanted a nap, but would not take one.  He wanted to snuggle, but would not hold still.  He wanted food, but hated anything I gave him.  This led to 3 hours of crying and clinging, plus random biting and pinching.  We had to leave the house. 

I decided to try out the new weed spray on the cracks in the driveway pavement, so I let Torin loose in the gated area in front of the house where he could watch me... he loves it there!  Torin almost immediately discovered that his whole body fits through the bars of the gate, besides the top of his head.  I saw what he was doing when he put his first foot through, but dang, he is FAST.  It was a little difficult to get him back through.  I went back to the spraying, but I didn't even spray 10 feet's worth of crack because he had already become stuck in the gate 3 times and I gave up.  We had to go back inside.

He wouldn't go to sleep until 9pm.


WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY BABY?? 

Is there some weird behavioral upset that happens now?  I looked it up right after I typed this, and yes, there is a wonder week and a sleep regression due to hit exactly right now, since midnight marks the moment that he turned 18 months.  I always think that I don't believe in those things, but then I do while they are happening.  

Wish me luck. 


Just to end on a positive note, here's a picture of Torin's favorite flower to pick.

3 Month Plan - Week 1

The first week is complete!  Here's the chart:

Color code:

• Grey = planned to do it this day, but it moved to another day or didn't happen
• Orange = inadequate result
• Yellow = mediocre/acceptable result
• Green = practically perfect

These colors aren't truly quantifiable... more about how I felt about the quality at the time. 


Yeah, so.  Not the best.

Obviously, I want to see a LOT of green on that chart.  I produced 2 green days, so next week I'll go for 3+!  Wednesday was the actual day that I started putting in some effort on filling in the chart, and just committing to it did produce a noticeable improvement.


Notable positives about the Week 1:

• I found a new park that is only about 1.5 miles from my house, with the dog park on the walk in between.  This is a GORGEOUS, huge, ridiculously clean/maintained park... also has restrooms, which solves my "out on a hike to the dog park for too long" problem, haha.  
• I met a potential mom friend that clicked, for the first time in my year of hanging out in parks.  
• I scheduled 2 meetings with 2 different meetup.com groups for weeks 2 and 3, and it also turns out that the mom I met this week also moderates a large meetup.com group and is happy for me to join.  So this sets me up pretty well for getting in that 3x/week socializing!
• I did a great job of catching up on garden stuff.  I filled the geobin, the garbage bin, and a large garbage bag with just weeds.  Also pretty much finished getting the beds prepped for planting.

Things to improve upon for Week 2:

• Torin was hella grumpy from teething and even had a light fever from it all week.  His grumpiness translates into my tiredness.  My mood was pretty low, and next week has to be better.
• My hunger was crazy this week, and I gave in to many many snacks.  I'm assuming it was from nursing a baby that wasn't feeling well, who had decided that he was going to get 95% of his calories from milk.  I'm kinda shocked that I didn't gain weight! 
• I only went for 1 hike and weightlifted once, and only meditated and slept well twice.  This is all on me, and not prioritizing time for getting my needs fulfilled.
• Most of my solid work was done during Torin's sleep, and this next week needs to focus more on getting stuff done when he is awake.
• I MUST get those tomato seedlings repotted, and get the last of the seeds in the ground.  Tomatoes go in the ground in week 3 or 4.

Here's to an improved Week 2!

Edit:  missed the last line in the chart:  Torin went to the park Tues & Fri.

Henna in the sun

The "Before"

I decided to do a few "before" photos of my hair color, to see how it changes as I try to get it as red as possible with henna over the next 3 months.

This was definitely my favorite, because it cracks me up!  It looks like I'm pretending that the paparazzi got me while I was sunbathing, but really the sun was just extremely painful on my eyes.

The sun... it burns!

Henna oxidizes from orange to red the most in the first 3-4 days, and finishes by day 10 or so.  I hennaed the whole length 7 days ago, so this is a pretty accurate color.  Well, it's accurate for being in the sun and having that Henna Glow I love so much... indoors, it is much more brown and less sparkly. 

What's interesting to me is that the hair by the roots has not oxidized much at all, and I'm wondering if that's because I've been oiling my scalp too much.  I'll have to quit the monoi oil for a few days and see if this reddens up, or if the hair there just did not absorb as much.


Lightening up

My normally dark brown hair is lighter at the tips from years of unintentional sun-bleaching, and dark brown toward the roots.  Henna acts as a sunscreen, so I actually used to have these sun-bleached highlights (sometimes all the way to blonde!) all over and especially around my face.  I'd like to lighten it up a bit around my face again so that the red can show through, so I might do a few test patches of a honey treatment.  Mixed with the right amount of water, honey makes a very weak peroxide, and I've heard of a few success stories in lightening up dark brown under henna without damage.

Have any of you tried the lemon juice + sun method?  I may do a test patch of this as well, and it'd be great to do while I'm hiking and out in the sun anyway, but I hear that it causes damage.  When your hair is old, the damage builds up fast.  :/


Records

Ok, just for the record, here is the tentative plan:

1. March 31:  12 hours, watery consistency (this was an accident, normally it is as thick as yogurt)
2. April 7:  8 hours, strong henna gloss (50% henna, 50% conditioner)
3. April 14:  8 hours, medium henna gloss (25% henna, 75% conditioner)
4. Weekly:  repeat step 3, but full-strength on roots monthly, until a good red is achieved.
5. Monthly, to maintain:  5-6 hours, full-strength on roots and weak gloss (10%) on length.   

The reason I'm taking so long to build up the color is because... I dunno, it's fun.  Why not draw out a science experiment and enjoy every step along the way?  Plus, my hair releases some dye in the shower for about a week after a major henna, so I feel like I should just let it do its thing for a week before adding more. 

The 3-month Plan

Well, it's more of a 90-day experiment.

It's full of goals, has zero judgement, and is trying to see improvement over time rather than perfection every day.

For some reason this is super embarrassing to post, but I've had a little interest, so here it is anyway:

Just a few things about the chart...

• I'll be putting in new dates and printing the chart out every Sunday. Chart is subject to change.
• I'll be highlighting the days that stuff does happen, and writing in any details.
• The shaded cells are the days I expect to be doing each activity, as a reminder, and to better space out rest days.  
• Rows without any shaded cells just signify that I want to see what days these things happen.  I do hope to fall into an actual schedule by the end of the 3 months.
• If I have a specific goal or min/max in mind, it's in the far left column.  If a total or average is more important to me, that's in the far right column.
• Hikes and the dog park are combined on Mon/Thurs, but we'll drive to the dog park Saturdays because it'll be a long visit and there are no bathrooms nearby.
• The skin routine and henna are included in "Social" because they are only related to outward appearance, hahaha.

I planned to start 2 days ago, but am actually starting today.  Of course life tried to get in the way, in the form of a baby's fever. 


Well, here's to the building of new habits! 

I am finding it very amusing to just throw everything at these 3 months to see what sticks.  I've felt pretty stagnant for a while, and I think it mostly boils down to not having a schedule to make sure everything gets done... there's been a habit of tiredness and of completely ignoring my own needs.  As an aspie, my brain demands more structure! 


Do you guys have any interest in seeing these filled-in charts at the end of each week?  

3-month plan: The skin experiment

With potentially only 3 months until I hit my goal of 100 pounds lost (assuming there are no snags, but I'm SURE there will be), I've started thinking about other habits I could set up in 3 months.  Why not throw a bunch of new positive habits at my life and see what sticks?


Finding a Sun Damage Remedy

I was definitely the happiest with my skin clarity/smoothness when I was using a retinoid.  Of course, I haven't done this for 5+ years as I was trying to conceive, then pregnant, then breastfeeding.  I won't go back to it again until I am finished nursing the last child, so that could be potentially another 5+ years in the future.  And I'm 35, wrinkles on my forehead are starting to show permanently, and sun damage on my face/chest/forearms is becoming pretty apparent.

A long while back I bought a vitamin C serum to try, and 3-6 months of it is supposed to show a noticeable improvement because it's an alpha hydroxy acid to act as a chemical exfoliant, and also because vitamin C in specific amounts/pH builds collagen.  For collagen-building benefits though, it absolutely must be done daily.  I DID actually notice a significant improvement in 3 months, but then got relaxed about it and stopped.

I've created a homemade version, and will take some before and after pictures... for science!  But I will only show close-ups of my face if there's a difference, so you'll have to be patient.  Since it's homemade, and hella cheap, I'm just going to use it all over... after pregnancy and weight loss, my skin might thank me.

Wait... don't actually put it in the sun like this.

I mostly got my information off of reddit, and backed it up through research in random corners of the internet.  These are the products I will be using:

For practically a lifetime supply of serum, $23

• L-Ascorbic Acid Powder 
• "LAA" is the only form of Vit C that will work for this purpose
• pH test strips: 0.0-6.0 Ph Range
• Baking soda
• (optional) Amber glass spray bottles 
• to store/dispense Vit C because it must be protected from light
• (optional) Glycerine

Other

• 10% Glycolic acid lotion 
• this is a more potent AHA than Vit C, but without collagen-building benefits
• CeraVe Moisturizing Cream with Pump 
• this is a very hydrating lotion because of ceramides and hyaluronic acid
• Witch hazel (for use as a toner)
• Round cotton face pads (for applying witch hazel) 
• Strong sunscreen (haven't decided on my favorite yet)

The Recipe

20% Vitamin C Serum

• 2tsp LAA (Vit C)
• 7tsp water (distilled is best, but I'm using filtered)
• Dissolve fully
• Add 1 tsp glycerine and dissolve by shaking (this is only used to thicken... if you don't want it, use 8tsp water in the 2nd step instead)
• Check pH, add baking soda if needed to bring up to at least 3.  A pH of 3-3.5 works.

Anything in the range of 10-20% will work to enhance collagen production.  It is recommended to start at 5% for a week, then 10% for another week, then 15% for a week, before getting up to 20%.  Anything over 20% is not more effective and also tends to cause irritation.  At least use it in the morning, because it helps very slightly to protect against sun damage, but always use sunblock otherwise you are undoing what the serum is trying to accomplish.  Wait at least 15 minutes after applying for it to absorb before using any other products over it.  Vit C oxidizes quickly, so store in dark bottle and make a new batch every 5-10 days (if it starts to get a brown tint, it has really gone bad).

5%:  0.5tsp LAA, 8.5tsp water, 1tsp glycerine
10%:  1tsp LAA, 8tsp water, 1tsp glycerine
15%:  1.5tsp LAA, 7.5tsp water, 1tsp glycerine


The Actual Regimen

Morning

• Witch hazel, as toner (wait briefly to dry)
• Vit C serum (wait 15 minutes until lotion)
• 1 drop lotion on face (I'm mostly oily, so I only need a tiny bit if using sunscreen)
• Sunscreen all over exposed areas (wait 15+ min before going outside)

Night

• Witch hazel toner (wait briefly to dry)
• Vit C serum on body only
• Glycolic acid lotion on face, neck, back of hands and forearms (let dry) (use only at night because it can cause sun sensitivity, or just use the Vit C serum instead)
• Lotion on face, neck, hands, forearms... almond oil on body's dry spots.

Weekly

• Make fresh Vitamin C Serum 

Notes

• I will also wear a hat with a wide brim out on hikes and whilst gardening, even though it looks silly.  I hate wearing hats, but I still burn after a couple of hours (even after re-application) through any sunscreen I have ever tried.  If you know of a great one, send me your sunscreen recommendations!
• If it works out well, then after 3 months I will consider adding hyaluronic acid.  That is the only important ingredient from the store-bought serum which is missing from my homemade one, but there's a little in the lotion. 

A Special Thank You

I'd like to send thanks to Laurren, who requested that I post the recipe on the blog... I hadn't thought anyone would be interested in it.  She just started a natural beauty blog, In the Pursuit of Beauty.  Check it out!