Fish In by Susan L.

    It was difficult to get a good shot of the aquarium. The warmer water made the pond fish more active. The new surroundings made them a bit skittish as well. I felt bad for the big one. She raced off with a splash of her tail and slammed her nose into the glass with a resounding thud. No harm done though.

  The photo is misleading. The big fish is probably twelve inches long from nose to tail, almost too big for the size of the aquarium. Well fed and the bigger environment of the pond meant she grew some more this past summer. Apparently, gold fish grow to the size of their home.
  I have no idea how long they live but she is at least six years old. The smaller fish on the right is one of her offspring from two summers ago. I got rid of the male after that so at least there's no more babies to contend with. Not that many survive. They get eaten by the bigger fish. Flushing any that survive down the toilet or throwing them away is not something I can do even if they are just fish. It seems cruel.
  Previously, I gave a bunch to a friend who has a man made pond completely isolated from any other waterway. It wouldn't be good to put them into an environment where they can spread. There's already enough trouble with invasive species without adding gold fish to the mix. The downside to that is a Great Blue Heron who treats the pond as her (his?) own dinner buffet. I have no idea how many fish, if any, have survived but that's okay, it wasn't me doing the dastardly deed.
  My friend wasn't impressed when all her expensive koi went down the bird's gullet.
  They also have a turtle that was once ours as well: a non-native red eared slider. She was a gift to my son when he was four and is still going strong twenty-nine years later. She probably had many a meal of goldfish fry, too.
   Thank You Lord for the animals You have blessed my life with. Thank You for the experiences and joy they bring. Thank You for blessing me with Pumpkin and his incredibly loving nature.
  Bless the animals, Lord, wild and domestic. Our lives wouldn't be the same without them.
   "The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein." Ps 24:1