Blizzard on its way....

This morning the weather man is calling for 6-12 inches of snow and high winds. I'm not a big winter fan. I have to drive 40 miles one way to work everyday and it gets harder the older I get. Harry is home from hunting and will unhook and pull the last pump we have running in the pond. The waterfall has turned into a giant ice sculpture standing brilliantly at ponds edge. The lights shine on it at night making it appear even more beautiful. Other than the xmas lights, the gardens are pretty much lifeless so the giant ice waterfall at least adds some much needed interest out there. Although, I do think winter with all its pure white snow is actually quite beautiful I hate the cold and having to wear heavy coats and attire. The sloppy mess from snowy boots that deposit ice and snow on my kitchen floor as we enter seems never ending.
The fish outside are lined up gill to gill at the gate I put across the creek area to keep them out of the shallow area where they all went to die last year under the ice. They look like so many starving prisoners standing at the cell doors begging to be saved. The gate is put in at the bridge so they still sit in the shallow part of the pond, I'm hoping once the air is shut down and the pond starts to be still, that they will retreat to the deep end for what little warmth will be available from the grounds natural insulation. We'll be turning down the air to a trickle, adding our homemade inner tube light (which we use to keep a hole open), and start praying for the best as the koi basically go under the ice for the next 3-4 months. Something that pains me greatly. Inside the fish frolic in the 70 degree water, eating and playing like they are vacationing in Margaritaville. What a sharp contrast in the two ponds. The fish outside lay almost dormant while the fish inside dart in and out of the water currents oblivious to the plight of their other fishy friends.