August 28, 2008. N.S. Western Head. Snails.

We went in search of snails. What we found was a treasure. It was the most unlikely place to find in Shellburne. I love it when you find a bit of treasure, right before your eyes, except you did not notice it. Our fish pond needs snails, to keep the water and the pond free of algae, but snails are hard to find in Liverpool. Ivan, from our local plant store, told us about a place in Shellburne that sells water plants and snails. Both Ken and I were dubious about this, because we have been to Shellburne many times and never saw a place selling water plants and snails, but we had faith, and up we went. At first we drove all around this small town and could not find anything at all that looked like snails or water plants, so we went to the Nursery for directions. Of course, we could not find the place the first time, so we went to lunch at our favorite restaurant in Shellburne, Charlotte Lane. After lunch, they gave us directions which included a map, so we finally found the place, a spot we have driven past many many times but did not notice. What we found was a bit like a miracle.

At first, the place looks like a mess, with stuff piled up outside the buildings and tall grass and weeds everywhere. After getting out of the truck and looking around, I noted on the door a sign giving the times when the place was open, which was from 9 to 9 every day. We both decided that the owner lived in the house adjacent to the buildings , and sure enough, a man came out of the house with keys in his hand who then asked us what we needed. Of course, we told him that we needed snails. He asked us how many snails we needed. Of course we told him that we had no clue, but after determining the size of our pond, he told us that we needed ten snails. In we went to get those snails, and found what seemed to be a fish hatchery. There were ten tubs about four feet by eight feet full of water and full of fish of various sizes. This nice man knows a lot about fish, especially gold fish, so he answered all our questions and gave us a lot of information, such as the fact that all gold fish are born black or dark brown, and turn orange or white or black and white and orange sometime after a year.

The next thing I noticed was his large pond in front, with several fountains turned on, so he told us a lot about fountains, from the size to the strength to the control. Of course we bought a new fountain for our little pond. While chatting with him to check out, he offered to have us walk around his property, where he had five more ponds full of fish. So out we go to view his ponds, walking along a stone walkway, with these ponds hidden from view. The ponds are very well kept and the water clear, with big stones surrounding the ponds in a beautifully landscaped way. But the weeds in the rest of the yard were everywhere. Clearly he pays more attention to the fish than the yard. He has many fish that are 18 inches long. In all, he has one very large pond, two medium sized ponds and four smallish ponds, all with many fish. It was exciting to find this very knowledgeable person in this place that we have driven past many times. Now if he ever gets a handle on the whole property rather than just the ponds, he will really have a treasure. As it is, his place is a bit like a hidden treasure.