No Strange-er to Fish

AMERICUS - It's not difficult for the 72-year-old Elsie Strange to come up with fish tales. Not when she has a 600-gallon fishpond built into the backyard of her Hale Drive home.

"I just love to watch fish," said Strange. "And now I can do this in my own back yard." Strange had the pond built about five years ago which includes an array of colorful gold fish and coys splashing around in her kidney shapedpond. There's Malaysian coy, Japanese coy, domestic coy, red and white coy, butter flow coy and Sarasa Comet.

Numbering about 140, one of her favorites is one she calls "Big Boy."

"Having a lot of fish that I can enjoy is something I take personal," Strange said. Strange, who loves fishing and eating them, can actually see her pond from her kitchen. But of course the fish pond is just for entertainment. Family, friends and neighborhood children come by for a visit where plenty of vegetation, flowers and stones fill her back yard.

"It's just a beautiful place to watch," Strange said. Strange also spends her time in the back yard gardening. People aren't the only ones keeping an eye on the fish. Strange has to put up a net over the pond sometimes, to keep out the salivating birds. "I guess they love the fish too," Strange said with a laugh. She puts a lot of work into the pond in what can be an expensive hobby.

"It can be a lot of work," she said.

Strange also enjoys sewing and spending time with her dog Jazzy.

She is a recently retired teacher and mother of Ellery and grandson Nicholas Gilmore