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The
Pond That Almost Wasn't |
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Winter 2000
This is the best "before" picture
that we have until fall when we will probably get a program to make still
pictures from video. Believe it or not there are fish in
there! All but 3 out of 16 survived. We won't have a picture
like this in 2001 because we are going to build a small container pond in
the basement to keep them in over the winter. The poor old pond
won't take another winter without springing some leaks!
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Spring Cleaning 2001
This pond almost wasn't. When I moved here
at the insistence of my mother and ex-wife, the entire backyard would have
made a landfill look like a botanical paradise! The house was
originally my grandfather's and he put in the concrete pond which is about
4' x 6' x 3'. (We still aren't sure where he got the large
rocks.) My mother estimates that the pond is about 50 years old. |
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What Danville has the nerve to call
potable water!
My original plan when I surveyed the carnage, was
to fill in the hole most of the way with sand and pour concrete to make a
little area for a picnic table. I am sure that it probably
would have looked half way decent, BUT, some strange instinct told me to
go ahead and clean it up. I had some vague memory of sitting out
here and watching the gold fish with my grandfather. I think those
memories contributed to the decision to try to restore the old pond to
it's original glory. |
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Our Finned Friends
The garbage and miscelaneous filth was at least a
foot deep. The stench was quite great, and on the brink of dry heaves I
began the clean up. I used a snow shovel to remove the debris and
after a good rinsing it appeared that the pond would hold water.
After a good deal of scrubbing and rinsing the pond was filled. I
used the rubber end of a folding chair to block the drain in the
bottom. Due to the age of the drain, plumbing was out of the
question. After a day it became clear that the pond would indeed
hold water and in fact looked quite nice and inspired me to continue. |
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They act like they are starving!
After my separation, the pond really took off
because I had the help of someone who shared my enthusiasm and was more
creative than I. We added plants and a better looking
fountain. Then we added still more plants a few more
fish. About this time it became clear to us that our pond was
quickly becoming a necessity and a center piece in our daily
routine. Experimenting, magazines, the Internet Pond Society, and
the rec.ponds news group helped us out immensely.
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Our enthusiasm for
this hobby has continued to grow and as the following pages
will
demonstrate, the size and shape of our aquatic getaway is keeping pace! |
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