A brief moment to philosophize

Over the past eight years, we have slowly but surely progressed from a
prefab 90 to a 150 to a 4,000 to a 10,000 gallon brick pond. The
biggest one took this entire summer, on and off, with me acting as
General Contractor (thanks to the advice I got from all of you kind
people) supervising 3 masons, 3 landscapers and an excavator. Despite
all of the hard work (and the time missed from my "real" work),
tonight it all came into focus. As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

This hobby provides a welcomed respite from the "real" world for all
of us and a great source of relaxation and a chance to forget about
our troubles, even if only for a little while. For all of you
newbies, STICK WITH IT. The problems (from sick fish to algae to
leaks to who knows what) you have along the way will all work out and
you WILL get that PERFECT pond that you are hoping for. When you do,
it will have been worth the effort.

Then, when the sun goes down and you can no longer watch your fish
swim, sign on to this newsgroup and share your positive experiences
and your concerns with all of us. We will be glad to share the fun
times with you and help answer your questions to the best of our
ability. On balance, this hobby is one of nature's rewards to all of
us.

Dennis wrote
"Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color".

wow, what a sweetheart! ;-)

My kiddos are teenagers and over the years we have sent in lots of pond water,
pond 'scum', snails and stuff into classrooms for science teachers.
My favorite moment (besides chasing frogs down school corridors) was from one
science teacher who said that getting to look at pond water under a microscope
engaged one student like never before in class, a good positive moment for this
kid.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

Dennis wrote
"Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color".

wow, what a sweetheart! ;-)

My kiddos are teenagers and over the years we have sent in lots of pond water,
pond 'scum', snails and stuff into classrooms for science teachers.
My favorite moment (besides chasing frogs down school corridors) was from one
science teacher who said that getting to look at pond water under a microscope
engaged one student like never before in class, a good positive moment for this
kid.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

(Dennis) wrote in message
Over the past eight years, we have slowly but surely progressed from a
prefab 90 to a 150 to a 4,000 to a 10,000 gallon brick pond.

How about some pictures to share with us?

As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

It's great when our children or grandchildren have an appreciation of
something we love, it makes it all worth while. For me I have always
enjoyed birds and it just lights up my heart when one of my grandkids
ID's an uncommon bird or gets excited over a hawk or eagle. It
creates a special bond between us. Makes me know I still have some
purpose in this world, that of showing them how I see these special
gifts of nature.

Enjoy your pond and the time you have sharing it with your son, those
times are so special.

Sue W
Zone 9a, Brooksville, Florida
see my pond photo's album 'Rippling Waters'
http://community.webshots.com/user/aspenjd

(Dennis) wrote in message
Over the past eight years, we have slowly but surely progressed from a
prefab 90 to a 150 to a 4,000 to a 10,000 gallon brick pond.

How about some pictures to share with us?

As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

It's great when our children or grandchildren have an appreciation of
something we love, it makes it all worth while. For me I have always
enjoyed birds and it just lights up my heart when one of my grandkids
ID's an uncommon bird or gets excited over a hawk or eagle. It
creates a special bond between us. Makes me know I still have some
purpose in this world, that of showing them how I see these special
gifts of nature.

Enjoy your pond and the time you have sharing it with your son, those
times are so special.

Sue W
Zone 9a, Brooksville, Florida
see my pond photo's album 'Rippling Waters'
http://community.webshots.com/user/aspenjd

Yes, that would definitely make it all worth it.
--Gabrielle

Dennis wrote:
8snip8 Despite all of the hard work (and the time missed from my "real" work),
tonight it all came into focus. As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

Yes, that would definitely make it all worth it.
--Gabrielle

Dennis wrote:
8snip8 Despite all of the hard work (and the time missed from my "real" work),
tonight it all came into focus. As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

Well said, Dennis . . . well said. I hope you and your family have many
years of enjoyment from your pond.

Lee

"Dennis" wrote in message
m...
Over the past eight years, we have slowly but surely progressed from a
prefab 90 to a 150 to a 4,000 to a 10,000 gallon brick pond. The
biggest one took this entire summer, on and off, with me acting as
General Contractor (thanks to the advice I got from all of you kind
people) supervising 3 masons, 3 landscapers and an excavator. Despite
all of the hard work (and the time missed from my "real" work),
tonight it all came into focus. As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

This hobby provides a welcomed respite from the "real" world for all
of us and a great source of relaxation and a chance to forget about
our troubles, even if only for a little while. For all of you
newbies, STICK WITH IT. The problems (from sick fish to algae to
leaks to who knows what) you have along the way will all work out and
you WILL get that PERFECT pond that you are hoping for. When you do,
it will have been worth the effort.

Then, when the sun goes down and you can no longer watch your fish
swim, sign on to this newsgroup and share your positive experiences
and your concerns with all of us. We will be glad to share the fun
times with you and help answer your questions to the best of our
ability. On balance, this hobby is one of nature's rewards to all of
us.

Well said, Dennis . . . well said. I hope you and your family have many
years of enjoyment from your pond.

Lee

"Dennis" wrote in message
m...
Over the past eight years, we have slowly but surely progressed from a
prefab 90 to a 150 to a 4,000 to a 10,000 gallon brick pond. The
biggest one took this entire summer, on and off, with me acting as
General Contractor (thanks to the advice I got from all of you kind
people) supervising 3 masons, 3 landscapers and an excavator. Despite
all of the hard work (and the time missed from my "real" work),
tonight it all came into focus. As my 7-year-old son and I watched
the Koi eat, he smiled and said spontaneously "Dad, it's like watching
a beautiful ballet of color". That one statement from the mouth (and
heart) of a child made the whole project worthwhile for me (and more
importantly, for him!).

This hobby provides a welcomed respite from the "real" world for all
of us and a great source of relaxation and a chance to forget about
our troubles, even if only for a little while. For all of you
newbies, STICK WITH IT. The problems (from sick fish to algae to
leaks to who knows what) you have along the way will all work out and
you WILL get that PERFECT pond that you are hoping for. When you do,
it will have been worth the effort.

Then, when the sun goes down and you can no longer watch your fish
swim, sign on to this newsgroup and share your positive experiences
and your concerns with all of us. We will be glad to share the fun
times with you and help answer your questions to the best of our
ability. On balance, this hobby is one of nature's rewards to all of
us.