Our
project to remove the pond from the back yard continued with me channeling my “ant”
powers. I started by lugging the large flagstones, purchase many years ago and
no longer available, over to extend the path from under our Live Oak to our
side gate. This gate only opened in one direction, but with carefully placing
various flat rocks under its swing, it now moves both ways. That process took
four hours one morning as I carefully assembled the puzzle one piece at a time.
Gravel, reclaimed from the pond’s interior, added a finished touch to the area.
The
next part of the removal, getting the pond from the ground itself, took my
husband’s strength. We decided to break it down into pieces and put back into
the hollow to help with filler. At the moment, we’ve dumped three trash cans of
leaves from the front yard and another four cans of dead Purple Heart mush. I
stomp on the area after each load. Eventually, we’ll top it all with soil and
smooth it out. That won’t happen until we’ve done the final rodent proofing
along the back wall.
Yesterday,
we moved the fairy statue to the front yard. Four wheelbarrows of rocks allowed
us to ring it in an eight that includes the bird bath purchased last summer.
Once we’re through our seasonal freezes, I’ll start selecting flowers for this
new area.
With
these changes, I try to focus on the silver linings. My front yard, damaged by
years of freezes and droughts, will now display one of my favorite statues. Its
new location means I’ll cover the area with different types of flowers than the
ones out back. The pond, tucked out back for my personal pleasure all of these years,
now shifts some of its features into the front for everyone to enjoy.
We
haven’t decided exactly what to do with the area opened up with the pond gone.
At the moment, it’s a “maybe this” or “possibly that” flow of creative ideas.
Those possibilities, too, provide silver linings for me as we move into this
unpredictable year.
Copyright 2025 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
