The first summer after we moved into this house I decided I must build a pond. Ponds weren't trendy then, and I was too poor to get a fancy kit from a garden supply house, so I went down to our local pool installer and asked him if I could rummage through the cast off pool liners...he said "sure" because he had no use for them ( several years later you had to put your name on a list and pay a small dividend!) So off I went and hauled back a bright blue pool liner, and a black tarp (pool cover) to hide the blue. My yard was bare so I picked a spot in the middle towards the fence that led to the forest.
I dug for what seemed like an eternity and my son Andrew dug until he said it was 24" deep and we ended up with a small pond about 6 feet round, and 18" deep! I loved it, and every frog for miles loved it...the birds loved it...and anytime we had visitors we all went out to sit around "the pond"! Over the years the renovations of the pond took us to a new level where our goldfish over wintered and we were blessed with baby gold fish, Since I've been ill the pond and garden have suffered severe neglect, and I have been unable to enjoy it, or our summer firepit for at least 5 years. There was so much muck in the bottom that you couldn't run a pump, and I couldn't put fish in. My waterlilies (that had grown happily in No Frills baskets for 18 years) finally died too. Just last weekend, Matt and his friend Nate decided to take on the task of cleaning out the pond, and you have never seen 2 dirtier boys in the process!!! But if they weren't scary enough to look at you must see these monster frogs that are now swimming happily at a nearby abandoned quarry!!! Take into account the size of the boys hands holding the frogs....they're much bigger than mine.....
Any way...I am so excited that we will be able to have fish again, and sit by the fire roasting giant marshmallows as the bullfrogs serenade us! Also the fish will rid us of the mosquito larvae so my son Paul will able to sit aoutside with out fear of WestNile virus!!!(city boy!)