The Pond has a Redo

August brought a few changes to The Pond. The monsoon rains this summer made the decision to change more pressing. It's not a good thing when an inch of water flows to the foundation. Not good at all. 

When I laid it many moons ago it was slanted away but as with everything, things settle with age. Feel free to use your own mind to ponder “things” ;) So the quest began. I thought of hiring someone to lift, regrade and lay but finding a crew to do just that was next to impossible; besides I needed a change and had always admired flagstone patios.

I had the great fortune to find a young man Mal, who was eager, dedicated (to the extreme), but most of all he listened! O my stars, a man who listens is as rare as a diamond in a coal mine. Me thinks I'll hear about that last sentence. 

I could write on and on about the process but it would bore most humans. I won't write after digging up the old one I had found garbage bags laid out flat when I had run out of heavy duty plastic. After 20 odd years they had never broken down! I won't write that after a brutal work week I came home to sand and stacked stones and said bugger this! I'm at the beach for the weekend and so planted my chair in the sand. I won't write how me and Mal laid out the stones lining The Pond on the hottest day of the year while listening to Willie and Lobo. I won't write how the froggies were undisturbed and grooved to the voices, especially Mals. He learned real quick how to speak frogaleeze. 

But I will write on how pleased I am with the new digs. Of course the pergola posts had to be stained to match the new steps. I bribed a tall coworker into helping, he began at the top and I at the bottom and soon our brushes met. The colour had to coordinate with the stones doncha know. Next spring the house will be painted to match, a lighter shade but at least it will flooooowwwww and that's a good thing as Miss Martha would say :) and not a more perfect place I could find for pondering...