I had an itch to do something with a vacant spot in the back yard.  The same spot we set up the pool in last year.  After we took it down the grass came back lush and green, but soon went to seed and was never the same no matter how much we watered and fertilized it.  The Bermuda grass soon took over.  I needed something to fill the space.  A water feature came to mind.  Problem is, I'm lazy.  I didn't want to dig a hole.  That would be too much work.  Hats off to those that dig.  So I planted a silk tree.  Ok, I had to dig a little, but after so much watering to get the grass to grow, it was a piece of cake.  

Silk trees are messy creatures.  They shed leaves, those fluffy flowers and the seed pods that take up root every where, but I love the fern-like filtered shade, the fuzzy pink, lightly scented flowers and the overall tropical look.  It was only about eight feet high, but I sat there and stared for hours dreaming of how, hopefully, within a year or so it would be big enough for my grand plan; a shade garden filled with hostas and ferns.  I couldn't wait any longer and started to surf the internet looking for ideas regarding ponds.  I can't tell you how many times I've visited Eric's half-barrel pond page and  Jeff Cook's pond page.  I liked the whiskey barrel idea.  No digging.  

I need to interject another little story here.  One day after work I went out back and asked Jen (one of my daughters) what that fertilizer smell was.  She said she fertilized the lawn.  I wasn't the only one trying to get the pool spot to grow grass.  She also added that she fertilized the flower beds.  My jaw dropped.  She used weed and feed!  Sure enough, the next day the seedlings (which already looked like heck) were now laying on their sides.  I politely pointed out her mistake.  I wasn't the one who got upset, she was.  She felt bad, REAL bad.  A few weeks later on one Saturday morning I woke up and there was a little green box on the kitchen table.  The note read, "We know it's not your birthday until Monday, but this is a weekend project.  P.S.  Sorry for killing the yard."  Jen and her sister Karen chipped in and got me a gift certificate from a local nursery.

I was touched and horrified at the same time.  Touched because they had spent their hard earned money on something they knew I would enjoy, yet horrified because I've never been to that nursery.  I've lived in Sacramento for 16 years and have driven past that place a million times.  I intentionally never went in because I knew I'd find things in there I'd never seen.  I knew it would be a gardener's dream and I knew my check book would be squeaking when I got out.  But now I had no choice and the itch to fill the spot grew even more intense.  The pond idea was starting to burn a hole in me.  I got on the internet one more time and checked the container water garden pages to make sure I had all my ducks in a row.  Well, maybe I could pull it off.  I slept on the idea.