Flowing Fountain

So pretty!

Having a pond has been so much fun but as with everything, it requires a good amount of work to keep it healthy. First off, Jack bought an aerator–think of the thing that you put in a fish tank to blow bubbles into the water. That helped keep the deep waters oxygenated for the fish to have something to breathe but did little to help with the algae on the top.

So, part of the kids’ chores has been to get their life vests on and scoop out algae onto the shore. Surprisingly, they got pretty excited every time we tell them to go out and get to work. It’s nice to have at least one chore they don’t complain about.

As hard as we worked, it really is difficult to keep up with algae. That stuff spreads fast. For a while, Jack has been wanting to put in a fountain, which would help with the algae problem, would aerate the top of the water, and plus, would look really cool. So he got to work.

If Jack is anything, he’s incredibly clever. In college, he built a wind generator for a class for under a couple hundred bucks (and it actually worked!) out of some storebought materials. So, while we could have saved up a few thousand dollars and bought one. That’s not Jack’s style. After a few YouTube videos and a trip to the hardware store, he had one built in a day. He and the kids situated it out in the middle of the pond and we watched it flow.

Part of the problem though is this was the view from my kitchen window:

This gnarly juniper tree has grown right in the way. While the girls like climbing it, I’ve been wanting it to go for a while. For one, it blocks my view of the pond while I’m washing dishes. For two, I can’t see the kids if they’re wandering near the pond. For three, these:

Every time it rains, their little orange tentacles come out.

These gnarly things are actually a strange fungus that has a cycle that jumps between juniper trees and apple and pear trees, affecting the fruit. Not something we exactly want hanging around our new orchard. So, down it went, with Henry supervising, of course.

Don’t worry–plenty of juniper trees still growing nearby!

Now, I’ve got a great view of the flowing fountain from the kitchen, the algae is being kept at bay, and the kids love being splashed by it while they’re swimming. Plus, I can tell Jack is pleased with his handiwork. I keep finding him sitting and staring…