A crumbling old retaining wall no more than four feet wide fronting a weed nest hole of the same size was wrecking the visual harmony of my house. Wouldn't it be nice, I thought, since there's already a hole dug out, to turn this into a little water feature with a bridge. That was twelve years ago and the beginning of my journey into being a pond keeper.

I fully admit, ecology was not the first thing on my mind. It was landscaping pride. I just wanted something that looked nice. I started doing research with a few Barnes and Noble water gardening manuals. And with each manual, my vision grew. My little water feature turned in my head from four feet to a 20' X 15' Koi pond with a 16 foot bridge, leading to a new stone walkway which gave me an extra entrance to the house. All of this lined with beautiful new plantings.

The more I read, the more I liked what I read. My house, at that time, was surrounded by homes with perfect landscapes and manicured lawns. Every summer, the little pesticide signs would appear on every lawn in the neighborhood. God forbid, a dandelion should poke its head at one of these homes. We, on the other hand, use no pesticides at all since I and my family are convinced that pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and such wash into the water stream and contribute to the killing by cancer of thousands perhaps millions of people every year.

What's more, we like deer and squirrels and our own dogs for that matter. So we shun the bad stuff. Which in turn probably got us shunned for our dandelion city and crab grass. And then to make matters worse, I decided to add a front lawn pond which would attract all manner of insect and crawly thing. But, I went ahead anyway. And what do you know? I did get the insects, but a few bullfrogs moved in and took care of that. I also got butterflies, lightning bugs, hummingbirds, cardinals, doves, and about a thousand other varieties of birds including a stray sea gull and heron or two.

We put our a lot of seed for our new friends - who didn't visit the other homes in the neighborhood by the way - which the birds promptly spread and planted for us giving us massive sunflowers and unusual ground cover. My iris and lilies flourished because the deer came to drink the water and eat the seed, but left our plantings alone. My neighbors had to fight this problem with yet more chemicals.

In the heat of the summer, the waterfall with its green surroundings, provided a pleasant cooling atmosphere. The fish, always a show, kept us outdoors more than in. Our central air fell into more and more disuse. It was better to open the windows for a breeze and hear the sound of the waterfall.

After a few years, the pond seemed to have always been there, it was so blended with its surroundings. And what do you know? First, one neighbor installed a new pond in his back yard, complete with bridge (exactly the same color as mine) then another, and another.

Last year, when I sold that house, the little pesticide signs had nearly disappeared from the neighborhood. Every now and then I would see an open window and a silent AC unit.

Last year, I had to start over with a new pond. My former fish went to live with a person who had five ponds and I purchased new fish for my new pond. Once again, we have our very own ecosystem with all manner of living things which can fly without fear of toxic poisoning. This time, I have dragonflies which are both huge and colorful. I never saw one in my former neighborhood. This spring two wild ducks flew in and swam for awhile. 

My new pond is bigger and deeper than my last one. Lilies and lotus flourish. And I and mine, along with them.