the murmur of water

Before we moved to Moss Hill, we lived in a 105 year old house on a postage stamp sized lot in the downtown historic district known as Old Louisville. In our teeny tiny back yard, we discovered and unearthed a fish pond that had been installed in the 1940s, and then filled in at some point afterwards. Neighborhood lore said it was there, but no one had ever actually seen it, so we just started digging, with no idea what we might find.

It nearly killed us getting all the dirt and debris out, and we weren't sure what we were going to end up with when it was finally emptied. What we found was a gen-yoo-wine "cement pond," half-moon shaped, about 8 ft across the long side, 4 ft wide at the apex, and 4 ft deep, and to our delight and relief, it was watertight. After a crash course in water gardening and koi keeping, we had a beautiful backyard oasis, complete with a fountain, water lilies, and koi that soon knew us well enough to eat out of our hands. It was enchanting.

When we sold the house, we left the koi with the new owners - we didn't have a place for them here on Moss Hill. We've missed the sound of trickling water, though, and the sight of fish flicking their tails at the surface. We may eventually end up with another koi pond, but for now, I'm making do with a container water garden. It's ridiculously easy to put together, and gives a lot of bang for your buck. 

Here's mine, freshly assembled:

My spot on the porch.

Need more inspiration? Here ya go:

You can forgo the pump, fountain, and fish altogether if you prefer, and create a simple, tranquil,
tabletop water garden in a clear container with a single plant and some pebbles.

Ummmmm, no thank you. BUT, you can see that any watertight container will do, so be creative!

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes 

on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, 

listening to the murmur of water, 

or watching the clouds float across the sky, 

is by no means a waste of time.  

~John Lubbock

http://confessionsofasineater.blogspot.com/

briefer than a girl's

Hellooooooo, 3 day weekend. (Maybe 4, if I'm lucky.)


Here's what I'll be doing: 

 And remembering...

To an Athlete Dying Young
by A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields were glory does not stay
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

http://confessionsofasineater.blogspot.com/

fresh again

Last summer was all about the hammocks. We installed them under the trees, and spent many happy hours lying there, watching the sky change, and the seasons. Once, at the far end of summer, we even fell fast alseep, woke to the sound of rain pattering on the blankets, and just pulled the over over our heads and went back to sleep. In the rain.

This year I'm proposing an upgrade, specifically for times like that rainy afternoon.

I'm thinking we need a hanging bed on the porch (which should also be screened in, but more on that later).

Don't you agree?

Wanna make your own hanging bed?
Go here for a tutorial!

  

But the important thing is to lie down and fall asleep. 

That little nap means you wake up fresh again and can continue. 

-James Levine

http://confessionsofasineater.blogspot.com/