OMG what a chore but it does look better. Almost done. Just have to finish the fish-watching area and neaten up. Went to the pond store yesterday for 2 items and $85 later came home!

After I discovered the fish dead this spring I just let everything go, then was issued an ultimatum - fix it up or pull it out.

I've been working on it a little at a time since spring.

Here's the before:

Skippy Filter area:

Stream -(I had stolen the rocks to build the skippy planter):

Pond - Luckily I didn't have to do a great deal with this.

Here is today:

Skippy Planter:

Here is the stream - Ignore the black hose - it broke and I just got the connector yesterday so I can hide it in the arborvitae and ferns:

Here is the pond - I dug out the overgrown plants from the front of the pond but am leaving the ferns,spiderwort and mint on the back corner.

The final frontier - The fish-watching; chiminea enjoying area: This is what I was working on when the black flies drove me in the house a few minutes ago. My BF just found my mosquito hat so I'll head back out when I finish this posting.

Then all I'll have to do is neaten up the area a bit, repair the rotten retaining wall, rub on some bengay, make a martini and sit in my fish watching area and enjoy the fruit of my labors.

Anne

:) MaryO

My BF would love to hear you say they are nice. After about 3 days he got tired of helping me find "natural" rocks in the woods and hauling them home.

He came in the house and said, "Come out to the truck. I have something for you." It was 2 tons of garnet rock!! The Barton Garnet Mine is not too far from here and garnet rock is available at most of the places that sell stone. Most of them just sort of sparkle a little but in some you can really see the garnet.

The pond area doesn't look like a natural woodland pond (which was my original goal), but I love it.

Thanks for the compliments.
Anne