Cleaning out the Death trap

Our house has (now I should say had) a Koi Pond in the backyard. (You can't see it but its under the snow in this pic I took when i first looked at our house in Feb.) When we were looking at the house Robin said, "this thing is going to become the bane of our existence." We were afraid we would have to keep it because Luke saw it and talked about it. We could just see him telling his therapist 20 years from now that all his troubles started when his parents drained the pond in the backyard keeping him for a life of pleasure-filled days throwing rocks in the water and feeding the tranquil fish.

But after researching on the Internet and seeing what upkeep on this thing would cost us in time and money not to mention that there was no good answer of how to keep little boys from falling in, I knew we had to get rid of it. It would defeat the whole purpose of having a home with a backyard if we had to watch Jack and Drew like a hawk hoping they wouldn't fall in. Therapy is one thing but there was a potential far worse scenario. Besides I am certain Luke will have other things to tell his therapist of the angst we caused. You know like we made him brush his teeth or wear clothes to school or something.

I broke the news to Luke the other week that we were going to have to drain it. He took it well. It helps that he is pretty cautious of his brother's wandering off into dangerous situations. I guess its a first-born thing.

The day we closed one of the first things I did was stack a tarp around the pond. I knew this was the right call when I slipped in three times while stacking it down as the rocks were loose. For the last week, the three boys have been throwing rocks on top of the tarp and as it has rained it was almost like we didn't have a tarp because they almost sank that sucker. We watched the kids like a hawk the last couple of days when they were in the back.

So today I had Bill the pond guy come out for a couple of hours and help me clean it out. He stood in the middle of the pond in waders and dipped bucket-fulls of this black sledge of foul dead fish-smelling water into a wheel-barrow. I wheeled it to the grass and feed my lawn rich fertilized H2O. My grass came alive! I hope it didn't get addicted. Back and forth we went until we got to the bottom. I'd say it took 20 wheelbarrows or so.

We both then jumped in and filled the bucket up with leaves, sticks and carcases of dead crawdads or something. We racked the rocks evenly over the bottom to make like a big potted plant. Bill the pond guy measured the area and is going to get his contractor's price for sand delivered in the next day or two. This is going be the coolest sand box ever because it still has the cool Koi pond stuff around it: aspen trees, rocks and a miniature mine shaft. The tarp will serve to go over at nights to keep out the rain and the neighbors' cats. I don't want the coolest litter box ever.

Oh and I got to talk with Bill the pond guy a little about the Lord as we worked. He did most of the talking this morning but I think he has 'fire insurance' but has not made 'the wonderful discovery of the spirit-filled life'. I like Bill, he is a good guy. Pray that later this week when we finish the job and he helps me get my sprinkler system up and running that I will get another opportunity to talk with him.