Saturday, April 05, 2008

Ponds spring to life

Spring sprang while I wasn't paying attention. While the tiny red tips of my peony shoots fought their way through the fall leaves I hadn't yet removed, I realized it was time to fix the pond pumps I broke last fall when I tried to hoist them out of the ponds without getting my knees dirty. There's no way to properly care for a pond without getting dirty. I snapped the rod that's attached to the pump's impeller when I tried to lift the heavy bucket holding the filters by yanking on the pump. Then I broke the pump in my second pump when I tried to carry it to storage without taking it apart. The plastic tubing leading into the filter case cracked off in the cold. I was sure it was going to cost me a fortune to fix everything. But I went to Webb's Water Gardens in Fallston and was surprised to learn that I could simply replace the impeller on my one pump. My other pump could be fixed by buying a new filter unit. Today, I got everything back together and into the ponds. When the water finally started burbling forth again, it was particularly satisfying. Check out the video below to share in my zen moment.