the new fountain

A couple of years ago I bought a small fountain to go in the corner of the front garden. I wanted to cover up the PGE mechanisms (gas and electric meters) and have the delightful sound of tinkling water. Well, what I bought was just OK; too small and not enough sound but still OK.

Over the 4th of July at a party across the street I noticed that my neighbor (the hostess) had a nifty fountain that she was not longer using. I had noticed this particular piece of garden sculpture when she first bought it and had admired it. Seemed to be just the right size, shape and "noise" quotient for "my" garden but, alas, it belonged to her. When I asked her if we might be able to swap fountains, she said "Sure" and this weekend we did. All the new mechanism needed was a piece of flexible hosing which the Patient bought at the Ace® today.

I decided just where I wanted it, in the corner of the patio by the den slider so it could be heard in the dining room. Gina, her husband, her sister, her husband and the Patient carried it across the street. (You'll notice that I designated myself as the resident engineer, not the carrying crew.) They put the base and basin where I indicated.


We moved it around, inch by inch because it's terribly heavy, and found just the right spot. Today, with all the requisite parts in place, the Patient filled it with water, plugged it in, and le Voilá! The two little frogs under the umbrella couldn't be happier. Me, either.


It makes a lovely gurgling sound. I am utterly charmed by our new garden addition. Now I have to get some pots filled with flowers that will thrive in (a) the intense heat that we get in this particular corner, and (b) plants that like a little spray of water.