The Reef

I feel bad for the fish. I did not mean to turn them into raccoon food! Once, before there were fish, I saw a great blue heron stand quite still for a long while next to the pond, just looking, and then flying away. I decide that if any of my guys are still alive, they need shelter.

So I throw a bunch of stuff in a pile in the middle of the pond: a metal rack, flower pots, some planting trays, and even some dysfunctional watering nozzles that we had forgotten to take off their hoses before the the first big freeze in years past. Rocks to hold it all down. A tiny island rises out of the water.

The next day the reward is sweet. The pond scum I stirred up has settled, the water is clear, and three frisky fish are chasing and cavorting around the pond! I watch them darting in and out of the their newfound fort.

Later I remodel the reef, adding repurposed four inch diameter black plastic drainage tubes. Each one is a few feet long, so now my fish have longer hiding places, out of the reach of heron beaks and raccoon arms.

"Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream."

― Lao Tsu