Life with Pond

This is what we want life to look like...and we want the world to think it looks like

The other day was really nice out.  It was warm(ish) and the sun was shining.  My husband pulled out the bistro table and chairs. We sat by our beautiful pond with fish swimming in the clear water relaxing with the sound of the soothing waterfall in the background.  Days like these are makes life great.

The following morning (Saturday) was cooler.  But it's a calm Saturday with no plans.  We have coffee.  We sit by the fireplace.  (No we didn't need it, but it was nice nonetheless.)  We have music on.  We do our NYT's puzzles.  (No Carom in Wordle today.)  The weather won't allow for soaking up the sun today, but that's okay.  (Ok, it's not, but I'll deal.)

I take my time doing stuff around the house and finally decide that it's time to hit the rowing machine and catch up on the Elsbeth episode that I didn't watch on Thursday.  I go into the family room and turn on the tv.  The episode starts and I'm rowing away.  We get to the first commercial break and I happen to turn to the side and look out the French doors.  I see the pond.  I see the waterfall.  Something is not right.

The water is barely flowing down the fall.  It's trickling.  What the hell is going on?

I go grab a pair of shoes and tell my husband that there is a problem at the pond.  He grabs his shoes.  We put on coats.  We go outside and he sees that the waterfall is just trickling.  And there is a big gob of muddy looking goo in the pond, heading towards the pond box.  The mesh in the water that covers the box (which allows water in, but keeps leaves and other droppings out) is PACKED with "gunk".  (I had just cleaned it out the day before.)

My husband grabs the net to fish the "gob" and pull it out of the water.  As he does, it falls apart.  It's a (pseudo) floating blob of mud.  He managed to get some of it out and toss it to the side, but much of it just dissipates into the water.

I know this looks like "something else"...it is sludge...it is gross and smelly

  The crystal clear water (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2026/04/spring-renewal.html) is now a murky mess.

He pulls off the lid to the pond box.  The filter is filthy.  (What a surprise.)  He is trying to figure out how to try to get the gunk out of the mesh (which is obviously another gob of mud combined with leaves and other plant dripping that have floated downstream) and wants me to clean out the filter.  

I take the filter and go turn on the hose.  When I turn it on, the water comes spraying out the side, not the nozzle.  Cold water splays everywhere.  I try to screw the nozzle on tighter, but to no avail.  I try to get the spray that is coming out the side to hose down the gunk.  No luck.

I turn off the water. (And yes now my pants are soaked).  I try to find something to brush the mud off the filter.  I try paper towels.  It sort of works.  Meanwhile my husband is still trying to get all he gunk out of the mesh as well as the net basket that sits in the pond box.

When he's done, he gets the hose and tries to tighten the nozzle; it falls off.  It's broken but also still attached to the hose and won't come off.  So...

He unscrews the hose and uses another one we have that is not long enough to reach the pond.  I go in search of another nozzle.  (The former homeowners left us a lot of stuff for the pond and for the garden, most of which we haven't used.)  In the last place I look (an outdoor bin that has water on the top which pours out and IN to the bin when I open it), I find one and the two of us (both dirty and wet) try to hose down the filter.

When we've done the best we can, hubby replaces the filter, the net basket, and the UV light and puts the lid back on the box.  The two of us are now wet and dirty and it's not even ten o'clock!

We throw our wet, dirty clothes in the laundry.  I was so cold I took a shower just to get warm.  We get dressed again.  I text the pond company and hope for a reply.  We go out and buy another hose (which is long enough) and 2 nozzles (because a spare is not a bad idea) and a pair of water resistant gloves for me.  (Hubby already had a pair which he uses when he cleans out the mesh...previously we couldn't find a pair that would work for me.)

On our way home, the pond company calls and says they will be out in a couple of hours.  (This is why I recommend this company to everyone because the respond...maybe not as quickly enough as I would have liked when I was panicking over the muddy pond, but...)

This afternoon (before the guy came), the day turned nice so my husband went out to set up the hose (and trash the old one) and I was doing some weeding (where do they come).  Guess what?  Another clump of gunk appears in the pond.

  (This was smaller than the previous 2).  This time we get a plastic container and carefully scoop it out.  It smelled awful. (It wasn't going to smell good.)  We saved it for "the pond guy."

When he arrived I told him what happened and showed him the container.  What is it?  SLUDGE?  (Well that was pretty easy to figure out.)  WHY it started to clump up now?  We may never know.  The cleaning/treatment was done approximately a week and a half ago.  Why is it happening now?  We did have a downpour late last night, but...there is no real answer.

We'll just keep an eye on things AND we're going to get a monthly maintenance plan.  Maybe something we should have been offered and/or thought of before, but...

So what is the point of all?  Having a pond, like having a pool or a pet, is work.  It requires care.  It may bring joy, but it isn't always easy and it certainly isn't always pretty.  Behind all those "fun" social media posts, that show a "perfect" backyard area, there is time, effort and (of course) money put into it all.  Because that perfect look, isn't easy.  (Even if social media filters make it look like it is.)