A Fountain in the Garden

I've been wanting to put a fountain in the garden for a while, just to have some water movement and also to give the birds a place to take baths. So when I went to Aw Pottery last week and found this set of ceramic bowls on sale, I jumped at the chance.

Ceramic bowls

I got some clay azalea pots over at Thompsen's Nursery, and then used a candle to seal the bottom hole in the largest bowl. I stacked it all up:

Fountain, stacked

...and put some water in it to check for water-tighness (it worked!). I only ordered a pump last weekend, because I was unable to find a solar pump at the hardware store, and I really did not want to do any wiring. I'm very cheap, so I had it shipped ground from Vestal, New York, so it's taking a very long time to get here. When the pump gets here next week I'll paste the pots together with silicone adhesive (I need to leave access to the pump, obviously) and let her go. I plan to mostly fill the bowls with clean gravel, then put a layer of the pretty rocks I've collected on top.

In other fountain news, we've been cleaning the attic, and I found all the pieces I had assembled for a little sink fountain.

Sink fountain pieces

Our neighbor gave me a small electric pump, so now I just need to figure out how to make a reservoir and assemble this stuff into something. It's sort of a back-burner project right now, given everything else I have going on.

In other-other news, we spent the day moving stuff into the basement and setting up shelves so the rest of the house feels less like a warehouse/sporting goods store. I'd post a photo but it really doesn't look like much. I mean, pile of stuff here, then no pile. Nothing there, then lots of stuff. Our good friend Elaine came over and watched us with barely concealed amusement as we worked. Now there's less stuff in the hall. Tomorrow it's more moving stuff around (lots of screws and nails in boxes and drawer things to get out of the hallway) and maybe some re-arrranging of the increasingly perilous book collection in the library. Then maybe a little light weeding and perhaps planting some shrubbery, if I'm really good.

posted by ayse on 09/09/06