Read by Matilda Longbottom

Have you ever felt that serene calmness while listening to the sound of a fountain? I had always dreamed of having one, but convincing my husband, Don, that it would add ambience to our patio was a different story. It took years to convince him that the trickling water would create a sanctuary of natural sounds in our small urban lot.

“Flowing water will improve our mental health,” I urged one evening.

“Oh, is that what will do it?” Don quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Finally, after much persuasion, we decided to buy a fountain. We ruled out models with fish spitting water, a little boy peeing, and children under an umbrella because they were too cute for our taste. Our Spring trip to Santa Fe sealed our decision. We admired a beautiful fountain in our hotel lobby, featuring a clay pitcher pouring water onto rocks.

“How easy! I can make this myself,” Don declared, sketching his plans on a napkin.

When we got home, garden shops became our new weekend destinations. Over the next several weeks, we hunted for a pond pump, drilled and painted a clay pitcher, and bought a plastic tub for the water reservoir. We needed tree limbs for decoration, so we cut down an overgrown, diseased tree to recycle the branches. Don constructed a pie-shaped frame for our corner location, which required hours of cutting and fitting.

“Easy as pie, huh?” Don said, wiping his sweaty face with a handkerchief.

Our staple gun jammed, so we replaced it with a new one for assembling the hinged wooden sections. We spent hours sawing the tree limbs into uniform lengths, then painstakingly arranged the branches, gluing and wiring them to the frame. Dedicated to recycling, we used all the rocks I had lugged home from various tropical and desert vacations, finally clearing a corner of our shed.

“I told you those stones would come in handy someday,” I said triumphantly.

Assembly took three weeks and cost $450. For our shady location, we bought impatiens, vines, and ferns, which we nestled among the rocks. Don flipped the switch to turn it on, only to discover a leak—water puddled in a corner near the patio. Hours later, after rearranging the rocks, the problem was fixed.

“Oh, it’s a beauty!” I exclaimed as though unveiling a masterpiece. Still, I wondered if Picasso had an easier time.

We celebrated for three days, inviting relatives and friends to enjoy the flow. Aunt Alice listened for a moment and said, “Where’s the ladies’ room?” Our friend Stephen called to say he’d come over soon, but I couldn’t wait any longer. In my excitement, I brought out the portable phone and held it near the rush of water.

“Hear that?”

“Sure—when are you going to flush?”

Nevertheless, Misty, our dog, was appreciative. Her new giant water bowl came in handy during the Summer heat.

On the third day of fountain ownership, I heard hammering near our patio and poked my head outside. The pounding came from the neighbor’s yard, where they were installing a new air conditioner, just feet away from our fountain. Each evening, we pressed our ears toward our gentle cascade, only to hear the drone of the air conditioner, like a lonely mosquito circling our bed at 4 a.m.

“Why did I want a fountain anyway?” I wondered aloud. “Heck, we live six miles from Niagara Falls—a giant fountain known throughout the world.”

But my garden, like other expectations in life, required creativity. We brainstormed and came up with a plan. By placing a thin sheet of metal between the rocks, the sound was amplified. Once again, we could enjoy the peaceful mood created by the beautiful sound. ❖

About the Author: Carole Fleischman lives in Niagara Falls, New York, with her husband Don and her guide dog Tino. Though blind, Carole enjoys her garden by using her developed senses of smell and touch to identify flowers and plants. With excellent hearing, she can recognize songbirds before they are visible to sighted birdwatchers. Carole, Don, and Tino have traveled to many public and private gardens throughout the United States and Canada. These days, Carole prefers to rock in a chair with a cold drink and enjoy her own garden.