I Completely Forgot about the Pool!

[Note: our internet was down for a bit. But we're back online again faster than ever. I've got quite a few gardening entries to catch up on. This entry is from Wednesday, April 5th, 2006.]

Optimism run amok. That's what happens when a new gardener believes she can install two arbors, build a pergola, plant numerous flowers with varying heights and sun needs and keep deer away from expensive roses. That's what happens when a new gardener's optimism is convinced ground will grow anything and moats are feasible landscaping options.

Unfortunately, my newbie optimism completely forgot about the pool.

The kids want one. Not a big pool, just big enough to swim a couple strokes before you crash into the other side. Maybe 23' long, 12' wide and four feet deep, with a slightly sunken deep end if we can find a suitable spot in the backyard without running into the septic field.

This is a huge complication. Where will the arbors go? The pergola? The patio? The hedge maze and rose obelisks and the moat? What about the precious patch of full sun that is getting whittled smaller and smaller? What about the precious gardening budget that has already been whittled down, down, down, .... nearing the size of single pencil stake in a birdbath-size veggie patch? Looks like it'll be a One-Tomato Garden this year.