food
When I look at the average pond, I tend to perceive a range of missed opportunities. I come from the world of aquaponics, where I've spent my career figuring out ways to integrate environments for fish and plants in ways that make both fins and leaves grow like crazy. For the most part, I work on an industrial scale, designing facilities where huge populations of fish are grown as food and, nearby, huge
The life of a pond installer is dotted with moments of quiet satisfaction. Getting a contract signed is an obvious one, as is accepting final payment. But in between, you have to take positive moments where you can find them - and for me, there's nothing more soul-satisfying than introducing aquatic animals to a new pond I've built. In the specific project covered
It's a statement that draws no argument: If you work hard, you should get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. For all of the obvious truth of that idea, I wonder how many of us hard-working folks in the watershaping trades take the time for those things that bring us enjoyment and a sense of reward. To be truthful, my guess is that far too many of us let the hard work get in the way of keeping promises we've made to ourselves to stop and smell the roses every now and then. Years ago, I hosted a radio program with my brother, Guy. It was called "The Good Life," and the tagline was, "The Bower Brothers sharing their enjoyment of food, wine and the good life." Neither my brother nor I were
To the Good Life!