The Idiot Stick, for those not familiar with the term, is a stick with a shovel blade on one end, and an idiot on the other. Spend much time with one and you soon understand how it got that name.
One of the reasons I started building above ground ponds in the first place is that I really, really hate using that shovel. I mean, I do NOT like it, not one bit!
So, why I am using one now? Well, I decided I couldn’t afford to put up the little grow out ponds that I like, so I thought that in the mean time, I’d go with a couple of kiddie pools, instead. Now, the kiddie pool would not be a first choice for me, not even a second choice, normally. But when you want to get something going in a hurry, they’ll do. They are certainly cheap! $10 each at Wal-Mart. That’s good. 8 feet in diameter, but only 15 inches deep. The lack of depth is not so good, but still usable for most water lilies.
To get that 15 inches of depth, the darned thing has to be filled to the very top, and it needs to be level. Think the spot you want to put it is really level? Lay a 2X4 on edge and put a spirit level on it. See? The darned yard has a slope to it! In mine, it doesn’t matter which way you orient the 2X4, it just ain’t level!
So, I’m out there with an Idiot Stick, doing what I have to, in order to create a level pad, 8 feet in diameter, so I can set up a $10 kiddie pool. And there isn’t a kid in sight! (Which is good, by the way, otherwise I’d have to stop and run ‘em off.)
The real reason I’m posting this is to give myself a reason to be inside, and not working with that darned shovel. Now that I’ve cooled off a bit, I’m going back outside and see if I can “get ‘er done!”
Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL