Project Water Feature

Our backyard is our haven: a place to relax, to watch birds, to enjoy the changes of seasons. For a long time we have been talking about putting in a water feature. Last year we spent a lovely day in Tallahassee helping Rob and Traci do just that. After our stop over at Cousin Elsie's house in Knoxville, we started discussing putting in a fountain or something in our own back yard. We had enjoyed sitting in Elsie's spacious screened porch, listening to the trickle of water, and watching the birds play in the fountain.

When we mentioned at Sunday dinner recently that we were in the planning phase of project water feature, my mother reminded us that we were supposed to get one of the syrup kettles from the farm. For those of you who do not know what a syrup kettle is, it is a 60 gallon round cast iron kettle whose original purpose was to be used in cooking down sugar cane juice to a thick cane syrup. We never cooked out syrup on the farm where I grew up. Our recycled kettles were used as cow watering troughs.

Cast iron is not light weight. Fortunately, Philip and Judy were here for lunch and Philip volunteered to get Billy to help fetch the kettle from Mama's place. Billy has a handy trailer which helped make the job easier. Last Thursday the three men put the kettle in place and Klep's job began.

All projects require at least one trip to either Home Depot or Lowe's. Since this was basically Klep's project, we headed to Lowe's Friday morning to get an electric pump, electrical boxes, and switches. He was recycling old hose for the circulation of water and an old pump which was originally connected to the windmill as the device to deliver the water.

Friday afternoon he worked on the old pump and painted the hose to match the kettle. Saturday he put in a good amount of digging time. By Saturday afternoon he connected everything and used an extension cord to be sure things would work correctly. Monday he did the electrical work, we closed up the ditch, filled the kettle, set out the Endless Summer Hydrangeas, and enjoyed sitting on the back porch in the late afternoon listening to the water flow into the kettle.

Cost of the project:
Transportation: 2 helpings of friends
Kettle and pitcher pump: 0$
Pump and supplies: $28.00
Installation: 4 ibuprofen
Finished Project: Priceless