With the year already halfway over, the world continues to deal with a lot of unknowns and uncertainty. Since we last met, things have gotten a tad better, at least. I live in the Chicagoland area, where we’ve moved into the next phase of reopening. These are all baby steps, but I have to admit […]
Read More
As I write this, we are in the middle of a lockdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is such a strange, unprecedented time. We hope you’ve all been practicing social distancing and are feeling healthy. How have you been staying busy? It appears that each state has created its own set of rules as […]
Read More
Yep, it’s hard to believe — it’s already year four of the “Water Artisans of the Year” contest. Time flies when you’re working hard! It’s really exciting to see what a lot of you have been up to over the past year. One thing hasn’t changed: You all build some knock-your-socks-off ponds and water features! […]
Read More
Happy New Year, readers! Hope your holidays were wonderful, and here’s looking forward to a great, prosperous 2020. A new year calls for a new game plan, and perhaps a few resolutions. What are your goals for the next year? What do you want to accomplish? Are you looking to up your game and attend […]
Read More
OK, get ready — I’m going to gush a little bit. I’m officially a mother-in-law! My son Evan got married to sweet Maggie in September at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, Minnesota. The beautiful bride (and handsome groom, I might add) had to share the spotlight with a breathtaking waterlily collection, […]
Read More
Reports are coming in from pond builders all over the country — it sounds like business and life in the pond world has been really good this season! People have told me that with the economy on the upswing, they are able to pick and choose which jobs they want to take on, and which […]
Read More
As I finish up the design touches of this issue, I realize that we have three solid business topics — and all three are topics you are going to want to soak in. You all know how to build beautiful ponds, but you also need to have really good business sense and advice in order […]
Read More
Karrie and Lloyd Lightsey sure were busy getting donations rounded up for the American Cancer Society. Karrie is a cancer survivor, and she puts her heart and soul into fundraising and donating to the cause. Last fall, Karrie gathered shirts with logos from pond builders and retailers and had them made into a beautiful collage […]
Read More
First off, happy spring, everyone! By the time you read this column, water should be flowing nicely, with fish happily swimming and aquatic plants starting to green up and bloom. I love this time of year. I have a little personal story to share with you. My son Evan got engaged a couple of months […]
Read More
Yes indeed, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. I so wish we had the print version of a drum-roll app to push right about now! It’s been quite the year for entries. At first, they were coming in slowly, but once that deadline hit, we got a huge surge of submissions. I guess […]
Read More