WaterWays

If you are interested in a pond or water garden of your own, look no further than My Pond Store, LLC. Watergardening is truly the best lifestyle decision you’ll ever make. Water’s magnetic properties aren’t just chemical. The thirst for water runs deep in our minds, touching on emotions that lead to enjoyment. Incorporating water is a natural means of bringing people closer to what you value most...The difference is WATER!

Water is the basis of all life on earth. Humans themselves are 75% water, so it is a natural phenomenon to be attracted to it. It is soothing, relaxing, entertaining all at the same time. People and ponds go together, naturally.

We at My Pond Store, LLC have a passion for the watergardening hobby. Custom installations of ponds, streams and waterfalls can all be incorporated into any situation. Let the professionals at My Pond Store, LLC help you in creating a custom design that will turn your home, workplace, or landscape into an enchanting aquatic environment that you DESERVE. My Pond Store, LLC can help you customize a design that works for you! Our professionalism and belief in customer service combined with our passion about water features puts us a step above the rest.

Just imagine taking your shoes and socks off, rolling those pant legs up to your knees, and sticking your feet into the cool, cool water of your pond. While you are sitting there just listening to the bubbling waterfalls, smell the surrounding plants, and allow your feet to kick, splash, and frolic playfully in the pond. And in the process, mentally return to younger, less complicated times. Then move forward with relaxed shoulders, relaxed stomach, breathing deeply and rhythmically until you reach the present. Then, and only then, will you fully understand what “pondering” is all about.

Can’t you see yourself enjoying the “wonders of watergardening?” My Pond Store, LLC specializes in creating ecologically balanced, low maintenance water features for fish, plants, and most of all PEOPLE. We transform ordinary into tranquility. At My Pond Store, LLC we look forward to creating a “Lifestyle” you DESERVE! 

My Pond Store contact info

bruce@mypondstore.com

336-616-1788 office

336-616-1827 fax

We all know that April showers bring May flowers, right? But did you also know that April showers could give way to your least favorite kind of plant … algae? Yep, it seems that rain, combined with a bit of lightning, can add nitrates to your pond through something called “atmospheric fixation.” It’s all a part of what we call the nitrogen cycle.
We used to attribute an algae bloom in the pond after a thunderstorm to fertilizer run-off, and that may still be a factor, but you should also consider the lightning involved in the storm. Nitrogen gas is broken up, allowing it to combine with oxygen-forming nitrogen oxide, which is dissolved in rainwater. To put it simply, nitrate is fertilizer, so it’s like you’re adding fertilizer to your pond. Have you ever noticed that your grass is always a bit greener after a good storm? That’s why!

So what can help you counteract the murky, algae lined water that may result from a strong thunderstorm? Well, first of all, it’s important to know that you won’t always get an algae bloom after a storm ... it really depends on your pond. But if you do, your aquatic plants immediately go to work, chowing down on the nitrates and using them to grow. So your aquatic plants aren’t only beautiful, but they’re a useful part of your pond’s ecosystem.
Another option for you is to add some liquid bacteria immediately after the storm to counter-act all the nutrients that are heading into the water. An important thing to remember is not to let a little algae disrupt the way you handle your pond. It’s very natural to have algae growing in your pond; after all, how many ponds built by Mother Nature herself have a little algae here and there?
Don’t start fooling with your water chemistry until you know there’s a definite problem. Algae is a part of pond ownership, and while we don’t want our pond overrun by it, a little here and there adds character. Add some bacteria and let your plants help you fight the good fight. After all, those May flowers are going to need a little extra boost to be big and glorious this season. Wouldn’t it be nice if Mother Nature whipped up a little rain and lightening to help them along the way?

Ponds for Good Health

According to veterinarian and fish specialist, Dr. Erik Johnson, “The key to keeping healthy fish can be found in maintaining good water quality.” When water quality deteriorates, whether from a fish overload, a lack of plants, or from lawn fertilizer chemicals seeping into the pond water, stress levels on your fish increase. And increased stress reduces the effectiveness of your fish’s immune system, rendering them more vulnerable to various diseases present in their environment.

So if you want healthy fish, make sure your water quality is good, minimize their stress levels, maximize the potency of their immune systems, and their ability to fend off disease will improve.

How This Scenario Plays Out for Humans

According to self-help guru Dr. Deepak Chopra, the same scenario that applies to fish, also applies to humans. As a person’s stress level increases, the effectiveness of their immune system is reduced, leaving them vulnerable to various diseases in their environment.

To protect your own good health, simply reduce the stress in your life, making sure your immune system is strong, vital, and capable of fending off the diseases in your environment, and your odds of living a long, happy, healthy, and active life increases exponentially.

Two Easy and Practical Tests

Chopra suggests two simple tests to determine how vulnerable you are to disease. The first is simply to ask yourself if you’re happy with your job. Job satisfaction is huge because if you’re spending 40 to 60 hours a week doing a job that you don’t like, or have too little time to do it, pressure and stress will build, and the effectiveness of your immune system will gradually decrease. The second Chopra test is what he calls the happiness test. Just ask yourself how happy you are with your life. The happier you are, the greater your odds of staying healthy.

Reducing the stress in your life is good for you and it will probably translate into better health. There are various ways to escape from stress – some lose themselves in a long run, yoga practice, tai chi, or prayer. But those who have a water garden in their backyard probably just walk outside, and lose themselves in the soothing sights and sounds of their pond. And when they do, they relax, and that’s good for their health.

A Breast Cancer Patient Speaks

Jan Cyr of Nashville, Tennessee has had a pond in her backyard for three years. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April of 2004, the stress in her life spiked. “I found myself having times when I could hardly cope, and when those times came, I began drinking heavily,” Jan said. But Jan knew she was creating more problems for herself, so she began going out to the pond instead. “I’d feed the fish and watch them swim around. I’d listen to the soothing sounds of the waterfall, and by the time an hour had passed, I was able to let go of the things that were dragging me down, without needing a drink,” Jan added.

The pond has turned out to be a natural sedative for Jan and has been good for her health. She’s convinced that all hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices should have ponds on their premises for their clients.

A First Grade Teacher With Hypertension

Peg and Clint Bissell live in Templeton, Massachusetts. Clint works in the computer industry while Peg is a first grade teacher. If you know anything about teaching first grade these days, you’ll know why the Bissells wanted a pond … for peace of mind and relaxation.

“I’d been diagnosed with hypertension that my doctor said was work-related. So earlier this year, I decided that I’d like to have a pond installed. I twisted Clint’s arm just a little, he agreed, and now he loves the pond as much as I do. When our friends and family congregate around it,” Peg said, “everyone’s at peace. My advice for anyone who’s going into teaching is, buy yourself a pond first. It will add years to your life, and life to your years.”

M.S. Warriors Weighs in

Greg Cain was diagnosed with M.S. three years ago, but didn’t take the news lying down. Instead, he decided to have the pond of his dreams built. Over the past year, Greg has become a supporter of the therapeutic value of water gardening. “The pond has turned out to be a natural sedative, and it’s been so good for my own health. I noticed immediately how I could relax when I was around the pond, and I can’t tell you how much all this relaxation has meant to the success of my therapy,” Cain said.

When Ken and Gill Ecke moved into a house with an old Jacuzzi, they wanted to eliminate it and replace with it a pond. Ken is an engineer who often operates under a work-related stress load, so when he was diagnosed with M.S., they decided to move forward with the pond they’d been thinking about for two years. “Ken has always been very active, and the pond has given him a new hobby that’s fun and relaxing at the same time,” Gill said. “When he comes home from work, he immediately goes out to the pond to feed the fish. It’s been a Godsend for both of us.”

An Emergency Room Medical Physician

Emergency Medical Physician, Dr. Anna Marie Allen agrees wholeheartedly with Dr. Chopra about stress, the immune system, and the odds of living a healthy life. “Ninety percent of all the patients I see are suffering from stress-related diseases,” she said. “Stress definitely reduces your immune system’s effectiveness, and increases your vulnerability to disease.

“And the stress that doctors work under in the ER these days is overwhelming. “But when I come home I go out to the pond, sit in the gazebo, feed the fish, watch them swim around, and relax. Feeding the fish is especially relaxing to me,” Dr. Allen said. “My pond is my natural antidote to emergency room stress. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Now, if you wanted to boil this down into the lyrics of a song, it might be Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy. If you heed this simple piece of musical advice, odds are that the immune system Mother Nature equipped you with will remain strong and you’ll be more successful at fending off diseases in your environment.

Interestingly enough, one of the easiest, most natural ways to experience peace, tranquility, and relaxation is to have a pond out in your backyard, to feed the fish, listen to the sounds of the waterfalls, and breathe in the aroma of the plants and flowers.