People my age should remember ‘paint by number’ kits from childhood. Not even the most supportive parent would confuse such a “Mona Lisa” painted by their offspring with Leonardo’s masterpiece. The same can be said for my handiwork in some things; these are best left to craftsmen (and women). Whether building patios, renovating kitchens, restoring old cars, or creating mosaics (tiled mailboxes and birdbaths), the projects I find stunning are done by highly skilled people. A friend at church built his koi pond, telling me stories of obtaining materials for free and moving half-ton boulders with pulleys and rollers. He sounded just like the ancient pyramid builders.
I had already worked on the pond design for a few months. Inspired by David, I built my little backyard pond a couple weeks ago, and put a few small goldfish and minnows in it this week. However, just as my gardening took several years to allow plants to thrive and be esthetically pleasing at the same time, I know that pyramid-building and artificial ponds take practice. Even if the goldfish manage to survive the summer, I am already planning to start over. I just have to gather more materials and get the pharaoh’s spouse to greenlight it.
It's a Dog's Life 