When I first came to Korea, I was fairly non-materialistic. It was hard to justify buying anything non-consumable that wasn’t going to make the eventual trip back home. Even simple things like house plants were left alone.

These days, I guess I’m feeling more entrenched and less transient. Last year, we bought the big TV (better for my old-ass eyes, I reasoned) and a few weeks ago, we got a new car (the old one was really getting flaky.) But now I’m finding myself doing the simple domestic things that make a house a home.

For years I’ve had a fetish about water gardens. I built my first one in 1995 and have made several since. I’ve got another one now. It’s not the same being on the 4th floor where no access to dirt makes it an above-ground thing, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be beautiful and enchanting. Somehow, the sounds of water is soothing and MyeongHee and I both enjoy sitting near the new pond, watching the small fish and listening to the water music.

As with all of my water creations, they are a work in progress. Plants grow, die, get replaced and the falling water is altered to make new music. While this one has only a small fountain in the center, my eventual plans are for a cascading waterfall of pottery jars. I’ll also have some clingy, gangly plants that will hang over the side to obscure the basin for a more natural look. For now, we think it looks great. MyeongHee thinks I’m a genius. She’s right, of course. 🙂 Stay tuned.