A Tribute and
a Blessing
My mother
and I moved to Susanville, California, in August of
2003. Although we
had been residing in the Bay Area, near the Pacific
Coastline, for most of our lives, it was time to relocate
near our remaining family members. My mother, known to
me
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"
Mom filled the
bird bath and fed the birds, daily – without
exception!She loved watching the
birds!"
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as “Mom” or “my best friend”, had been living
with me for twelve years prior to our relocation in
Susanville.
Over the years, I would laugh and refer
to Mom as ‘Mother Nature’.
Despite any weather
conditions, Mom filled the bird bath and fed the birds,
daily – without exception!
She loved watching
the birds!
I’d had plans of
having a waterfall constructed for Mom during all those
years together.
I know she would love
and enjoy the beauty of one – as would her feathered
friends!
For various reasons,
my plans for Mom’s waterfall always fell
through.
With the home we were to be moving
into, here in Susanville, I could envision the perfect
spot for a waterfall, as well as what it should look
like!
By request, a local
developer kindly accumulated a mountain of rock, for me,
in the backyard!
Mom and I were still
getting settled in our new home when Mom’s physical
health took a turn for the worse.
The waterfall project
was put on hold.
Mom passed away in July of
2005.
The mountain of rock
still waiting… the project no longer seeming
important.
All I
could
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"Its beauty
and sounds give me a tranquil peace
within..."
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feel was the absence of Mom.
Nothing is really by
coincidence…
In
my grief, I became inspired to build a tribute to
Mom.
I had no idea how to
build a working waterfall by myself, but, at the very
least, I was going to build a mock waterfall version of
what I had envisioned and include a rock bird bath within
it!
I
began digging for a foundation.
I individually carried two
hundred cement block into the yard and made the
framework.
My brother-in-law
helped me set rebar and pour concrete.
I scrubbed each rock
to be used…
Then and as if had been planned, my dog
and I were strolling in a part of town we had never been…
and we just happened to come across a flier which was
inviting the public to a seminar on water
features!
I attended the
seminar and set up a meeting with the owner of that
landscaping company – on a whim – that just maybe the
mock waterfall could become a real
waterfall!
The answer was affirmative and before I
knew it, I was looking at a large, beautiful, and working
waterfall!
The remaining rock,
not used to make the waterfall, were beautifully set by a
local mason to compliment the water feature on the sides
and back.
The project was
completed one year after my mom’s passing… almost three
years ago.
The
pondless waterfall runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,
showing a unique beauty with each passing
season.
The upkeep and cost
of running it is minimal.
It fills the void of
missing the sights and sounds of
water,
that I
had known, living on the
Coast.
Its beauty and sounds
give me a tranquil peace within, and every day as I spend
time near the waterfall, I witness something conceived by
pure love for my mom and I feel her closeness,
still.
Not only do
my neighbors enjoy the sounds of the water but Mom’s
feathered friends frolic in it!
The waterfall is a
lasting tribute to my mom and has become a true blessing
to me.
Thank you,
Bruce Homme, for making what I had envisioned – a
reality.
Your positive
attitude; thoughtfulness; and enduring dedication to your
profession make the decision to install a water feature a
positive and lasting joy.
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