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Teacher, Teacher, I Declare!

by Matt Boring with Doris Dahse

Every teacher knows there are two sides to every story......

He said:

After moving back to my family’s hometown a couple of years ago I was invited to attend a meeting of the local Lion’s Club as a guest of a member.  Until then, I didn’t have any real idea of what a service organization such as Lion’s was all about.  I’d seen them when they made headlines, such as when they organize a drive to help hurricane victims, but didn’t know how extensive their contributions were to the cities they serve.  I was asked to consider joining and after attending a few more meetings, submitted my application and was accepted.

At the meetings, there was a lady’s face that seemed really familiar, but since I hadn’t learned everyone’s name, I just couldn’t place it.  At the time, I didn’t know that this lady was married to the President of the local club.  When I learned that his name was Dennis Dahse, I remembered someone who I had gone to school with named Denise Dahse and asked him if they were related.  “Denise is my daughter,” he told me.  Denise had been a popular girl at my school and had even been a cheerleader for my little league football team.  I also remembered that her Mom had taught me math in the fourth grade.  “Your wife was one of my teachers,” I told him.  As he stepped over to get the familiar-faced lady, it all became clear.  I had seen her ‘Lion Doris’ nametag, but in those days, we never knew our teachers’ first names, so I couldn’t place the face until this moment.  Besides, it had been almost thirty years since I’d seen her.  I imagine we both had changed a bit.

A few weeks later, an e-mail was sent out saying that the speaker for the upcoming Lion’s Club meeting had canceled and they were in need of some sort of presentation.  As well as designing and building water features for a living, I happen to love water gardening and have seen many people’s lives changed for the better after they’d made the choice to have their pond installed.  I told her that I could do a presentation on the subject if she couldn’t find anything else to fill the slot.  A couple of days later I was up there in front of a group of strangers who were leaders of the community telling them how water gardening has changed over the last 10-12 years, how ecosystem ponds are low maintenance, and how having a pond installed can change their lives.  I even showed them a short video that featured pond owners and their experiences as well as showing many different examples of water gardens so they didn’t just have to take my word for it.

A few weeks later Mrs. Dahse called me and said that, although they didn’t have a lot of room, they’d very much like to have a water garden.  I went to her home and fortunately, the area beside the patio was open.  I like to bring the pond to the residence, not make the residents go to the pond, so immediately behind the patio was going to be a great place.  It would also give them a great view through their living room and dining room windows.  We chose a design and set a date to begin construction.  When the day arrived, she had a cooler of bottled water and sodas on ice and she even made us fresh baked chocolate chip cookies during the day.  It was one of the more enjoyable times I’ve had installing a pond and my guys thought so too.  We stretched the installation out to a second day hoping to get more of those cookies, but were out of luck!

She said: 

As a retired teacher I have the pleasure of meeting some of my former elementary students during local events or even at the golf course. After teaching for 35 years I can look back and realize that teaching science and working with nature was my favorite area of study. As a Rosenberg Lions Club member I was quite happy to realize that one of my former students, Matt Boring, was joining the club.

It was only after he presented a program on natural water gardens that my dream of a pond came to life. He was always a very caring student and during his presentation on ponds, I saw that his love of making a natural habitat in someone's backyard was indeed his calling. After talking to him about the possibility of a pond, since our backyard was not very large, Matt came over and inspected our yard. Not long after, he and three helpers showed up one morning and within two days had my backyard transformed into a beautiful area with a pond and many flowering plants. Since it was my birthday he even added two large Koi which have doubled in size and are like pets. Each morning when I go out to the pond area to have breakfast, they come to the side like little puppy dogs waiting for a treat.

The pond has become our tranquility zone. Even my husband can be found sitting on the patio looking at the fish, dragonflies, butterflies, or doves who come to get a fresh drink of water. I cannot begin to tell you the number of hours we sit by the pond just enjoying the sound of the waterfall and watching the fish. All of the noise of the city seems to fade away and it's just us and our little haven of nature. This is an area when I can work on my Bible Study, read a book, talk with a friend, or just sit and relax looking at the beautiful fish and other animals in and around the natural water garden.

I wish I had seen Matt's presentation a few years back when I was still teaching because the water garden is a wonderful stress reliever. It's amazing how calm you become when you just sit, listen, and watch the beautiful water garden. It brings a sense of wonder and amazement while also reminding you of the beauty of nature.

He said:

  It was a pleasure installing a pond for Mrs. Dahse.  I still can’t bring myself to call her by her first name!  It’s even better knowing how much she enjoys it.  It was interesting to meet again with our roles reversed— this time I was educating her on the aquatic ecosystem that would form in her water garden.  Her yard was already landscaped beautifully with stone pathways and a swing for them to sit on and enjoy their lovely surroundings.  Flowering plants are everywhere and I’m sure it’s a great place to watch for Hummingbirds as well as the many other diverse varieties of life that make up the ecosystem of the area.   

She said:

Our pond has been in for a year now and I cannot imagine not having one in my yard. It has brought so much to us and our family. Thank you Matt for allowing us to experience the beauty of nature in our own backyard. I am so proud of all that you are doing to create that natural beauty for others.

Matt Boring’s company, TexasPonds.com is a Certified Aquascape Contractor.  He’s known as ‘The Natural Water Gardener’ and writes monthly articles about  water gardening in The Dirt Doctor’s ‘Dirt’ magazine.  Dirtdoctor.com