HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-05-09, Page 17the inclusion of some standard trees.
One of the more ambitious projects
was a small pond by the side door.
The pond is in an area where a small
flowerbed was located, but because
of the shade nothing grew well.
"That's what gave us the idea of
doing a rock hill."
Admitting that many of their ideas
have been approached with a certain
naive fearlessness, Melinda laughs
when she says. how little they knew
about building a pond. "But it's
turned out well. I'm pleased with it.
The. only thing we would have done
differently was to have more of an
area for sitting."
Besides fish and turtles -for the
pond, each year Melinda can be
found out at her parents' pond catch-
ing her supply of frogs. However,
because of the pond's high traffic
area, Melinda jokes that the frogs
usually defect to a neighbour's.
When the couple realized that the
pond was not deep enough to winter
the fish, Brian constructed a holding
tank in the kitchen from hardwood
flooring, complete with a small foun-
tain and mister.
The couple now has plans for
another pond on the opposite side of
the house, which will be visible from
both streets at this corner lot.
It will sit next to last year's project,
the pool area. Brian's mother bought
the pool for them as therapy for their
daughter, Sadie, who was born with
spina bifida, "We had been told that
Continued on page 18
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1 MILE WEST OF BLYTH 523-9771
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2001. PAGE 17.
Home & Garden 2001
Couple indulges love ofgardening, decorating
• have any desire to dig in when grow-
ing up, Melinda feels that her mother
influenced her interest in gardening.
"She has gorgeous flowerbeds. I
never helped her with them," she
says with a smile, "but I think seeing
them, living there, has made me want
the same. I get a lot of ideas from
her."
One of the first areas landscaped
was done almost more tor necessity.
The lawn mower was shaving the
grass from a steep hill at the front of
the home leaving it burnt. Brian and
Melinda started by turning "a small
chunk" into flowerbed. "Every sum-
mer it seemed I just started adding
more.".
Preferring low maintenance peren-
nials, Melinda has put her faith in
familiarity. "I -have found there are
about 20 or so plants that are my
favourites and I like to use them over
and over in different areas."
' When the front deck was built onto
the house-. the TenPases chose much
of the.same type of landscaping with
• Renovations • New Homes
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Soothing
In order to winter the goldfish from the outdoor pond, Brian
and Melinda TenPas of Brussels built a holding tank in the
corner of their dining area. It's drained each year and
cleaned, then refilled. A few of Melinda's "favourites" remain
inside for the family to watch, while the others are moved.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizqn staff
Room to play has helped Brian and
Melinda TenPas indulge a love for
decorating and gardening.
The Brussels couple bought their I
I /2-storey brick home eight years
ago. At the time they were expecting
their first child and residing in a
four-plex. The house located across
the street came up for sale and Brian
saw an opportunity. "He thought it
would be perfect because it was so
close to our renters."
They have spent the years since, :is
is often the case, creating a home
they would now find difficult to
leave.
In the beginning, the TenPases
dedicated much of their effort to the
interior of the house. gutting rooms
and raising the ceilings.
Then after two or three years Brian
and Melinda focussed on the spa-
cious property. The I32-foot
frontage and a depth of 105 feet, pro-
vides an opportunity to put her pas-
sion for gardening tO good use. A
walk around the yard shows the
result of their labour and ingenuity.
While admitting she didn't exactly
For the sports fan
Using a bat, baseball, soccerball
and basketball, Brian and
Melinda devised a unique way
to - decorate her sons' room in
keeping with the sports theme.
These were cut in half, laquered
and attached to the wall on
either side of the room above
the boys' beds.