We are really enjoying this...

The Lazy Investor

Here we are, a couple months into our new home, with things going pretty well...

With so much time on my hands working with the LAZY system of investing, I have time to do the things I want to do, not having someone else control my time.

And, I'm doing it...

One of the greatest rewards about using a system that brings in deals all the time - so many deals that I get to choose the ones I want - is that I get to putter around in my yard (something I really love doing) and build things as/if I want.

The WATERFALL

A tremendous acheivement recently completed is our waterfall. Now, this isn't some 'drip-by-drip', leaky-faucet thing - it is a full-blown, thunderous cascade of a WATERFALL!

At EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED gallons of water an hour, this thing ROARS!

It drops water from about 3 feet and winds around multiple slabs to a 4 foot wide opening, where the water pours over at nearly 1/2 inch! Yes, this is a serious waterfall!

And, as it has an UNDERGRAVEL FILTER system that keeps the water crystal clear without chemicals (something I really like!), it is now a beautiful place to spend some quiet time with almost no maintanence required at all (we do still watch the skimmer filter to keep the leaves down - a 2-minute process easily done while watching the fish eat...)

Now, how did I figure out all that wonderful stuff to make this magnificent creation?

Well, I went searching on the web and found a home-study course that taught me just how to do it.

I also followed the advice of the local pond supply store (actually, they sell the course there, and use it for every one of the waterfalls they build, too...) and went to see just how the experts did it.

You know, I find that following the advice of those that have gone before is the ONLY way to fully leverage your time, money and effort - the 'L' of being LAZY!

Now, did that georgous waterfall get built simply by sitting around, thinking about getting it done, studying everything over and over, making plans and researching for months on end?

NO!

Even though there was some up-front research and plans done (the design of the undergravel filter...), it took ACTION to make it successful.

And, every time we had a stumbling block, we turned to our home-study course and found the answers - or we contacted the 'gurus' we got the book from and got our questions answered.

Of course, when we needed more (like our pump, tubing, fish etc.), we went back to them because they knew just what to do and had worked with us, step-by-step.

So, our first thing was to gather a list of materials;

1. LOTS of sand - 6 TONS of it! - Looking at our pond area, we wanted to build a 'mound' 8' deep, 8' wide (at the pond side) and 3' higher than the pond rim. I left all that calculation to the experts (I gave them my measurements and layout ideas and they told me 5-6 tons would be needed) we looked at the local supply stores and found several versions of 'fill' that we liked, but in the end, we stuck with what our mentors told us to do and chose 'reject' sand (I don't like that word, but that's what they call it and it worked out great....)

2. Retaining wall blocks - When we first started building the base, we thought we could get away from this step, as it was expensive and the sand (when properly wet down and packed) was staying in place very well. But, one day, we went out and discovered that the sprinkler system was 'melting' our structure slowly, but surely... We did what the experts told us to do and put up a retaining wall...

3. The pump - we live right on a 'minor' street - that's one that has a good deal of traffic, but is not a 'major' street (Las Vegas has 'major' streets every mile, and 'minor' ones every 1/2 mile). We get some traffic noise.

So, we wanted to have a waterfall big enough to drown out the noise, but not so big that we couldn't hear ourselves think...

Again, back to the experts, who calculated the rate of flows, the size of the pipes and such, we decided we needed a 5500 gallon per hour pump. But, as we wanted to get rid of noise and build a bigger drop (it is 4 feet wide at the bottom...), we needed to 'upgrade' the pump and the 8500 gph was the only thing they had.

4. The liner - this tough plastic sheeting is certainly one of the major components of any pond. Although it was one of the simplest items to purchase (we went back to those that know and asked their advice...), it is a bit tricky to install, but, again following their advice, we got it installed and leak free - once we 'tweaked' it a bit.

5. Rock - and LOTS of it... - Big boulder things - as much as one man can lift (yeah, I had a helper do most of the heaviest stuff, but I did place them myself) - one for each end of each 'shelf', plus the shelf themselves (made from flagstone - nice big pieces of flat rock, but fragile!).

Of course, as we have an underground filter, we have several tons of gravel-rock (smaller stuff - about 3/4 inch is what we decided on) covering 130 feet of 3/4" PVC with holes drilled all throughout and piped back into the pump input.

Yes, this is a SYSTEM, but doing all the work up front and following the system that works has proven time and time again to be worth all the effort - now, we don't have to struggle with leaves or clean out all the time - it is 98% maintanence free...

So, that's the latest from around here. Hope you enjoy this info as much as we enjoy our waterfall, pond and now, koi and goldfish (getting bigger every day!)

Happy Investing,

Steve