Pandemic projects: Deck offers peaceful fish pond view

Everybody needs a place to get away – an oasis of calm in an often chaotic world. Edie Rice-Sauer created that kind of place in her own backyard.

When she moved to Spokane’s South Hill from Nashville, Tennessee, 20 years ago, the home she purchased had a small pond with a concrete bridge jutting across it.

The concrete seemed jarring in such a bucolic setting.

“We jackhammered the bridge off,” she said.

The fish pond was in immediate need of attention, so Rice-Sauer did her research and created a healthier biosphere for the goldfish that swam there.

She also built a small deck adjacent to the pond.

“I used scrap lumber, whatever I could get my hands on,” she said. “I’m comfortable with power tools. When you want something done, why not do it?”

This summer, she’d already planned to redo the deck, but COVID-19 added a sense of urgency to her desire to revamp her quiet space.

“My husband calls it my relaxation center,” Rice-Sauer said.

While she handled the construction, her husband served as consultant – especially when it came time to purchase lumber.

“He helped me choose the wood,” she said.

The pandemic had spawned a surge in home-improvement projects and the couple found pressure-treated wood was in short supply.

Rice-Sauer tore the original deck completely apart and started afresh, expanding the structure from 6 feet by 8 feet to 10 feet by 12 feet.

“This time around, I decided to do it right,” Rice-Sauer said.

That included building steps.

“Frankly, I made them once and had to redo them,” she said. “I designed and created the plan in my head. There were no steps here before.”

She wanted to make sure the deck and the stairs were safe and sturdy, not just for herself, but for her 2-year-old grandson, who visits every week.

Rice-Sauer, the executive director at Transitions, used some time off work to complete the renovation, which took just five days, start to finish.

She found the hands-on, labor-intensive work, satisfying.

“It was a great time to process stuff,” she said. “My job doesn’t have much closure to it.”

But completing the project built to withstand the harsh summer sun and the bone-chilling winter temps, offered her a sense of fulfillment.

By July, she was able to relax beside the pond, and her grandson was able to roll golf balls down the sturdy steps she built.

Beneath the shade of an umbrella, she can sit quietly and watch the goldfish dart among the cattails, yellow irises and water lily.

She’s learned how to ensure the fish and the pond survive the frosty months, and will be ready to greet her in the spring thaw.

“I say it’s my sanity,” she said of her backyard sanctuary. “It helps me get through the day, and gives me a lot of peace – even during COVID.”

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– Cindy Hval can be reached at dchval@juno.com