Jacob's garden

Jacob's Pond & Garden
Welcome to our living memorial for our grandson
Jacob Allen Victorino Ziegler
Born on 6/6/2003 became an angel on 12/13/2003 due to Sudden infant Death Syndrome
Jacob's Pond & Garden page was last updated on 5/12/2007 new photos at the bottom

The beginning of Jacob's pond

	I told Johnathen I wanted a pond in memory of Jacob on is second birthday after his passing. A place were I could go sit and enjoy the sound and view and remember my grandson in the way he disserves to be remember. It brakes my heart going to a cemetery and place flowers on a grave. A stone with a name of baby that didn't get to have a life but touched so many lives with in 6 short months. I have always felt Jacob's presence in our home, his photos line the walls, computer screen saver flashes photos and music. I didn't ask for anything special just a small pond. If I ask of anything from Johnathen he will go out of his way to get it, and It will be better then I asked for. Johnathen is a big man but has a bigger heart, and that is one of the reasons He is loved by me and his children.
It was a big hole, when I came back from town. Johnathen rented a small backhoe and dug the main hole then by hand Johnathen and my son John placed the tiers that became our shelf's for different levels in the pond. They compacted the sides and added the landscape felt paper. We only had the weekends to work on this pond since we both have demanding jobs. We knew it would take some time, we only had a few hours a week to spend on it.
		By hand both Johnathen and John worked on the a brick foundation for the tubs.They laid all the pipes in for the pumps and the skimmer. Drilled holes in two 55 gal drums and in a 150 gal horse tub. We would have an awesome filtration system. I just sat back and helped when needed this was Johnathen and my sons time to shine. Johnathen had a plan and I had no idea what he was doing. Never have we ever attempted a pond or even read a book on building one. Just dig a hole and add water! How hard could that be?
We had no idea what it would look like.Two people working on an idea neither knowing what the other is thinking. Johnathen was just building a pond for me, for a memorial to our grandson. I wanted a place to remind me of the beauty I seen in a little boy. How could I convey what I see in my mind to Johnathen. I will not tell you we didn't have trouble because that would be wrong. We both had many different Ideas and couldn't wait to see them. But we would have to pull together if it was to come together.

	I could not ask for a better family ..... . My son John took me to a pond supply co, that had an Elephant fountain. I fell in love with it and said I'll have to get that if we build the pond. An elephant never forgets, We'll never forget our baby boy no matter what goes on in our daily life. Later both kids, Edith and John picked up the Elephant as a Mothers day gift. I purchased 6 tons of lake Kapowsin blue stone from Dow Co. in Kent Washington. It is a beautiful blue green stone I seen shortly after Jacob's passing and knew that was what we would use in his Pond. Everything has a meaning ......
This was a plain pink rock that we purchased from the Dow Co for the purpose of sitting the Elephant on. Johnathen borrowed a core driller from his Boss and within 5 minuets we had a rock with a hole. A rock with holes are around 100.00 to 500.00 one this size could have cost us up to $150.00 Instead we only paid $12.00 for the rock, connected the hose placed the elephant on top and he sprays water. The Brick wall is the back side of the pond next to our driveway.

	Pond liners placed in the pond and edging lined the sides of the pond. As soon as I seen my turn to do the landscape around the pond I took it. Seeing the pond take shape I could see were I wanted plants and lay rocks. I stood on the stone wall to get more of a prospective view to see what I wanted to do with the sides. With the bricks not looking natural I would have to blend the rocks into the landscape gradually to make it look right. Not much room this was a challenge. But it would soon take shape.
Johnathen and John worked so hard on the Pond the piping is something that gets hidden so most of their hard work is covered in dirt. I know what they had to do to make it work for us. The pond is one of the best things I've ever received and I just love it. I smile inside when I think of what we did to get us this pond.We all wanted to work on a memorial for Jacob. The planning design was Johnathen creation and it just came together like we have done this before.

Placing rocks to form small planter type areas to hold plants. They will need watered often as plants in pots do. The fence was removed to place rocks into the pond water falls easer, and to let me blend the rocks into the bricks.The indian flag stone is what we used for the different tears of the waterfall. Now it was ready for a dry run add water before we get to far to see what the sound is like, any changes need to be made it was time. Both falls were grate the sound was spectacular!


Now it was time to place dirt over all the pipes and finish off the landscape. This is a place we can truly catch the sprite of Jacob Allen.

	The pond was running and set up by July 2006. Now we will be able to watch it bloom every year, I know the plants will need to be trimmed back and thinned out. We will have a life time of care just in this little pond. Watching it grow and bloom every year.

Yes, there is a child in the pond under the waterfall. My first grandson Tyler James, Jacob's big brother.

This was a one time deal after the pond was up and running, we let Tyler swim in it.
Tyler worked very hard on this pond with us and this was a well deserved treat for him.
Tyler James worked on planting, weeding, carrying rocks and picking out fish for the pond.
But his favorite Job was being the little hottie for us with the concrete.
He would keep the concrete ready for us when we were doing the Crete.
Tyler, learned allot by helping, this was a family project.
We all feel we can get a little closer to Jacob with a happy place to think of him.
Tyler being happy in the memorial for his Brother What a wonderful tribute to Jacob.
Tyler could always get Jacob to giggle .. I could almost hear his giggle
The water fall is so loud that Tyler could not hear us talking to him.


	I'm a little turtle, I crawl so slow, And carry my house Wherever I go. When I get tired I pull in my head, My legs and my tail, And go to bed!


Emerald Isle Spike Moss	Elijah Blue Grass Festuca Glauca	Golden Varigated Sweet Fag


	Japanese Sedge Silver Sceptre

American Maritima Dusseldort Pride

	Veronica Repens Sunsine	spiderwort osprey tradescantia

Scotch Moss Sagina Subulata Aurea	Stone Crop Cape Blanco

Very Special thanks to the following people and Companies

Dow Company Central Street, Kent Washington
All the Beautiful Kapowsin Blue Rocks and Indian Flag Stones Pond liners and OutStanding Help, We would recommend this place to anyone in the area for pond supply's A+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd Harget of Iron man Steel IW Local 86
The use of the Core driller Placing the hole in the rock for the elephant
For giving John time off on the weekends when needed desperately as their welder.
Special thanks to
In our opinion one of the BEST Iron worker companies in our local.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skippie Filter System
Out standing filters, You build yourself. You can find them on the web!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ponds for less, on the net at Pondsforless.com
The purchase of Liners & Pumps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
McLendon's Kent Washington
Pluming supplies, electrical, concrete, Pond supplies, and many Plants.
The Victorino's give McLendon's and A + for Outstanding help!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Home Depot
Bricks & plants, nice place... But they take the do it your self a bit far with not as much help as needed. If you don't need any help they are a grate place for supplies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bird house	Jacob's ladder	One of my bird house & flowers

pansies

Angel fountain Johnathen got for my Birthday in January 2006	I love my large fir trees in the yard They give shade and add life

	Angel fountain

Making this web-site for our grandson was a methods I used for healing some of the pain of his loss. This garden has become a life line to his memory, my yard has life and will keep growing with love.

After the passing of our grandson Jacob Allen of SIDS, we stared purchasing flowers for he's grave. That is a part of life and millions of people do it every day. You start to notice that the stores will cater to birthdays holidays but until you have had someone pass you don't notice how they cater to death and line flowers for what ever occasion. Memorial day they even place the little green flower holders for you to purchase out for the graves. I personally like to calibrated the life that one lived here on Earth not the death. So even thought I will purchase cut flowers and I love their beauty I prefer the live ones in pots to place on the grave. Over time you end up with lots of plants in your yard if you go every week with new flowers. We live with in walking distance to the National Cemetery were Jacob's small body rest. Friday I would purchase flowers, our yard started to take on a different look. Easter lilly's were blooming in November and flowers coming up all over the yard. So we started to call it Jacob's garden and the name stuck.



If you look close you will see in the background that this area is where we planted many flowers from Jacobs grave. From Christmas tree lilly's, mums to bleeding hearts Flowers bloom all year around and in December the month of his passing things that can't be explain happens.

These are the Easter Lilly's that Jack & Adrian Pooler gave us to place on Jacob's grave Easter 2004.
After Easter was over I got the bulbs and planted them in a corner of our yard that is known as Jacobs Garden.
November 2004 the Easter Lilly's Bloomed again. Along with every flower placed on his grave site.
We were amazed to see them Bloom again in November and had a special treat for the month of December


The Roses were given to us from Scotty and Alisa Wheeler The day we laid Jacob to rest. Photo taken December 2004

November 2005 we stared to build a pond for a memorial to our grandson. First time pond builders but anyone with common sense should be able to handle it. The Flowers were moved from the area to start the pond site. All flowers were placed carefully thought out the yard and the pond began. We got a good start on the hole and piping and then we waited for the rest of the construction for better weather.
We started purchasing liners piping rocks and anything we thought we would need for a pond.
I will do my best to walk you thought the pond project that we finish as a family.
Everyone received joy and peace from the labor of love and it is something we will never forget.




	New blooms appear on the 2003 Christmas tree

Heaven shines down on Jacob's garden

This little tree was purchased, decorated & placed in our home for Christmas the day we laid Jacob's little body to rest.


The '2004' Christmas tree that spent many nights on Jacob's grave with battery operated lights Now grows in our yard for many years to come. In October 2006 I took photos of the little Christmas tree that we planted in out yard. It had short blue needles and as you can see the new branches are long green needles. Anything can change.

Beautiful chinese snow tree in bloom

Just before Jacob's birthday I started looking for a special tree to plant for his birthday.
I found this Snow tree all in bloom at a Kent Nursery and knew this was the one.
This Chinese Snow tree was planted on Jacob's 2nd birthday '2005' we had a birthday party in Jacob's memory
As a family we planted this little tree on Jacob's birthday
Mommy, daddy, Uncle John, brother Tyler, Grandpa and myself Grandma.
We will forever miss our boy.....

When working in the garden you always need gloves so I picked up gloves for Tyler and myself to work in the yard. Then looking at the gloves one small pair stood out I placed them in my cart. Got home and placed them here next to this little Angel. This is the home for these little gloves. They may move around the stones as weeding happens but are always in the garden.

Life begins in the garden


I love Jacob's pond it is a beautiful place to sit and listen, and learn to be humble!


	This pond is absolutely gorgeous Many folks drive by once and then turn around to stop and see this pond. Many pass by slow to see with out bothering us, and some will give us the thumbs up. The UPS man could not believe his eyes and told us he never thought it would turn out like it did. He delivered all the supplies that were ordered. One morning he had to stop and come into our yard to get a better look of everything. It is more then just a pond, it is a special place even with the hassle of a busy road beside it. The sound of the water will take all the noise away. Many times I have come home from a hard day at work to lay in a lawn chair and simply fall asleep.