On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 11:55:58 -0700, someone wrote:

My father used to prime the pump by pulling
the inlet end of the hose out of the lake, putting a ladder up against
a tree and tieing the hose to the tree, maybe 10 feet up and then
using a watering can to fill up the hose, and when it was full,
throwing the inlet back in the lake.

That tree is history this year.

So get a free standing ladder and use it without the tree. (Or would
you still not know where to tie the hose to?)

-v.