Having a Lark in the Pool

We love our pool. I should know as I was in it.

I never though the day would come that I would either say that I love a pool or that I would go in the pool, but today was a day of firsts.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

As I am sure a lot of you are aware we’re currently in a heat wave. It’s only going to be for a few more days then it cools off again - so instead of my default of turning on the air conditioning, we’re sweating it out.

It’s like camping, but without having to drag a trailer across the country. We can be hot and uncomfortable right here at home.

And speaking of uncomfortable - guess what happens when your child finally goes to bed after 9pm and then gets up before six. That’s right! I have heard more whining today than I would like.

She had a perfect day too, She woke up too early and crawled into my bed and kicked me and whined until I decide that despite just six hours of sleep, I would rather be anywhere than in my own bed. I decided that since, I’m awake I may as well go make a couple bucks and drive people to work so I left BW high and dry with our lovely little child.

BW then somehow managed to get her clothed and they went over to the Lewiston garden festival to get somebody away from the tablet. Apparently it went relatively well except for the spilled lemonade that happened and resulted in some sleep-deprived howling.

The child came back with a few freebies from the bank like a windmill and some bubbles. She was also bought a nice new hat:

cheap bubbles from the local bank were the best thing that happened to her today.

A pretty good day, yes?

Well….no. There was still some whining and it kept getting hotter and hotter in here so at one point I said screw it - I’m going into the pool.

For others, this might not be a big deal but for me, this is a big deal. I didn’t just hop in though - I made sure the temperature of the pool was hot enough - 90 degrees - so just about right.

Then I got my drink, my Bluetooth speaker and sunglasses and I dove in. The first time in years I have been in the pool. The last time I went I was told by the child to be brave so I guess here I am - being brave. And, cooler.

I guess this is a good time to tell you about this pool:

This thing is just a little bigger than a kiddie pool. In fact, it pretty much is a kiddie pool, but you just can’t buy it at the dollar store.

This Lark 7x7 Pool is not very big. I’ve been in hot tubs that are bigger. But for sitting down and cooling off - it was fantastic. In fact, more than fantastic. Of course, the child was being belligerent and would not get into the pool out of spite or lack of sleep or both,but then BW tossed her bathing suit on and came in too so eventually the child caved to the peer pressure and all 3 of us were in the pool at the same time.

We ended up being in the pool for a good 2 hours and I would think that would make for a quick night: dinner - dessert - bed. Done.

Nope, she made me work for it again tonight. In a way I don’t blame her - her parents are making her sweat it out and it’s still bright out. Summer is awesome, until it isn’t

Now, back to the pool:

We have bought some crap for her that she never touches - like the tent , but the pool has been a nearly everyday activity here this summer. Heck, it’s so neat that I was in it. I might even go in it again this summer.

We did screw up at first as first time pool owners - and didn’t add chlorine to the pool because we thought it didn’t need it because it had a filter. Apparently pools get slimy. Who knew?

A bit of googling and an Amazon order and now we’ve got test strips and chlorine and somehow we’ve got the water clean again and according to our test strips we’re doing a great job

At $280.00, this pool has been a great deal and considering that our only plans for the summer are the pool and maybe a trip or two for some ice cream, I feel the pool will pay for itself this summer.

Of course we then realized we needed all the other stuff like lawn chairs and tables and pool chemicals and pool noodles and temperature gauges and test strips and floating turtles. I bet we’re just at about $500 for the total. I doubt this pool will last forever but we should be able to get a few seasons out of it.

As I sat in the cool pool watching her splash around and have the time of her life I thought to myself:

This is so worth it.

Keep Swimming,

TH and Co.