Who knew that the most exciting thing going in the summer of 2021 would be the neighbor’s backyard pool?
Not I, my friends, not I.
I could resort to making a “how it started/how it’s going” meme, but the action unexpectedly ramped up in the last couple of days and two photos simply won’t suffice. Instead I’ll skim through the highlights to bring the story full circle.
Or is it just the beginning?
JULY 11
Shortly after the first heatwave the neighbors obtain a backyard pool. It looks nice and refreshing! What a great idea.
JULY 30
The end of the month rolls around and it hasn’t escaped our attention that nobody has actually dipped their body into the pool. The mosquitos no doubt love this giant body of water for their breeding activities.
AUGUST 6
Summer marches on and the pool sits sadly unused. Almost overnight the water has taken on a yellow tinge. Unless there are furtive 3:00 am dips taking place, the pool is unsullied by human flesh.
We’re killing multiple mosquitos in our house on a near daily basis.
AUGUST 10
Things pick up as the color of the water begins to darken quickly. Michael spots the neighbor cat perched on one end of the pool, drinking for quite a lengthy time. Sorry, no picture. And no fatal claw damage.
AUGUST 12 - 10:15 am
It occurs to me that at some point somebody is going to have to reach into the pool and pull the plug so the water can drain out.
Despite looking as if somebody has peed in it, as far as we can tell nobody has entered the pool since it first arrived. Over a month has gone by and we wonder why they even bothered.
AUGUST 12 - 3:25 pm
WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!!!
It appears they have given up! The fetid water seeps out from under the pool. The task of pulling the plug most likely fell to Grandpa - poor guy. I later see that Grandpa’s arms are both still intact, so reaching into the water didn’t eat the flesh from his bones.
Michael points out that the next step is cleaning the slime from the pool.
AUGUST 12 - 5:51 pm
My work day has ended, and I wander outside for a breath of not-very-fresh smoky air and see this scene… somebody has cleaned all of the crud out of the pool and they’re filling it up again! We think maybe the girls are coming home soon so they got the good sense to spiff it up for them.
AUGUST 13 - 12:14 pm
The pool is empty, with signs of seepage from the corner with the plug. Was this intentional? Was it a rinse cycle? I notice red blotches on the bottom of the pool that look like the algae that starts growing on bath mats when they get old.
AUGUST 13 - 5:10 pm
Maybe the pool is broken. Another attempt at filling it with water has obviously gone awry. By the end of the day the pool is empty again. Mostly.
Are they doing this on purpose?
AUGUST 14
As I write this morning, the pool still sits empty, and I’m saddened to think that we may never see joyful family moments like this. Will they take it down, deflated in defeat? Will they persist in their attempts to fill the pool and inflate their August water bill? How long will the pool sit there with the small amount of water left that didn’t seep out of the plug or other hole that might exist? Mosquitos don’t need much to breed…
If you’d like a much more entertaining story about strange neighbors and their swimming pool, get your hands on a copy of Pool Disaster - The Final Edition available from Christopher Sebela (author of the classic tale I Lived in a Clown Motel). The tale of the DIY swimming pool project, mostly told in text messages from the author’s mom puts anything my neighbors could do to shame. To be honest, I’m kind of surprised my neighbors don’t have a trampoline.
And no, you can’t borrow my copies of Pool Disaster and I Lived in a Clown Motel.
Great news! Michael’s new computer arrived a few days ago. We have an appointment at the Apple Store tomorrow to see if they can get the stuff he needs from the dead computer onto the new one. Then he’ll be good to go. Let’s hope it all goes smoothly.
The heat and smoke of the last few days has subsided a bit and conditions should continue to improve. This picture of Rowland from yesterday sums it all up. He was pretty miserable, and so were we. We’re glad to have the air purifier!
And the final piece of good news is the next newsletter won’t be all about the pool - I promise! No matter what happens next. There are other things in the world to write about. Next week we’re headed to Yakima for a couple of nights, no doubt there will be some sort of tale to tell. Until then - stay cool and safe.
Cheers!
It looks like the mosquito pool is in their driveway?!!
True story: several years ago when I used to live in NY I would (grudgingly) attend summer bbqs at my brother's house. One hot day he dragged my tween nephew's old baby pool out of the garage, filled it up with water, and proceeded to sit in it for the rest of the afternoon. My daughter and I were mortified, as the neighbors on all sides were also outdoors and had a clear view of my 55-year-old brother sitting in a baby pool drinking beer.
I want to read Pool Disaster!
My coyote Chloe says she will happily pop that pool. She specializes in popping inflated things. Like my ego. 🖤