That F&*kin pool does it again.

I did everything right last year when I closed the pool. I bought a new cover, pool balloons, everything needed to have a happy Spring/Summer when I opened the pool next year. Sometime around December, the water level starts to drop. I think maybe it’s my imagination, and maybe it will freeze before it goes any lower, neither happens. The weather stays warm and wet. The cover grommets holding the cover from falling into the pool come loose and eventually the cover falls into the pool, dirty water, leaves and all. I know it’s going to be a mess in the

Spring, but I’ll get a head start on it and fix the pool liner, and get a new filter, it’s gotten worn out. Late April, early May I get to work on the pool. I clean the dirty water out of the pool, leaves, whatever else has fallen into the pool that doesn’t belong there. I dream of days past where I’d have both daughters working with me or at least hanging around with me waiting for the pool to be ready to get into. These days, like last year, it is barely used. I had great hopes for this year. I leave several inches of water in the pool so the liner doesn’t shrink. Holes in the pool in the past have been around where the ladder is. I excommunicate the ladder when I find a hole from last year has opened up again and it’s the problem. I give Teri carte blanche to find another ladder. I patch the hole. While doing that the left side of the liner comes loose and with Elena’s help we smooth out the bumps in the floor of the pool near there.

When I patch the hole, it is up against the wall. As it begins to fill, it moves several inches toward the center of the pool. I hope for the best. As the level of the water increases over a week it seems to be fine. No water is leaking out. So on Saturday or Sunday, near the end of May, I go all out and fill the pool to the top. Sunday night it looks wonderful. It’s clean, it’s blue and it’s too cold to swim in. Tuesday coming home from work, I see it has gone down, and there is no question about it.

So it has sat for the last two weeks. Nastia and I got in and walked the pool looking for possible leaks and found nothing obvious. I called a couple of pool companies, one doesn’t do above ground, the other wants $195.00 to patch and there are no guarantees. They said they’d send me a contract, then make an appointment to come patch the pool. We’ll see where this goes.

Memorial Day parade, Boston and going out to dinner with her sister and others.

The Memorial day parade was, as always , forgotten until I heard the music. That is exactly the way it happened. I’m up about 9:30, doing some yard work, because as always I’m behind and Teri thinks the yard looks horrendous. To tell you the truth, I can’t do as much as I’d like to do any more and if I physically can, a lot of times I just don’t want to. Anyway I’m doing something outside and I hear band music and police sirens. I realize it is not just a regular Saturday, it’s Memorial Day Weekend, but not the three day one, just the two day one where there is a parade. I go inside, making sure my feet are clean, knowing Teri is not anywhere near ready to go see the parade. I ask her, and she says,no. I wake up Nastia, and she says, yes. She quickly changes and we get down to the

parade just as it is coming down the street. It’s the usual old cars, old fire fighting equipment and people marching. We see a couple of people we know from bowling marching in the parade, they both wave. We even see Ann, our next door neighbor. She is busy trying to stay in step and doesn’t see us. People next to us comment about how funny it would be if a train came. I remind Nastia that happened a few years ago. She doesn’t remember. I guess she’ll be surprised at how much she did in her life if she ever reads thai blog. She might even be surprised she came from Russia. The parade is quick, and fun.

Now on the real Memorial day weekend, where most everyone has off on Monday, Sean and Nastia have planned to go to Boston. My immediate question is why on a holiday weekend? Sean, through his landlord at the shop, has gotten a deal on a room at a nice hotel. They leave early Saturday afternoon and avoid traffic, arriving around six, I think. They have dinner, and the next day do all of the things tourists do. Nastia sends pictures to Teri, I guess KJ is tired of drawing his impression of places he’s never been. They arrive back home, safe and sound, Sunday night around six or so. Saying they had fun. Nastia buys me a T-shirt and Teri gets a container of Clam Chowder. She eats it the next day, saying it is really good. Nastia, Sean and Elena go out to dinner, but I don’t remember much about it.