I haven’t used my pool in more than a year. Last year, I was diagnosed in May – still pretty cool to use an unheated pool and afterwards, my head was just somewhere else. Now I am thinking that I could try to use it for exercise because it is so very hot and I don’t get out to walk early enough some days. But I am too tired to even think about it. Anyway, I got Ed to drive us to Sports Authority and got another swim cap (Speedo) because my other one was left in the sun and disintegrated. I also got new goggles. That’s a start, ain’t it?

Swimming is not an easy work-out for me because I never did enough of it. I swim about 8 strokes to get from one end of the pool to the other and than 8 strokes back. When I am at my best I can swim that loop 3 times before I have to hang on and get my breath. What a wus.

So when I was always using the pool early on, I’d do as many at once as I could, and then rest, and then work up to about 16 loops before coming out. I call it a loop because I don’t know if a lap is one way, or up and back.

The other issue is that using it is lonely and I also feel, lately, that it isn’t a good idea to be in it when I am alone. But it is pretty and really looks great because you can see it and the big water in one view. So I am not sorry we have it. We have a guy, Kevin, who comes once a week and keeps it clean.

Ed once told me I’d have to be “the pool chick,” meaning I’d have to clean it and check for chemical balance, etc. I put too much chlorine in once and then had to go get baking soda. I bought several large boxes at Publix and told the checkout clerk that I was baking a really big cake. But since we weren’t living here yet, he got a pool guy, and when we got down here the pool guy just stayed. That was fine with me. Ed added chlorine once, pouring it in, standing at the edge of the pool, and the splash up got on his chinos so they became tie-dyed chinos. Ha.

And one time he was picking a spot for a small tree we bought – I was helping him choose and went into the pool area to give myself some distance and I kept backing away until I backed into the pool. I was fully dressed – jeans/sneakers, etc. The neighbor dashed over to make sure I was all right, which was sweet. I was just embarrassed.

Brunswick once sneaked out at night when Ed opened the slider door and he didn't notice. Later I saw his form plastered against the slider. He was soaking wet so I know he had fallen in. He has his claws so I am thinking that is what saved him.

When we first had Chewy, he slipped in because he was too near the edge. Then Ed got him out and he ran into the house and under the bed. And I wanted to dry him off and opened a can of wet food and, like magic, there he was. So I dried him off and gave him the food for a treat.

Max is pretty smart and hasn’t had any mishaps. He goes in and out at will since he is the only one who uses the pet door. Brunswick refuses to use it no matter how often I have shown him how easy it is. He just comes to the slider and sits there looking in until one of us sees him and goes to get him. And when he wants to go out, he will brush against my foot when I am at the piano until I stop and let him out.

Chewy always eats a flowering bush planted in one corner, and then comes in and throws up, sometimes all over the living room rug, his favorite throw-up place. So I discourage him from going out there. I can’t keep him away from this plant. We used to have a century plant there (we inherited these plants with the house) and it was huge and Ed got a guy to cut it away but he didn’t get it at all and then I noticed 3 century plants start up and before I could get rid of them, they were huge too and now there were 3. In case you are unfamiliar with a century plant, it has long narrow fronds and on the tip of each one is a needle that feels like steel. You definitely do not want to brush against this plant.

We finally got rid of them. Over the course of several days I snipped the needles off the fronds and Ed then dug into the ground and got them out.

Ed has been in the pool exactly twice and only after much coaxing. But, for a while, he bought swim trunks every time he saw a designer pair on sale. He’s just not a water guy but he loves sales.

xx, Teal