Catching up.... Again.....

   I just looked at the date of my last post, and I can't believe it's been two whole weeks since then. I've tried. Every few days I will log in and just sit here, and nothing comes out. So I log out.


    That's what happens when there's lots going on and I can't say anything about any of it. There are however, a few things going on that I *can* talk about. For instance, we are getting the pool redone. It happened suddenly, after Hubs told me that it's too much work getting it ready to swim in, this year being the most work ever. Things were leaking in the pump house that had never leaked before.


    Then we happened to run into his childhood best friend, they were raised together and are like brothers. He is a contractor, and he's doing pools now as well. He has agreed to do ours for us. Trust has a lot to do with it, and he trusts Gary. The best news for me, is I am finally getting steps in my pool!


   So far we have drained out as much water as we can, and picked out and ordered the bullnose blocks for the edge. Gary will come and measure for the new liner.


    On the knitting front, I am currently in the last few wedges of Spectra by Stephen West. I'm trying to gauge if I have enough black left to do another wedge as well as the end bit. It's going to be close.


    I love this pattern so much that I already have the yarn for two more all set up. Well, either that, or a sock yarn shawl. I can't decide which. One of them I was planning on using the solid color for the wedges and the variegated for the border. Just to switch things up a little. The photo below is actually from when I got to the 70th wedge.

    Hubs is back on his Harley riding. He had some issues with an exhaust system. He ordered a new one, and ended up cancelling that order, then ordering another one somewhere else. It finally came and one of the pipes didn't have a baffle in it. So he had to call, and they had to send him a baffle. Believe me, there was much more drama than I have implied here. Hubs was really upset because he missed the whole week of perfect riding weather. But here she is with her new pipes.

    Like I said there have been lots of things going on. I hope to keep you updated on the pool, with progress photos, as well as whatever knitting o crocheting I decide to do.

I stand corrected

    I had a nice visit with my expectant daughter yesterday, she came over to swim. We spent a good part of the day together. It was good to see her! Of course, we talked a lot. And it seems I was premature in stating that the baby is a boy. The doctors are saying that "so far, it looks like a boy." So they aren't truly sure yet. What you can be sure of is that when we are positive, I will shout it from the rooftops!

   
    The pool water has cooled off a little bit, it was 84 yesterday, and is still 84 again today. Believe it or not it still felt refreshing when the air temp was over 90!

   
    As far as the knitting goes, I'm still working on the arm warmers. They are coming along slowly but surely. It's just been too darn hot to think about knitting. I have been reading, however! I'm so thankful for my nook! I also have a kindle fire HD, I use that for playing games, although I do have several book in it as well.

record broken again!

   With this current heat wave, we broke the pool temp record again!! The water in our 44,000+ gallon, only in the sun 6 hrs/day max, in ground swimming pool is now 86 degrees. In a way it sucks, it's almost too warm to swim in.


    In other news, we held out as long as we could, but today we put in the air conditioners. There's one each in our bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen window. I think we picked a good day for it, as the news on the radio said it could hit 100 degrees today. It didn't take that long to install them, either. Maybe 15 minutes.


    Of course, the one in the kitchen is refusing to work. That one is the oldest, we got it from my mom when she moved out of her house 8 years ago. And who knows how long she had it before we got it?


    The one in the living room is really cool, it's a huge one that sits on the floor, and vents out the window. It's pretty powerful too. It's good to finally be cool.


   


   

In which records are set, then broken

    This has been one hell of a summer. We set a record for pool temp last week, when the water reached 83 degrees. You need to understand that our pool has NEVER gotten that warm. In fact it's famous for being cold all summer.


    For most of the years we've lived here, our pool was only in full sun for maybe 5 or 6 hours a day, from around 10 am to 4 pm, maximum. We have a wooded lot on one side, and the trees block the afternoon sun. We petitioned the owner of the property to cut down some of the trees, and they agreed. We got a little more sun, a little later in the day.


    Last year, we got more time when the trees blocking the morning sun had to come down. Super Storm Sandy undermined the trees roots, and they  started leaning pretty badly. Taking those two trees down seems to have really helped our pool sun time.


    Until this year, the warmest our pool ever got was 82 degrees. it usually hovered around 76 or 78. It only got warmer if it was really hot out and didn't cool off at night. Well, since taking the trees extended our morning sun, we hit the previously mentioned 83 last week. Then rained some and the temp cooled off to 78. but we were soon back up to 82, then 83. And then yesterday, we hit a new high of 84!!


    Unfortunately, I preferred the pool cooler. I swim to cool off, not to feel like I'm in a bathtub. Anyway, it was a proud moment. If you'll excuse me, it's time to put my suit on and go down to the pool. I'll be taking my nook, as well as my knitting and crocheting projects. I like to mix it up.

Day at the pool

    It is going to be another hot one today. I think it would be a good thing to spend it by the pool. I'll slather myself with my Dark Tanning Oil, especially my head and ears. I won't be nuts about sitting in the sun, I will alternate time in the sun and in the shade.


    I have been wondering for a long time why my hair hasn't grown back yet. Originally when I saw the Dermatologist, he took a biopsy and the results were that this is the Alopecia that is temporary. It's been more than four years, and I'm ready for my hair to come back.


    Lately though, I've had a revelation. There is one thing I haven't done yet. I haven't had the courage to go out in public without my head covered, whether with a scarf or a hat. It occurs to me that perhaps if I have the courage to breach that final taboo, the Goddess will be convinced that I have learned the lesson I needed to learn, and will allow my hair to grow back.


    At one point, I tried to make a deal with the Goddess, that if she let my hair grow back, I would never cut it again. That one didn't work, clearly.


     Getting back to the point: if I can get my head tanned enough at least enough to match the rest of me, I might consider a public appearance sans hat. Right now, my head skin is white, with a capital W. There is a woman here in town who is also bald. I've seen her a few times in public always without her head covered. I've often wished I was that brave. Hang on, it could be on the way...

I'm Knitting Again!

    Yesterday, my friend Kim and her Cherub came over so Cherub could swim in my pool. Kim was complaining she had nothing planned to make. I brought down my two giant crochet pattern notebooks for her to look at.


    I didn't bother with the small knitting pattern notebook, as she's way more advanced than I am, and wouldn't be challenged by any pattern I had saved. Besides, she's really into Granny Squares right now, and I am not fond of them. AT ALL.


    So she looked through my pattern books, and found one she was interested in. This inspired me to look again through my knitting notebook, and see if there was something in there I would want to make.


    Lo and behold, I found something!  It's a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's web site, called Greenwich Gauntlets. The pattern calls for Jiffy yarn, and I couldn't find any in my stash. Which totally surprised me, as my stash used to almost exclusively Jiffy, since it was my very favorite yarn for a long time.


   The pattern called for a bulky weight yarn, so I substituted Homespun for the Jiffy. It works. I made a small swatch, and the needle size called for was too big, so I went down to a size 9 needle. I'm gonna make the longest gauntlets in the pattern, since I want my arms warm too.


    The best thing about this project is it's done flat. I am not co-ordinated enough to manage double pointed needles. I have tried more than once and failed miserably, so I'm perfectly happy to knit this flat.

 

 

    There is also a really cool sweater in my knitting pattern notebook, which I would really like if someone wanted to knit it for me for my birthday, or Festivus.... I read the pattern and there are some things in there that I don't understand or I would have tried to knit it by now.


   The colorway of this yarn is called Tudor. I had some purple also, and a few other colors, but this one called to me. It wanted to be gauntlets. As you all know, you can't argue with the yarn.


   

Swimming with frogs

     In all the years we've lived in this house and dealt with the pool, we have had uncountable numbers of frogs in the pool. We've had snakes in there, and a few dead baby rabbits, moles and mice. One year we even rescued a small possum who was still alive. We did what we could, he wouldn't really let us handle him, but we left him in the sun to dry and hopefully wander off safe and sound.


   But it's frogs we usually deal with most. I love swimming with the frogs. We amuse ourselves by trying to rescue them, because they will get tired and drown eventually. Until this year, I would have said that the frogs always try to get away from us when we try to rescue them. I speak for both of us when I say we'd rather rescue a live frog than find a dead one floating in the skimmer basket.


    This year seems to be different. I have rescued only two frog so far, but one of them I rescued three times! And what astounds me is that he actually swam right up to me, and didn't try to get away. He let me rescue him, and put him gently on the pool surround facing the lawn.


    The second one I rescued was today, and he also let me take him out of the water. He didn't swim right to me, but he didn't swim frantically away either. The first frog was pretty big, and I knew it was the same one three times. I recognized him. I even asked him why he jumped in our pool again. The one today was smaller.


    It makes me think the big one was the Frog King, and when I saved him not once, but three times, he told the other frogs not to fear me, that I wouldn't hurt them. Or is just my imagination? ? ?

The Circle of Life, The Circle of Knitting

    We have a birds nest outside the gates to the pool. It's up on the back of our bedroom, under the little balcony. It was made at the top of the thermometer we have up there. There have been a few nests up there over the years.


    This time I see the parents, who are little brown birds, swoop in and out of the nest, feeding the babies. It's amusing that when Hubs and I are down there sitting at the table and chairs on the patio which is under our bedroom, the parents are very reluctant to feed their babies. They swoop from one side of the pool to the other, resting on the fence. Eventually they swoop to the nest and feed the kids.


    I have seen two little heads peeking out of the nest. What amazes me is that they make no sounds. You would expect baby birds to chirp constantly to mom and dad to hurry up and feed us! But these babies are silent.


    I snuck out there earlier and took a few photos. In the first one you can see the
thermometer.

    Then I got a little closer... I don't know if there are three babies in there or two. If those are the babies, they are getting big enough to leave soon. I worry about that, being so close to the pool. I hope they don't crash land in the pool while learning to fly and drown.....

 

 

 I haven't been knitting, it's been too fracking hot. And we don't have any air conditioners installed yet. Waiting for Hubs on that one. Although we did knit at the parade, as we usually sit under a nice shady tree and we were much, much cooler than those poor people who had to march in the hot sun.  

Pool dilema part II

    I feel that I need to further explain myself about the whole pool thing. I grew up on a little lake in Putnam County, NY. The apartment (bottom half of a house, really) my parents rented was literally on the water. We walked down through the yard, and there were the wide steps that went down to a private dock. It even had a tiny private beach. We moved away the summer I turned thirteen. I had never been away from the water. Shortly after moving into our first house, my parents bought an above ground pool. They missed the lake as much as my brother and I did.


     So a pool was important to me, and Hubs was willing to do all the work. And really, once you get it up and running at the beginning of the season, it doesn't take that much work. I get in every morning, and skim from the inside. I straddle a couple of noodles, and with the skimmer head in my hand, I go back and forth, working my way out to the deep end, skimming. I also test the water every morning, and empty the skimmer basket when needed. Hubs has to vacuum. It's too hard for me. He finds it relaxing, it's a nice quiet evening activity. That only needs to be done maybe once a week or so.


    I have a wicker chair I keep in one corner to sit in. It's the corner that the shade gets to first.

    I call it my Queen Chair, since I'm the Queen of the pool. Some of you may recognize it as the same chair that Morticia Adams had in The Adams Family...  Do you have any idea how hard it is to find these chairs around here? The first one I had came from the neighbors across the street, years ago when they were having a yard sale. This one I found at the Goodwill store in Kingston. We had a Hell of a time getting it home in my Jeep! But I had to buy it. I had had friends scouting yard and garage sales for me for about two years with no luck before I randomly came across this one.


     We also have a table and two chairs that we put out at the far end of the pool. Hubs and I sit there, and have our coffee some mornings. And that's where we play backgammon. The table is tall, with the chairs barstool height.


     Anyway, if we were to fill in the pool, I see perhaps another, much smaller pool out at the far end of that fenced in space. I've even seen a good replacement on TV. It's a lap pool, where you swim and the flow of the water is so great that you don't really move. This one has a little treadmill in the bottom of it, which would be perfect for me to get some much needed exercise. And at the one end, it's like a spa, with bubbles and seats!


    I also see a play area for the grandkids. You know, a castle, or swings, or a big sandbox. And all safely enclosed by the current chain link fence. You gotta keep the precious little ones safe.


    Another thing I discovered about our pool. Many years ago, before there was a pool at Hackett Hill Park, our pool was being used as the town pool. Kids were given swimming lessons here.

to pool or not to pool?

    When Hubs and I first looked at this house, we weren't that impressed. To me, it's laid out similarly to our old apartment, but it has three bedrooms instead of two. The deciding factor for us was the pool.


    It is enormous! 20' x 40', in ground, shallow end is 3.5' with a straight slope down to 8'. It even had a diving board. It was in deplorable shape, but we brought it back. We even kept the old liner for many years. We just kept patching it up. Over the years, we've replaced the filter, from those god-awful fingers, to a very powerful earth filter. We put the return line back underground where it belongs. We've even replaced the underground lines.


    In the beginning, the electricity to the pool was literally strung from the house to the pump house through the tree branches. Totally illegal. We had that fixed. We had to have the entire pool grounded too.


     More recently we replaced the old liner, and the extremely old and very loud pump. Now that liner needs to be replaced. It wasn't quite the right size, and none of the top corners stayed in. Now the sides are coming out too. Hubs started pouring a new surround to the pool. We have three sections done. He hasn't had the time to do the whole thing. He's been doing it himself because to pay someone to come with a truck and pour it all at once would be extremely expensive, and they'd have to take down some of the chain link fence. Not to mention the damage to the back yard.


    Over the years, the pool has gotten lots of use. When Jesse was small, all his friends would come to swim. Hubs and his fellow mechanics would come on their lunch break to swim on hot days. All our friends knew they were always welcome at any time to come and swim. They didn't even have to ask, just come and enjoy. I can't even count the days that I would go down there and find Shannon Fitzgerald already lounging on a raft, or napping on the couch on the patio under our bedroom. He was lots of fun. Jesse loved him.


    These past few years, Hubs and I have discussed filling in the pool. He knows it's getting harder and harder for me to help him take care of it, and this year is the first year I've actually considered it. At this time, I'm the only one who's using it. It's really almost a waste of time. Now Hubs tells me he's concerned I won't be able to get in and out of it, using the ladder.


    So we either close it and fill in the yard, or he can get a new liner, finish the surround, and if he does so, he wants to get one of those fancy covers that an elephant can stand on. I am getting close to telling him it's too much work for him. But then he says that maybe the grandkids would come to swim. So we'll keep it open this year, and then decide. It's been that way for a couple of years now.


    If we were to fill it in, I would want to keep the fence up, and have a beautiful fenced yard for the grandkids to come and play. He insists the fence will come down. We'll see.


    Any comments are welcome, I'm so confused and I could use help deciding. Thanks for listening.

Man Tools, Who Knew?

    Today, Hubs decided it's time to take the cover off of the pool. I volunteered to help, even though I can't do much to be really helpful. I am there primarily for moral support. I skimmed yucky stuff off the cover, which took a lot out of me. I had to stop and catch my breath quite a bit. But every little bit helps.


    Once we got the cover off the pool, Hubs asked me to take the broom and sweep the leaves and pine needles away from the edge of the pool. He only needed them 6 - 12 inches away. Again, it took me a while, but he was in no hurry. After I was done and resting, he went into the garage and got out a lawn mower looking thing.


    Seriously, this thing vacuumed up the leaves and pine needles from the walkway around the pool. I watched him perform this task with my mouth hanging open. And when he was all done, I said to him "So that thing is a vacuum cleaner for men, and looks like a lawn mower so they don't feel girly!" He wasn't happy, but he agreed with me. I just chuckled.


    He's gone off to price the chemicals we need for the pool, and I'm back upstairs in my chair. I'm exhausted. I think I will need a nap later, especially since I didn't sleep well last night.


    I haven't been crafting much lately, I really want to wait until we are absolutely sure of the sex of the baby. Right now, it seems it's a boy, but it's not 100% certain.

Crochet Project Update and More

    Well, you may be glad to know that I figured out Kim figured out where I had gone wrong with my crochet project, and it has since been remedied and the first part finished. Here is what it looks like!

    I have started a second one, but it's different than this one. I feel that if I were to make another one exactly like the first, right after finishing the first, I would just lose my mind. So I started the first of another pair.

    I was supposed to have company today, to go swimming. But when I texted to see if they were coming, I learned that Cherub was fighting with her mother, and mother didn't feel that Cherub deserved to do anything she might enjoy. I totally understand that logic. It's like: You talked back to me and were very bad, now let's go swimming!! Kind of rewarding bad behavior. So I swam by myself today for a while. Here is what I saw from one corner by the fence:

    That building is empty, it belongs to the local water district. They used to have offices there. It's right at a bend in the creek.

    Then this is the view from my Queen Chair, looking across the shallow end of the pool.

    That's my lemon slice float. I used to have an orange slice too, but it's gone missing. Underneath is Hubs' mattress float. This hasn't been a very good year for our poor pool. First we had a hell of a time getting the chemical balance right, then Hubs had double ear infections, and I got a new tattoo. One more week until I can sped some serious time in the water.


    Not only did we have a hard time with the chemicals, but we had to get a new pump too. The old one, which wasn't all that old, began making loud noises last summer.  It was even worse this year when we turned it on. We had seriously considered just filling in the pool, we'd discussed it for two summer seasons now. I'm concerned that I'm the only one that really uses it. I know it's a lot of work for Hubs.


    I guess we are committed to at least a few more years now, since he spent the money and got a new pump... And he might be willing to get a new liner too.


    In closing, I would like to point out that when considering getting a tattoo, don't get it in the summer. Especially if you like to spend lots of time in the water!

The Picnic in the Park

    Every year, my son's karate school has a big picnic, at a local town park. There is a swimming pool, a big pavilion, and a large flat field where they set up a net for badminton and volley ball. Sometimes they get a touch football game together.


    It's a potluck affair, so everyone brings food, and there is usually a contest for the best particular food. One year it was chili, and this year was wings. They only had two entries, so they didn't do the judging.  The instructors are the judges.

    I only took a few photos, as my camera battery is getting low, and I was afraid it would die on me. The above photo is a shot of one of the food tables. Salads, desserts, chips and drinks.  The next one is a photo of part of the pool, with lots of kids in it!

    My daughter and son-in-law came too, and here they are:

    Right next to the pavilion, there is a really adorable little copse, with some trees and rocks. I always think it would make a good photo, so I took one of it.

    And that is my day. I sat and ate, and watched the kids swim and talked to people. I was so very tired, so after a few hours, I left. I felt bad leaving early, but Julie said she would watch my taboule salad, and bring me home my bowl after the picnic was over. They were just here a little while ago. There was still salad in the bowl.


    Like I said, I was so tired, when I got home, Hubs was in the shower, he had just gotten home from the Fishkill house. Then we went into the bedroom, and took a long, well deserved nap. I got up about an hour ago, Hubs just got up a few minutes ago.


    I took my knitting with me, but didn't work on it. I made a booboo, and really, just didn't want to deal with it. I couldn't devote enough of my attention to it, to find the mistake, and possibly attempt to fix it.

Keeping Cool in the Heat

    Today is another scorcher, high to reach 93ish. Tomorrow will be worse, they say, high to be 94 to 99 degrees. It makes me really glad we have a pool.


    This year, we have been really slow getting the pool up and running. It's usually ready by July 4th, but with getting the Fishkill house ready to be lived in, the pool got neglected this year. Finally, today, it is swimable. And as usual, I was the first one in.


    Poor Hubs has been battling with the algae, this year it's been really horrible. Right up until yesterday, the pool was green. This morning, when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw right away that the pool was no longer green. So, we went down, tested it, adjusted the chemicals, and a little while later, we were in!


    I even got our floats and noodles out, and Hubs blew up our mattress float, and my lemon slice float. I had an orange slice too, but last year it went missing.


    This is what poor pool looked like, not even at it's worst:

    Now, it's a little green again, Hubs had to scrub some algae off the left wall. But we added more shock to the water,and chlorine tabs in the skimmer basket, so it should all be out very soon.


    It was so hot down there today, as soon as we came back in, we had ourselves a Klondike bar. Yummy yummy. Now we can relax in the air conditioning, and wait until the sun is off the pool. That's my favorite time to swim. Usually by 4:30 or 5 p.m. the pool is mostly in the shade.  AAAHHHH. This is how to keep cool in the heat!


    P.S. You should've seen  me knitting a wool shawl, in my bathing suit, by the pool!

An Almost Perfect Day

    Today will be one of those. I got to sleep late, and now I'm having my favorite chocolate coffee. I really don't want to go anywhere, or do anything. Just sit here, drink my coffee, and knit.


    Oh yeah, and keep an eye on the pool filter. And finish the laundry I started last night. And there are some dishes that could use a washing. I guess it never really ends, does it? But if I'm lucky, maybe I can get a few good knitting hours in.


    I am currently working on the Arachno Shawl by Jennifer Dassau. (Available on Ravelry) My bestest knitting buddy, Kim, had started it, and I thought it was really cool, so I bought the pattern too, and started it a few days ago. I know, I am making the Wingspan shawl, but I am taking a break from that. I'm using that for my purse project right now. You know, the one you keep in your purse for when you travel? In my case, it's for if I get stuck somewhere, or the Jeep breaks down or something. I always either have my nook, or a knitting or crochet project with me at all times.


    I have the next few days off from babysitting Miss Malia, so that's nice. Even though she is a sweetheart, it's nice to take a break. I go back Wednesday.


   I am supposed to visit with friends today. But I just don't want to leave the house. I went to Bonny's last night and we sat by the fire pit and talked. It's fun when we do that. But I can't do it too often. Being that my lungs are bad, I can't take the smoke too often. In the Winter, she uses her fireplace, and I can't visit then, either. The smoke makes it really hard to breathe.


    So, for as long as I can, I am going to enjoy this almost perfect day! I hope yours is perfect as well!