One Big Boy and One Small Pool

The water in the little pool the kids set up has finally cleared. The first time I set that pool up I paid something like eighty bucks on chemicals. This time, instead of the local pool service, I went to Ace Hardware. They had a water testing machine and when the guy gave us the report that the machine spit out, he advised us to see Wendy for further instruction. I happen to know Wendy's family. They are a very conservative group and I trusted her to give it to me straight. She showed us the chlorine she recommended and then gave us the best advice yet. Go at it slow. Add a little bit of a chemical one at a time and see what it does. That surely is the way to go for this little pool. The water cleared up overnight and then got gold again when we added water. We used the same procedure and had the same wonderful result. Crystal clear water. The pictures are when we had added water and so there is a gold hue but no longer. (Getting a pic of this kid is nigh unto impossible...camera shy to the max.)

The pool is a bit small for our bigger grands. It wasn't when I bought it a few years ago. The neat thing is that even the big ones enjoy the refreshing cool water. The neighbor family just put up a big above the ground pool. One day, the oldest boy there stood at the fence and poked fun of Isaiah and the little pool. Caleb's only problem was that his mother heard his jeers. Oops, he got in trouble.

I don't know that I would want to care for a large pool.....I think the cost of chemicals would be out of sight...besides all the physical upkeep. I will be happy to provide a small respite from the hot sun. When my siblings and I were young, we had an old swimming hole that we loved. It was way back behind the front acreage. Dad had had a dredge come and dig a large ditch. Some of the dirt in the ditch was pure golden sand. We claimed that section as our place to swim. The water was about ankle deep but we had tons of fun there. The neighbor kids joined us and we had hours and hours of make believe fun building sand castles and trying to dig to China. Those were the days. That spot was at least a quarter of a mile from the house but I don't recall my mother ever checking on us. It was a different world then. The biggest threat was a hobo that occasionally came off a train at the back of our property and walked to the house looking for a handout. They didn't prove to be any big threat though I remember my mother had some suspicion about them.