Thursday, June 14, 2007

Its All About Me

Saying for the Day- I would love to just be able to get a raft and float around my pool all day. Catch

It’s Thursday and this blog is “ All About Me”. Every Thursday I will share something that is happening in my life, or some part of my history , or something about me.
Today I want to do some crying. Or you could call it whining. I have a problem that started last Saturday and is all Catch’s fault. Now you wouldn’t think that Catch who lives far away, I have never met, and is such a nice and sweet person could cause me a problem. But believe me Bob she has. Because of her I am ready to jump up and down and scream. I am ready to bang my head against the wall until it stops hurting.
You may wonder what did Catch do. I will tell you what she did. She kept telling us how wonderful her pool was. She kept describing the joy she got from it. After reading all of that I decided I needed a pool. I no longer wanted one. I needed one and it was all Catch’s fault.
So last Saturday I( sent my son out to buy( on my card) a four foot deep, eighteen foot in diameter pool. It came with all the pumps and filters and other do dads that you need to be a pool owner.
He took it out of the box and went to set it up when we discovered that the back yard which looked level from the patio doors was not level. In fact it had a nasty slope . There was no way we could set that pool up on that lawn. That gave us three alternatives. We could put it back in the box and return it, we could build and level a platform to put it on, or we could dig down and level the space.
Because I needed that pool we rejected taking it back. My son said building a platform would be a snap. So off he went to Menards with my credit card. He came back with piles of plywood and two by fours. He put them together to make a platform. It looked great. Then we tried to level it. It bent in the middle. The frame needed to be redesigned . Every screw had to come out. My son quit and went back to Madison.
Now I have a back yard with no pool and a great big plywood platform.
Monday morning I put the oldest grandson to work removing the screws and stacking the plywood. By the end of the day we were back to square one.
So the next day I called our handyman whose name is Pete ( but is not my son). He said building a platform was a bad idea because of the weight of a pool that size. We had to dig it out but it would be no problem. He would come Wednesday and do the digging.
Wednesday he stacked out the area. Then decided it was a bigger job than he though and he would need some special tools which he had to rent. He would have them by Thursday. ( And a piece of our picket fence has to come out)
So here I sit waiting for him to come. I still have no pool. This is all Catch’s fault.
I have to quit writing while I bang my head against the wall to stop the pain.
But the pool will be wonderful.

@@@@ News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my garage where the trains still run, dragons fly, and Herman Periwinkle plots.– Poor Herman Periwinkle is stuck taking accordion lessons because his father wants him to. It seems his grandfather played the accordion in some kind of band called Periwinkle’s Bandits and Herman’s father thinks Herman should have the same talent. But Herman hates it so he has obtained help from his good friend Tommy UK. Together they have devised a way to set Herman free. First Herman has to practice harder and louder. Every twenty minutes or so he needs to go to one parent or the other and ask how this song sounds. Then he need to play the song with lots of mistakes. Then every day until the recital he needs to increase his practice time until its up to two hours. At the same time he needs to tell his parents how much fun he is having and that he is thinking he needs to practice even more. He also is to remind them that the recital is coming and he wants them to be the proudest parents there. He will dedicate every number to them. The rest Tommy UK says he will take care of at the recital.
Eino , who always tries to make sense out of everything has been doing a follow up to The Dream. He has the remains of the box from Petrovich’s renter . But it is so badly burned and the parts seem to have exploded that there is very little there to help. The renter is gone. He used a fake name and paid Petrovich in cash. The fire destroyed any fingerprints. No matter where he turns Eino hits a stone wall.
Fred And Alex are home from Mayo’s Clinic. They both look great. They have set some kind of record for just sleeping. Alex says he had some great dreams but Fred isn’t talking he’s just glad to be home.
Will we ever know anything about the box? Will they ever find Petrovich’s renter? Will Eino keep trying to make sense out of this? Will Herman’s plan work or will he be stuck practicing three hours a day forever? And ,of course, is Tommy the Undertaker’s Kid really the undertaker’s kid?
******
Today’s Link-Gentle Retreat- Your chance to go to a Rose Tea and get some recipes even better than my baloney and jam sandwich. Leave a tasty Dr. John in the comment.
Another good and bad day. The plumber came that was a good thing. Again he didn't finish that was a bad thing. The man who is digging out the pool space can't come until Monday that's a bad thing. We got started early in the basement that was a good thing but the plumber threw us out because he needed to use an open flame and I had oxygen that was a bad thing. We got a lot of sorting done in the garage which was a good thing. Took the boys to Cullver’s for lunch. I had a banana split which was the worst banana split I have ever had. But they were well behaved which was a good thing. Then we went shopping and they bought junk with the money I gave them for helping me which they though was a good thing and I thought was a bad thing. Now they have all gone with Maggie to doggie kindergarten which is a good thing. But they left me to dog sit Spanky which is not such a good thing. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

12 Comments:

Blogger Janets Planet said...

My son suggested the next series of paintings I do be called "Heroes of Polka". Sounds like Herman Perwinkle might be the first one.

5:21 AM  
Blogger Margaret said...

Oh no, bad Dr. John. What you need instead is an outdoor Jacuzzi tub with attached sauna. They are smaller than a pool, but much easier to maintain and can be enjoyed all year long. Plus you'll be able to use all of this plywood you've just bought and have this awesome little porch, gazebo - chalet built with some of it. More expensive, yes... but not all that bad considering the value it will add to your home and the enjoyment you'll get from it.

Trust me, sitting under the stars on Christmas Eve outdoors in a steamy hottub is the best experience in a life time.

If you want to dive, swim long distances and enjoy a pool... join a local swim club, YMCA or find a campsite with a wonderful beach by a river. Less work.

8:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Welcome to the wonderful world of pool ownership. It does get better. Except for every spring when you have to open it and every fall when you close it.

10:59 AM  
Blogger Nessa said...

That pool is going to feel wonderful when you finally get it.

12:00 PM  
Blogger Alpha Dude said...

Congrats on the pool.
I agree with Pete, digging is the best (and only) option.

I suggest after the dirt's been dug, and the ground has been leveled, lay down a bed of sand. A few inches deep should be all you'll need. The sand will move a little under the weight of the water as the pool is being filled and give you a more stable and sound base for the pool bottom.

By the way, did you know that your friend Alpha Dude is a registered Professional Engineer? Yep.

Feel free to ask me stuff anytime you need.

Blessings.

1:54 PM  
Blogger J C said...

Hey Dr. John, you got lucky. You have a professional engineer to help you with that pool. Cant get much better than that. Unless you just join the local recreation center and swim there. Or, you could build a frog pond. And you can bring all that extra plywood here because I need it for my windows. It's hurricane season! :)

2:53 PM  
Blogger Jo said...

Dr. John, it sounds like Alpha Dude has the answer. You were meant to have that pool, so don't give up. It's only the beginning of summer. It sounds wonderful to me.

Now I want one...:-)

4:28 PM  
Blogger Bill ~ {The Old Fart} said...

Dr John

When all is said and done you will enjoy your pool, Just remember to invite all your friends for the Offical Pool Party and take lots of pictures.

Blessings for a wonderful day

5:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How could a banan split be bad? What can one do to screw up bananas, ice cream and candy sauces?

6:40 PM  
Blogger Neoma said...

Now Dr. John, don't you know the best way to get a pool, is go down the street till you come to a house with a pool, and then become really GOOD friends. That is the American way.......you are messing things all up by getting your own pool.

We want a pool also, but we live on a hill.....we have decided we can have a pool, three feet wide and 40 feet long.......I told my husband, that is called a trench......I want a pool.......you do know that you are practically weightless in a pool........cool and weightless, that is my goal.....

6:51 PM  
Blogger ArtsyTartsyViray said...

I'm slowly making my way back into the real world.. thanks for the comments on my blog..

I see you've added a blog schedule.. pretty cool..

Well.. slowly but surely.. I think I might be able to get over this..

Prayers and thanks for the support..

11:43 PM  
Blogger MarmiteToasty said...

LOL and you said MY blob posts were LONG :)..........

I think I might start blaming catch for other things to, we all need a scapegoat sometimes........ :)

x

3:38 AM  

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