Our grass in the back yard died a few years ago because of
the drought, so we decided to do the only drought-friendly thing that made any
sense. We put in a pool. Droughts are caused by not having enough water, so we
put in a twenty thousand-gallon water reservoir in our yard. We’re doing our
part, California. You’re welcome.
Our front yard grass died at the same time, so I wanted to
help even more by putting in a bass pond, but my wife insists there are some
zoning issues with that, or something. I think she just doesn’t want an
eighteen-foot MasterCraft floating in her front yard. Women, huh?
Getting a pool is not for the faint of heart. Besides choosing
which two of the three kids won’t go to college, you also have to endure an
eight-week demolition experience, and be prepared to deal with the aftermath.
All pool builders follow the same simple three step process:
Step 1: Remove fence
Step 2: Completely destroy everything between the street and
the far corner of the back yard.
Step 3: Fill new pool with water
It looks like an atomic bomb went off in the middle of our
back yard, leaving a beautiful pool in the blast crater, and total destruction
everywhere else. Our front yard looks like a bad day in Afghanistan.
Once the pool was complete and it was time to deal with the
utter destruction of our property, we did the first thing anyone would do. We
ignored it and threw a pool party. And then another one. And another. I don’t
know how the rich and famous do it. I have been at a never-ending pool party
for two and a half weeks now, and I’m exhausted. We filled the new pool with
water on June 24th, and since then the only time I have left the house
was to get more beer, wine, and juice boxes.
Do I care that everything in my back yard besides the pool
looks like the aftermath of a Vegas strip hotel demolition? Of course I don’t.
I have a pool. Please ignore the rubble and enjoy yourselves, folks. Actually,
it makes party cleanup quite a bit easier. Instead of picking things up, you
can just sweep everything into the rubble pile the next morning and start over.
And it turns out the pool is convenient, also. Not only have
none of us had to shower in the last two weeks (again, you’re welcome,
California), but the boys have no more arguments for why staying home in the
summer is boring. Every time one of them says anything about being bored, I
just throw them in the pool. Many times while they’re still in their pajamas. Boredom
problem solved, plus as a bonus, laundry done. The drought-friendliness of a
pool never seems to end.
The pool can help in emergencies, too. Our Fourth of July
party, for example, had a happy ending that could have easily been the other
way around if not for the pool. When you accidentally light yourself on fire
with an El Diablo fountain firework, a quick dip in the deep end is not only
refreshing, but also eliminates a visit to the ER. California’s tax payers can
thank me again in that situation, since we had to give up health insurance to
afford the pool.
The bottom line is, I would highly recommend getting a pool,
especially if you live in a dry area like we do. If we all do our part, we can
not only eliminate our kids’ boredom complaints and prevent holiday-related
injuries, but we might just be able to end this drought.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to ignore the annihilation of
my landscaping some more and get ready for the pool party today.
Cheers!
See you soon,
-Smidge
Copyright © 2016 Marc Schmatjen
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