Making a Splash for Pool Ownership…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster…

We’re lived here in southern Indiana for 30 years and one of the first major additions we made was to add an in-ground swimming pool.

We weren’t total “rookies” when it came to swimming pools; we had a good-sized above-ground model for a number of years when we lived in northern Ohio.’

Pool season here can start in mid-May and run well into September.

If we wanted to, we could have added a water heater but we’ve relied on “El Sol” for our water warmth.

We had a “solar blanket” years ago, but for the hassle of putting it on and taking it off, I didn’t think it gave us that much more “swimmable water”.

About 8% of U.S. homes have swimming pools and the average American pool is a 16 foot by 32 foot rectangle.

Ours is a 24 foot octagon pool that is about 4 feet deep.

Although Florida has the most swimming pools in the U.S., Cleveland and Cincinnati rank #1 and #2 in the number of pools per 100,000 residents.

I was reluctant to get our first swimming pool but my bride and the daughters persisted.

I was concerned about maintenance costs.

But I’ve found over the years that if you stay on tops of cleaning and chemicals, it’s not terrible.

We haven’t tracked our actual pool expenses over the years but, I gotta tell you, slipping into that refreshing water with a cold beverage in hand after mowing the lawn on a hot day makes it well worth it.

When the grandkids were younger, the pool was a great magnet.

But as they begin to age out, Neav and I usually hit it for a quick dip, especially before bed or on those hot, sultry Midwestern summer days.

Still, when the family gathers for summer cookouts and parties, there’ll be some pool time which usually involved a little dodge ball or just sitting around the edge, soaking and sipping,

A walk in the pool in the waist-deep water is also good exercise, especially when you change directions and walk against the direction the water is moving. Talk about current events!

Our pool is at the top-end of the average life expectancy for an in-ground pool and I’ve looked at options we might entertain when our swimming days are over.

Neav and I can still manage to wrestle with installing the pool cover in the fall and taking it off in the spring.

One of my favorite rituals is the spring cleaning as we turn a mossy green into sparkling clean, usually in less than a week.

Thirty-eight percent of American pool owners have a diving board but that requires a much deeper depth of water.

Ours only holds about 14,000 gallons which you need to know for adding treatments.

I have found an unexpected side benefit to owning a pool.

It is the most successful mole and rodent trap I’ve ever had.

Of course, it’s critical to check the skimmer frequently because even a tiny mole can bloat to disgusting dimensions if left too long in the skimmer basket.

Over the years, we’ve dipped out frogs and toads, birds, bunnies and even our mini-Dachshund who ventured too close to the edge.

But her big sister Bailey kept looking back at us as she hoped Sofi would find the steps and get out on her own.

I used to have a bird that would swoop down after I shook out any bugs and beetles that had been captured and help herself to a water-softened insect.

Did you know that “The Titanic” had a swimming pool…for first-class passengers only and it was actually called a “swimming bath”.

Ancient Egyptians has private pools in their palaces while the “riff-raff” swam in the critter-infested waters of the Nile River.

Pool ownership has helped me learn on the job regarding plumbing and electricity and even replacing and installing new pumps and sand filters.

But sitting on the edge of the pool on a hot summer’s eve with a cold, adult beverage in hand makes it all worthwhile.