Pool Time
Slipped into the pool yesterday. Sat in my chair float with my legs propped up on a noodle. The current carried me along, mostly in a counterclockwise circle, because our pool is round. But at 18’ there’s plenty of room to float and that’s what I did. There was music playing, but mostly there was silence. Just me and the sky and the occasional swallow who needed a taste of water.
Every once in a while, I think it would be nice to have company. There’s plenty of room. I’ve invited people, and sometimes they come, but it’s a long way to go to sit in a big bathtub. The best bet is folks who have kids and they come because the pool is just the right size for the peanut contingent. My little granddaughter was the latest visitor. She no longer needs to wear a life jacket because she can stand up in the pool. That’s cool. And now she feels like a big girl. And she had fun diving for the coins that sprinkle the bottom courtesy of my arborist son who does the same.
I like the pool in the evening because the sun slips behind the big oaks along the back edge of the back lots and the pool is in the shade. I have fair skin and long ago gave up on tanning it. The shallow water is warm from the day’s sun, but the cool air gives me a nice chill when I step out into the breeze after my dip. The sunsets are a bonus. On occasion the clouds are lit with lovely evening colors, and now I’m thinking about this evening and how I might end my day, sitting in the clear water watching the swallows against the blue sky.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale