Pool-cicles

This is how you create pool-cicles:

Immerse cute kids in very cold water.

You know they are done

when they come out blue and frozen.

Rocky and Keaton are almost done.

Dani, our little 11 year old friend, who swims with us all summer.

She is turning into a pool-cicle.

Remember my first post? Well, I decided I would update you on the progress the pool made that weekend. By Friday the pool got to a whopping 71 degrees (I used a meat thermometer that I think is more accurate than my two floating pool thermometers). The boys decided to go swimming anyway and invited over some of their friends.

Doesn't he just look kinda blue and frozen.

I decided to watch, as swimming in water that cold tends to make breathing near impossible for me, especially when the outside temperature is anything less than 105 degrees. The water was so cold that the boys turned blue. I think they were beginning to turn into pool-cicles.

This is a game of pool ball, not to be confused with a game of pool, which also uses balls.

Warming up after the first day of swimming in the pool.

By Saturday I realized the pool heater is broken. Not working at all. Uhgg! The solar blanket stayed on the pool most of the day and by 4:00pm the pool temp was at 77 degrees, which is cold, but bearable. The boys had a full fledged pool party that day, complete with pool toys, sodas and snacks (I made the guests bring their own), and girls.

That is what makes it a party; the presence of girls. I'm not talking the 11 year old sister of Alex who is a fixture at our house when the pool is open, I'm talking tall, pretty girls, with tinkling laughs and witty remarks. The girls that once they get there, the boys aren't quite sure whether or not they should talk to them. Mostly they do though, and it is fun to watch. Of course, this means that I have to spend the entire time outside observing teenage equivalent of peacock strutting. It goes more like this, "Watch this!" they yell as they cannonball off the diving board. Occasionally I have to remind someone that pushing other people in the pool is not allowed. The party lasted for about 4 hours at which point the teenagers all went to the snow shack and the 11-12 year olds came in and sat with their wet bums on my couch while they played Mario Cart.

By Sunday the water was warm, at least the top 6 inches were warm. Just as I predicted. And my day was packed and I didn't skip church to swim. By Tuesday the weather was cold again, in the 50's and rainy with hail storms.

I'm hoping that we can get the pool heater fixed soon and that it is totally cheap. I'm actually going outside in a minute with my tool box to see if I can figure it out. I'm sure I can, I've already fixed a clogged sink and flooded kitchen and a broken dishwasher in the past week. If not, well, we'll continue to be poolcicles until it warms up.