Happy Leap Day?

February 29th. Some view it as a novelty. Some spout facts they looked up on Google (i.e. Babies born on Feb. 29th are called Leaplings). Some go around wishing everyone a "Happy Leap Day!". I have no idea why. That's like me walking around wishing everyone a happy Wednesday. To me, February 29th is just another day. If anything, it lengthens the dreaded winter by a day. I guess I just don't understand all the hoopla. You can call me a Scrooge or a stick in the mud if you wish. That's okay. I just choose to not get worked up over something like "Leap Day". You'll probably see a similar post in about a month on April 1st. While I enjoy the promise of spring that comes in April, you won't hear me rattling on about April Fools Day.

The strange case of the pool

Since uncovering the pool, we have been monitoring the water level. It had been steadily dropping for several days, but then seemed to stop (or level off). I thought maybe it was my imagination and I started to pay even closer attention. Sure enough the water level maintained and the ground around the pool actually started to dry out and was not swampy or mushy. Hmmm... strange indeed. Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe the leak miraculously stopped. This simply told me the leak was in the liner along the pool wall and not the floor of the pool. Once the water level dropped below the breach in the liner, the water stopped leaking out of the pool. I considered getting into the pool and looking for the hole in the liner. There was only 12-14 inches of water remaining anyway. But after changing into shorts and removing my shoes I decided against the late winter wading session because my feet were freezing without even getting into the water. Yeah, I chickened out...

We're still waiting for the pool guys to call. In the meantime I am pumping what's left of the water out of the pool so it's ready for repair when they get here.

The Winter That Wasn't

As February draws to a close this week, I am thankful for "the winter that wasn't" nearing its end. I have made no secret of my disdain for winter and I'm thrilled with the virtual non-existance of snow this year. The regular doses of mild temperatures have made things a lot more bearable as well. March is almost here and it brings the hope of better things to come. We get to set our clocks ahead in a few weeks. The kids have spring break (mine is in April). There is potential for spring like weather. The Reds Opening Day is just around the corner. But do you know what I like best about March? It's not January or February. Somehow flipping the calendar to March just feels better. I know there is potential for winter weather in March, but no matter what comes, I know it will be short lived.

A Sad Sight

When you compare the photos of our beautiful deck and pool a few years ago with the photo taken today... you can see why I've called this post a sad sight.

If you look closely you can see how much water has leaked out. Normally the water level is just below the white rectangle in the pool wall near the top of the photo. You can also see the large amount of debris that has blown into the pool. As a person who takes pride in keeping our pool very clean, this is hard to look at. However, I also know a new liner is coming. The pool will be refilled with clean water and re-covered until May when we open for another swimming season.

Please understand... this pool is not the be all and end all of my world. There are so many things in life more important. But because we spend our whole summer next to the pool and this is how we choose to spend our leisure time, it does have a level of importance to my family. And this year takes on another level of fun when Sveta will be splashing around. I can just picture her jumping off the deck into my waiting arms in the pool. Building memories with my granddaughter... that's why it's important to me.

The Lid is Off

Tonight I had Parent/Teacher Conferences at school and arrived home late. It was a gorgeous, warm day and I was lamenting the fact I was stuck inside. Especially since I really needed to take the cover off the pool. The pool guys told us to remove it so they can assess the job they need to do to remove the old liner and install the new one. Do you know what my sweet wife did? She went out and took the cover off the pool this evening while I was working late. I was relieved to see the job was done and felt so touched by the thoughtfulness of her gesture.

Now we just have to wait for the pool guys to come out and get us all fixed up :-)

This is not our pool, but does give you an idea of what the cover looks like.

Water in/Water out

The saga of the pool may end much more quickly than I thought (but not the way I wanted it to). I have been running the hose into the pool for many hours over several days and the water level is not much higher than when I began. Translation... water is flowing out almost as fast as I can put it in. This indicates a total failure of the vinyl liner and tells me there is no way to repair it. We called our "Pool Guys" tonight and arranged to have a new liner installed next week. I didn't exactly want to spend the big bucks for a liner, but there is no alternative. Such is the life of being a pool owner. Pools are expensive and a lot of work to maintain, but are also a ton of fun. I guess "dems da breaks!". As I said before... this is the worst case scenario, but pool liners do not last forever. They do need to be replaced after a period of years. The picture below is my illustration of how I envision my pool right now...

What a DRIP!

If you thought the story of my garage door spring was a long one, wait until you hear this. I have a feeling this will be the beginning of an even longer story...

I noticed last month that the cover on my pool seemed to be sinking lower and lower into the pool itself. This was an indicator that the water level in the pool was dropping. I was not initially concerned because the water level drops every winter. But this time is different... the water level is lower than it has ever been. A closer inspection revealed the area next to the pool to be a veritable swamp. There were literally puddles next to the pool. No doubt about it... the pool is definitely leaking and losing water at a fairly fast rate.

My first reaction was, "How in the world did my pool develop a leak in the winter?" It's been covered since early September and only started leaking last month. WHAT HAPPENED???? My next thought was, "What should I do?". The water in the pool is what supports the pool wall. Without the water, the pool wall is merely a thin layer of aluminum supported by plastic columns. In other words, without water there is no structural integrity to the pool. My conclusion? I MUST get water into the pool immediately. Thank goodness the weather over the next few days will be above freezing and I can safely use the hose without fear of a frozen pipe. As I type this, my garden hose is is SLOOOOOOOOWLY pumping water into the pool. I will have to repeat this until spring when I can remove the cover and look for the leak. Even then, locating the leak is going to be difficult. If I am fortunate, I'll find the leak. Then I need to determine if the leak is repairable or if a new liner will be needed. I hope to Goodness I find the leak and can repair it. Nevertheless, you can now see why this is going to be a very long story. I pray it works out well. But worst case scenario is replacing the vinyl liner (and even that is not so bad).

The photo below is our pool a few years ago. My main motivation for repairing the pool is having it ready for Sveta. She'll want to swim in Goppa's and Grandma's pool.

Mick's Photo Gallery

Kodak Gallery: Mick Meyer's Gallery

I am learning how to post photos using the Kodak website. Click the link and then Scroll down to see the albums available for viewing.

Party Time!

We celebrated Sveta's 4th birthday and I'm not sure who had more fun, Sveta or all the grandparents in attendance. I think I'll have to go with the grandparents.

When we first arrived, Sveta had just awakened from her nap and was a bit groggy. We kind of stood back for a little while and waited for her to fully wake up. It didn't take long when she saw all the presents and the big balloon. She also knew cake was nearby. Who wouldn't wake up for cake, right?

We sang Happy Birthday and she blew out her candles.

Then she got to eat her birthday chocolate cupcake.

She got lots of presents... go figure! We got her a tape recorder (yes, they still make 'em) and she really enjoyed singing and talking into it and then listening to herself as it played back. We wanted to record her singing and talking in Russian before she completely loses it.

The rest of the time was spent talking with and playing with Sveta. She sang her ABC's, counted to 10 and said lots of other words in english. She also spent a lot time jumping on both grandpas like we were her personal Jungle Gyms. We didn't mind :-)

It was a great day all the way around and only a small taste of the many joyful days we will spend with Sveta in the future.

Happy Birthday, Sveta!

Sveta turns 4 years old today! Happy Birthday to the sweetest little granddaughter in the world!