June 3, 2024. It’s June already, almost half a year gone, and in a few short months it will be a year for the boys and me in North Carolina. The older I get, the faster the time slips away.
We’ve been very busy this last month, weeding, mowing, weed whacking, and watering. It’s a good thing I enjoy being outside. I have neighbors on both sides of me that I rarely see outside. I’ve added a few flowers to my main flower bed and completely filled the 2′ wide bed between the house and the sidewalk. That might be my favorite flower bed.
Originally the crepe myrtle had white stones around them, I got as many out as possible and filled it with mulch. It looks much better.
Bill and Highway came on May 16th. He brought a new 18X48 above-ground pool. Our neighbors in KY ended up with two pools and she gave us one. Absolutely amazing, and it saved me from buying one. Thank you Judy!!!
I tried to do the right thing and follow the rules by applying for permits. It’s done nothing but bite me in the butt. Never again will I apply for a permit. It’s nonsense, and the employees in that department are not very functional.
The first thing we did for the pool was measure a 20′ circle. Then we had to remove the turf from the circle. Bill rented a machine that peeled the turf up, but we still had to remove it all from inside the circle.
We were in the midst of removing the turf to outside the circle when my friend Margy showed up with boots and gloves. She came to help. We got all the dirt out, leveled the circle area and then we had to throw all the turf in the truck so we could take it to the dump. The three of us loaded all of that in the truck, it was a hot dirty sweaty job.
Once that was done we laid the ground tarp and a thick blanket-like cover for under the pool.
We then started setting up the pool. Once it was set up, we began to fill it. I had previously called the water company and told them what I was doing. They said, fine, no problem. I was mowing the grass and Bill came out and said I had to look at the water. It was no longer clear, it was rust-colored. I called the water company and they said the lines probably needed to be flushed. They came right away to do that.
We waited until the next day to continue filling the pool. The water was clear. We were both busy and not checking the water. It got awful again, filled with rust. By that time it was almost filled.
We ended up emptying the pool and starting over. There was still some sediment but by shocking and continuous vacuuming, we got it looking pretty good.
Bill had been working on the deck the whole time, even though we didn’t have the permit. Screw them. It’s a small deck but it’s big enough for what I need. We had to place it where it is because of the septic and the drain field, there’s not a lot of extra room.
Max jumps in the pool, gets out and turns right around and jumps in again. He does this several times in a row. I think he likes jumping in. All 3 of them have been using the pool often. We had to put a gate that could lock at the bottom of the steps, it will be useful to keep the boys from jumping in at their 9PM potty time.
Everything looked great, except under the deck. It was dirt and the dogs kept going under there. I got the brainstorm to put artificial turf under it. I got it as level as I could, sprayed it with weed killer, laid cardboard, then weed barrier, then the turf. It’s like a doggie playground. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.
Bill was planning to leave for Kentucky tomorrow but the inspector, who I was told would be here today, said our name wasn’t on the list of inspections. They better come tomorrow. Funny thing, I asked a few neighbors with a pool and deck and they said they never got a permit. I guess I’m the idiot.
If you’re looking for me in the next few months, look no further than my backyard.
Have a super summer everyone!
Mermaid on a Raft 