Pool Nazi

After two near drownings, one teenager being life-flighted to St Louis hospital and one a small boy who had removed his life jacket without telling anyone, I am a vigil swimming pool monitor.  Standing by the side of the pool most days there are children around, usually in the pool with them, I yell at them and lay down the rules continually.

“Wait till she’s over to the side to jump off the diving board.”  “No, you can’t go down the slide together!”  “Stop holding on to each other in the deep end.”  That is for Ava and Kate most of the time because Kate thinks she can swim like an Olympic swimmer now that she has mastered the concept a little bit.

But it is neat to watch her with her little goggles on doing flips forward and then backward; jumping off the diving board with her little pose and “What’s up?” before she splashes into the water.  She says Ava can go down the slide because she will catch her.  It’s all Kate can do to keep herself afloat.  She is just so funny.  Too big for her britches.

The kids have to get out if they don’t mind, sitting on the side or in a chair on the deck.  No running.  All sorts of rules and regulations.  But I can count on one hand with fingers left over the times I have had to make anyone sit out for any length of time.

My Pool Nazi days are over soon, though.  One of my least favorite times of the year.  I love love those long, hot, summer days that run on into lovely, long summer evenings.

Sigh

I’M NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF GAME THIS IS.

The Swimmin’ Hole

KATE ON THE LEFT WITH HER FRIEND, JENNA

The grandgirls have learned so much about swimming this year, have gotten the hang of holding their breath under water.   And not just my girls, but the girls’ friends have also learned to jump off the diving board, go down the slide, and swim without swimmies.  It’s been such fun to watch.Here are the novice swimmers taking a break for ice cream.  We went through a lot of ice cream this summer!

AVA’S USUAL LOOK IN ICE CREAM SEASON

THEN THERE ARE ALWAYS THE SNOW CONES TOO. COUSINS JACK AND OWEN PUTTING ON THE COLOR!

YUM! CHERRY

KATE

It takes a bit of persuading sometimes and even holding their hands the first time or two down the slide, but once they see how much fun it is, they’re off to plunge into the wild blue pool.

BRYLEE’S PLUNGE!

THERE SHE GOES!

SUCCESS!!!

There is nothing better on a hot summer day than spending it around the swimming hole with family and friends.

OWEN PREPARING FOR THE JUMP

MACI

AND HE JUMPS!

SAM AND OWEN MAKING A TENT

TAKING YET ANOTHER SNACK BREAK

MACI AND AVA RUNNING TO JUMP IN THE BABY POOL

AVA

AVA SLIDING INTO THE POOL

X-Rated: Not for the faint of heart

2-week old baby

Not too long ago I read an article on the arrest of a child porn ring… and have been sick to my stomach every time it crosses my mind.  Which is often.

Can anyone explain to me why a man would do such things?  To such small children?  One as young as 19 days.  Yes, you read that correctly: 19 days old.

Operation Bulldog hunted these men down.  And found one of the ringleaders next door… in Bloomington, Indiana.  He has received 315 years in prison.  These are cases the death penalty could be given.  It’s all on tape.  The evidence is there for all to see; no guessing.  They murder the minds and souls of these children, turning them into sociopaths and molesters and murderers.

Beth Thomas was one such child.  Click on her name, and you will be taken to an informative blog with the videos of her treatment and the outcome of that treatment.  The videos are worth taking the time to watch them.

My heart breaks… as does God’s.

Nostalgia

My parents ran a grocery store all the years I was growing up and finally retired after the grandchildren started coming along.  My older brother and sister along with my younger sister and I lived in that store almost as much as we lived at our home.  We were either sneaking candy or cigarettes or stocking shelves or slicing cold cuts or shinnying up the metal poles out front or running the cash register and sacking groceries or cleaning, always cleaning.  Sometimes we went with Dad to deliver the groceries to people around town.

A sweet friend brought me a piece of the store the other day in the form of a fan.  Of course, way back in the 50s people were just beginning to buy air conditioners, so there were a lot of fans around.  Most businesses had them made to give away.

Like this one:A lot of fans as well as calendars for businesses had a religious theme with their information about their business printed somewhere on it.This took me down the Nostalgic Pathway!  Those were good, good days.

 

 

The Hula Hoedown

Yesterday Tish, Nate, and Kate all had birthdays.  Of course, the only one that matters anymore is Kate.  She’s the princess.  The other two are older and getting older.

She wanted a Hawaiian pool party, so we dug out the grass skirts and the leis and the Hawaiian paraphernalia and had us a good ole Hula Hoedown.  Since all the kids swam from the moment they set foot on the property until their parents forced them to go home, they had to take their grass skirts and flower/shell leis home with them.

After everyone was gone, Kate said it was a great party.

Which is better than the tooth fairy did for her.  She lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago.  She didn’t want money; she wanted fairy dust.  So Kate’s good little Momma conjured up some fairy dust (silver and white glitter in an awesome tin box) and left it for our little pumpkin.

The next morning when she came over here to her Gigi’s, I asked her what the tooth fairy left her, and Kate said, “Fairy dust… but it didn’t work.”

“How do you know it didn’t work?”

“I sprinkled it on my feet, and it didn’t do anything.”

Aw, man!

But she was still happy with it.  I got a sprinkle when I went over to visit the next day.  And it worked for me!  It made me very happy!