May 3rd, 2009 | by Delilah Devlin |
April 29: Water’s 70 degrees. Wetsuit was a little too tight after all the partying at RT—felt like meat squeezing into a sausage casing, so braved it in just my swimsuit. Didn’t get my head wet. Didn’t suffer hypothermia. Woohoo!
April 30: Fished a shrew out of the pool and a ton of fuzzy walnut tree “balls”. Water 72 degrees. Could feel the difference. Went deep end diving for crickets.
May 1: Talked mom into joining me. After laughing my ass off at her gasping for breath, checked the temp. 73 degrees. Mom, don’t be a weenie.
May 2: Still 73 degrees—and the wind whipped up. Storm rolling in kept the air cooler than the pool. Nice!
Okay, so maybe I’m a bit obsessed. But after a winter of taking care of a pool that didn’t provide me a minute of joy, I’m soooo ready to get in that I don’t care that it’s not comfortable. I don’t like to exercise. But I will swim. When the pool’s warmer, it will be an hour in the AM before I start writing and an hour in the PM after I finish my daily pages. I’ll admit I’m a water baby. Maybe it’s because I’m a Cancer.
I prefer the pool to the lake. It’s cleaner. I don’t like green mossy slime under my feet (reminder to self to add the algae-killer to the pool water), I don’t like fishies nibbling at my toes. I don’t like a ton of people around me when I swim. Swim-time is like meditation for me. I do laps, okay short laps since the pool is only 18×36. But after I “feel the burn” in my arms, back and legs, I roll to my back and float. The water seeps into my ears and I only hear the drone of the pump. I can’t feel any pressure around or under my body so I imagine that it doesn’t exist, and all I am is the view above me. I live in the boonies of Arkansas, and that view is filled with green tree branches and birds.
My favorite times to swim are during storms. Not during lightning, I’m not that stupid. But during a really heavy rain, I love to swim because then it’s hard to tell the difference between the water below me and the water falling on me, and I feel primal. And sometimes, when it’s dark I’ll creep outside, turn on the underwater pool light and skinny dip. It feels naughty even when I do it all by myself with no one but the frogs and crickets to see.
No pool here! But I remember some dips into the backyard kids pool a few summers when they were young and it was so hot and it was the only way to cool off!
With that last paragraph, I can see you writing a scene on this in one of your books!
Enjoy your pool this summer, you deserve it!
by Caffey · May 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 amCaffey!
by Delilah Devlin · May 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 amYeah, I often take a pen and paper to poolside in case something hits me while I float. And I think oddly I’ve only ever done one pool scene. I must correct that!
I love pools, and would love to have one…but my kids have really bad eczema and the chlorine kills them. Luckily, we live near the ocean so we can swim all summer- but in the winter we are out of luck
by Cheryl McInnis · May 3rd, 2009 at 10:00 amI would love a pool of my own. To float and have no one bother me. It sounds so relaxing.
As a side note though… maybe having your mother join you in the pool when she finds it cold could lead to her running you over again. Just a thought.
by Brandy W · May 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 amNo pool in NYC, but heading to Miami this week for sun and water. Must be a cancer thing, because I love just floating, blocking out the world. I love the ocean in Jamaica where the water is in the 80s, there are no waves and I can just float and not go anywhere, no danger of being carried away. There is a peace to imaging it’s just me, the sky, and the sea.
Miami, here I come!!!!
by Shawna · May 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 pmCheryl!
If I lived close to the ocean, I’d be there summer or winter. Maybe not swimming, but I love to walk along a beach on a cold and windy day. Do it every time I’m in Ireland!
Brandy!
You are bad. Don’t give her any ideas!
Shawna!
by Delilah Devlin · May 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 pmI would sooo love to go to Jamaica! But hey, the Miami beach—have a great time!!
I still swimming in the rain too. I also like going out for a run in the rain, also. That way I don’t notice I am sweating….
by Mari · May 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pmNo pool is Seattle
But I do enjoy swimming. I’m on the cusp of being a Pisces, which probably explains why I love all water activities. Love being on the water!
by Shelli Stevens · May 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pmMari!
When I used to run I loved running in the rain too! Had to give it up when I developed heel spurs though.
Shelli!
by Delilah Devlin · May 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pmNo pool, but water all around you. Lucky thing!
I really liked the idea of running you over when the pool is cold and you tell me it is just great! Yo’Momma
by Delilah Devlin · May 4th, 2009 at 4:51 pmBwahahaha!
by Delilah Devlin · May 4th, 2009 at 8:06 pmNo pool either–it’s a bit cool here for it most of the year, and I’m just not a water baby… Maybe if I had one, I’d feel differently! Glad you’re enjoying yours though!
by Fedora · May 5th, 2009 at 2:20 amThanks, Fedora! Although I’m not enjoying the past few days–too dang much rain!
by Delilah Devlin · May 6th, 2009 at 8:56 am