BigFoot, Elsa and the Pool

Many steps from house to pool.

Thirty years ago, when we built our little house in the country, we had an in-ground pool installed at the same time.

I insisted we live by water and Bill insisted on a woodstove instead of a fireplace.  It was a compromise.

The end result was a heavy-duty woodstove in the middle of the living room and a swimming pool!

As it turned out, that woodstove grew on me, maybe because it saved our lives through many a frigid winter.

And the pool meant happy memories with our son and the grandgirls, friends who visited, and our two golden retrievers who loved anything water.  Swimming in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia has always seemed to me to be the ultimate luxury.

Oh, and I forgot – there was once a horse in our pool, but that is another story.

But now (due to sheltering in place from Covid-19)  we are pretty much the only swimmers.  We invite Elsa-the-dog to join in but she is suspicious of so much water.

On July 3rd I was determined to get into the old pool and paddle around as a prelude to celebrating Independence Day 2020.  A swim would also be good for Old BigFoot.

But as enticing as it is, getting to the pool is now an enormous challenge.  Navigating all those steps is out of the question since there are many steps down, and the only other way (I thought) was walking down over uneven terrain.

Then there were the endless preparations… What to take…

•  A water dish for Elsa.  Treats for Elsa.  A leash for Elsa.
• Towells, walking stick (cane), suntan oil, bug repellent, sunglasses, first aid supplies.
• How to get down there.  The pool is not far if you can walk.  May as well be to the moon for BigFoot.
• Bill to the rescue!   “We will take the car!” said he.  And Elsa jumped into the backseat thinking it was another ride.
• And off we went for a one minute drive around the house to wind up at the pool.

It was an unceremonious but successful arrival. 

Elsa would not even consider getting near the water.

Instead she began tentative explorations and found shady spots (to shelter in place).  In fact she found a cave under one of the big evergreen bushes where she was cool, hidden from danger, and could watch for bears in case the peeps needed protection.

BigFoot loved the swim and was already plotting how to get down there again without the mortification of being driven! 

The only concern is that Bruno-the-Bear or his sister would decide to join in, but there is always Elsa for protection.

Do you think she would emerge from her new private dog-cave-digs to scare off another bear? 

 

 

 

 

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Winter Swim

No, I am not the type of person who wants to run into an icey sea for any reason.

However, I continue to miss swimming in a warmer pool of water.  BigFoot has also been crying out for a bit more exercise.

About BigFoot:

For any newcomers to my blog, please know that BigFoot is the nickname for a problematical left foot that swells off and on.  There were nine different diagnoses. The latest concensus is a combination of arthritis and a damaged nerve.

Submersion in water seems to help the swelling.  But mostly there is the proud reaction I get from simply sinking into the water and hanging on a noodle.  If I kick my feet I feel like I’m exercising!

I suppose you can tell I have begun to visit our community indoor pool – our local Aquatics Center.  What a joy!

I have been there one time and ready for the second visit this week!

It is a dome covered pool.  It is also the largest pool I have ever seen except on t.v. for the summer Olympics.  There are eight very long lanes and at the time I went, I had two of them all to myself.

I think those open two lanes are reserved for un-serious lap swimmers, who simply dog paddle on a noodle from end to end.

Wait a minute!  Isn’t EXERCISE really a subjective term?

In my case it means BigFoot is engaged in gentle kicking.

On Day One I even abandoned the noodle for short periods of real swinning.  Now that is EXERCISE –  right?

Like I said, “subjective.”

Now please stay tuned for more excitement after my Day Two visit this week.

 

 

 

 

 

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Days of Our Lives – April 2018

cathy-bathingsuit

It’s Tuesday!

I  LOVE Tuesdays in my part of Virginia because it’s “Swim Day” (even though I have missed doing the local YMCA Aquasizing sessions now for several months.

I do manage to get there on Thursdays though and whilst the class is doing jumping jacks in the water, I am dog paddling at the deep end.  It makes BigFoot happy to participate even in that small way.

It’s Thursday!

Thursdays are also delightful because Thursdays are Swim Days too.  And the dog paddling brings on an after-the-beach drowsiness as well as soft skin and a feeling of immense accomplishment.

Other days present odd challenges.

It’s Monday!

On Monday, after agonizing trying-on-and-on-and on, I found a bathing suit (to wear on on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  It’s a lovely floral thing (dooming outdoor swimmers to be attacked by bees who think the flowers are real).  It might work for Tuesdays and Thursdays but makes me look pregnant on any day of the week.

Now I realize a woman my age should not be pregnant (and if so, might qualify as a carnival attraction).  Nevertheless, it is a lingering image locked in my mind’s eye. 

It’s Friday!

Therefore on Friday, after swimming on Thursday in an old suit which outgrew my newly acquired non-exercise shrinking figure (saggy suit blues), I returned the new (pregnancy type) suit to the store down the street who said they would take it back with the original tags.

That leaves Wednesday and the weekend.

It’s Wednesday!

Wednesday was spent on line ordering other things.  BigFoot resists on-foot- buying in real stores (except for swim suits) resulting in shopping withdrawal symptoms.  You would be surprised at how painful that can be.  But, modern progress allows one to alleviate pain by enabling purchasing things without actually standing on your feet.

As for the weekend,

• Sunning in old clothes (not sure of bathing suit yet).
• Waiting for results of the 5^th MRI for BigFoot.
• Trying on new socks (ordered on line).
• Taking pictures of BigFoot (which is nominally shrinking now).
• And wishing it was Thursday!
• How did your week go?

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Introducing Family Genes Re-Generated

Esther Williams

I used to think I looked like Esther Williams.  In case you are still young, Esther was a movie star who was a swimmer.

Many summers ago I used to “go swimming” with girlfriends, and we would pretend to be Esther Williams and her team of synchronized swimmers.  First we would hang onto the side of the pool to giggle and talk  and watch boys.  Then we would do graceful water ballet moves  like Esther Williams and her team. Stand on our hands.  Point our toes.  Do deep knee bends and summersaults, all underwater and in what we thought was perfect synchronization.

But the real point of this memory walking/swimming is not the pointed toes or even the girlfriends and our games, but how once, long ago, my own personal body felt long, lithe, infinitely alluring, and certainly indestructible.

Dor Undiscovered

I thought I had long, perfect legs, a tummy I could “hold in” to become concave, a lovely sideways silhouette.  Yes, I could be Esther.  I was just undiscovered!

Fast Forward Many (Many) Years Later:

2014 – Still Undiscovered

My youngest grandgirl was here visiting this weekend.  We spent an afternoon at the pool floating on noodles and yakking just like I used to do with my girlfriends.  Macky is truly beautiful  with long, long perfect legs, and that concave tummy and sideways silhouette.

Long Legged Grandgirl

Sometimes (under intense scrutiny) I can see the old me, but now she’s only in the hands.  They look acceptable with no glaring “freckles” and only cursory withering.  The legs are still slim but no longer long.  Did they shrink?  How do legs shrink?   A sideways look at the tummy reveals a convex silhouette!   Holding it all in, it’s only an inch or two less convex.  Well I would go over big if this were the 16^th Century.  Have you seen all those Renaissance paintings of abundantly rounded ladies in seductive poses?

con·vex

[adj. kon-veks, kuhn-; n. kon-veks]

ADJECTIVE

having a surface that is curved or rounded outward.

And there’s MackyMae, my youngest grandgirl.  We never got to doing Esther Williams water ballet moves, but we did the giggling at the pool and she not only brought the joy of youth with her, but she brought back memories of my halcyon/delusional days of youth.

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