You know that show 'Dirty Jobs'?

. . well I should have been on it, this weekend.

I think I've mentioned previously living at my parents' house. Well, eight years or so ago, my parents had an above-ground pool. I say "had" not because the pool went anywhere, but because it's no longer a pool. After not being opened or chemically treated for years on end, it's more of an above-ground pond. Kind of zombie-of-pool.

After many years of disagreement re: what to do with the pool that no one is using, last year I just decided heck, okay, so we're gonna have an above-ground pond, fine - and put some floating water-weeds in it. They took off and looked quite pretty, if bizarre in context, for the duration of last summer.

. . . this summer, the pretty little floating leafy things have largely been eaten alive by the rather virulent strain of algae that seems to have come with them. Whatever exists in actual ponds that keeps said algae under control? We apparently don't have any of those. And I'm getting eaten alive every time I venture into the back yard, by the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were previously controlled nicely by the dragon-fly larva that also made the pool-pond home, but it seems that dragonflies don't think the three inch thick layer of vaguely greenish sludge on top of the water looks like a good place to raise a family. Who can blame them? But the mosquitoes, it seems, have no such standards (figures).

So Wednesday, I went out to pick some strawberries, got four mosquito bites in ten minutes, and decided that's it, pool is coming down.

So most of yesterday and today was spent draining the pool, which involved sticking big long piece of tubing into the aforementioned sludge, covering one end, hauling it over the side, and hoping the laws of physics decide to play nice and the water drains. My experience is that in a grudge match between the Algae of Doom and the laws of physics, algae wins. Either that or I've just pissed off some higher power that is amused by seeing me hanging over the side of the pool with my rear in the air sticking my arms elbow-deep into murky sludge, over and over and over again, in ninety degree weather. I looked like swamp thing and smelled like bog after about an hour. This took considerably longer than an hour.

But, at the end of two days, the pool has about 10" of semi-liquid sludge left in the bottom and is otherwise drained. Disassembly should commence next weekend - though not Friday, when I'll be celebrating the summer Solstice. I refuse to celebrate the start of summer by wading through sludge. There is nothing remotely celebratory about pond slime, really. I suppose it could make one spiritual, though - you know, it could inspire prayer. "Please let me not catch something bizarre and antibiotic-resistant from sticking my hands into this."

When I was not elbow-deep in sludge I was, of course, taking pictures of bugs. There will be a picture post later.