Saturday, November 15, 2008

Tim vs. Duck

This morning we did our final run through the back yard making sure all the lawn chairs and umbrellas are stored for the winter. The pool is covered and the colored pool noodles are placed in the shed rafters hibernating until next summer.

Closing the pool signals the final end of summer -- no winter swimmers here. Since the pool doesn't actually get drained, a cover is placed tightly over the top and secured under the edge rim so that leaves and dirt ... or worse... don't end up in the pool fermenting until spring.

If the cover is too large, water collects on top and forces it down into the pool providing drowning pockets for small animals who fall in. If it's too small, it pulls away from the sides and allows small animals to crawl inside and you know... drown.

It's a pain if something gets in because then the pool has to then be drained and "bleachified"... as one of our kids calls it. One year a squirrel managed to get in through the filter and what a nasty mess that was in the spring. I'll spare you the details except to say he swelled to double his normal size.

Another problem is the ducks. Pretty as the males are -- if allowed... they mate and defecate in rapid succession in early spring making the water standing on the top of the pool cover a veritable wasteland. We have tried popping them with the BB gun and scaring them away with air soft pellets. They keep coming back.

One night McKay reported hearing funny noises outside. Shining Tim's flashlight at the pool she was appalled at what three (3) ducks were attempting to do. "That's just wrong." she announced the next morning.

This year Tim's idea is an elaborate web of nylon cord stretched the width of the pool aimed at making the love nest a little bit tougher to reach. I think he googled it. Either that.. or we'll just have to give the BB gun a few extra pumps.

The Greenstreet Hotel is closed duck face.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

I know how to take care of that.

Boom Boom

Pat