I used to swim at the gym.
Now wine I sip in the place I dip.
No ducks. No grouse. Not at this house!
Just staying cool in our own little pool.
As far as keeping it clean goes, we have baking soda, chlorine tablets, shock and that’s it for the most part. We check the chemistry daily. Sometimes multiple times a day if it’s being used considerably.
@jouest it can be frustrating tbh. But it’s pretty easy once you get it dialed in. It’s staying consistent that really makes a massive difference but I feel that way about most things in life.
Also I adore our setup. We didn’t think we’d actually get the house because we were the lowest bid. But I wrote a letter and the owners wanted to make sure it went to someone that would love it. So thankful because there’s no way we could afford it if we tried to buy it in today’s market.
@sillyheathen aw that reminds me of when we wrote a letter like that and the sellers reached out to say how touching it was and then accepted an all cash bid over asking price that seemed like it was paid out of a duffel bag from the back of the buyer’s range rover.
@jouest@sillyheathen
Aww, I know they must’ve struggled with their decision, I can see it now, the chaos playing out their minds. vs. …
I’m betting karma got them in the end!
I think letters make a huge difference, most people would welcome the human factor! Glad it worked out for you sillyheathen! That pool looks like it’s got a nice home to go with it! Love your plants, actually the whole setup! It looks VERY NICE!
@jouest@Lynnerizer the home is behind me. The building in the picture the the shop that replaced the murder shed. In fact I finished most of the framing for the upstairs today!
@jouest@sillyheathen
And here I thought that was the pool house! My cousin turned one of those DIY sheds into a gorgeous little pool house, it was very impressive! I’m assuming when you say the murder shed’s replacement it’s more like ‘murder shed 2.0’ rather than something else that has replaced the murder shed altogether. It’s used for the same thing, right? Probably worthy of a better name than The Murder Shed’s Replacement. Maybe someday you’ll take us on a tour of the murder shed’s replacement, I think that would be exciting.
@jouest@Lynnerizer Here’s a mini tour. I’ve been framing like crazy. I’m almost done with upstairs. Downstairs I just need to frame in the stair case and Harry Potter’s bedroom. I just ordered a ton of romex and outlets etc. will get it wired up next. Then throw up drywal, hang a door and clad some Juniper TnG. So stoked!
The photos are a little disjointed. There’s a bathroom and spray/off gas room downstairs. The main wood shop is downstairs. Upstairs will be my studio for painting, small lasers, finish work and crafting (painting, glass, leather, sewing etc). Then the other side will be dedicated office space for both the Englishman and me as well as hangout/liunge/guest crash space.
@sillyheathen That’s pretty much a house! I don’t think you can call it a shed anymore.
(@Lynnerizer - she painted that mural in the bathroom - there are other pictures somewhere she posted a while back …)
@Kyeh@sillyheathen
Holy smokes Kyeh is right, that’s almost an entire HOUSE! That’s fantastic, even at this stage! I do remember seeing that mural, it’s beautiful! My first thought… Ahhh, I wish I could do something like that in my bathroom! (No stamina for that kind of painting these days. ) I don’t think I realized the extent of your skills, you just do it all! I see why you’re stoked, that’s going to be amazing when you’re finished!
Thanks for the pics!
Learned how to swim as a kid in lower grade school. In the snow belt we’d walk to and from swimming lessons at the high school 3/4 of a miles away. After swimming we’d walk home with wet heads and icicles would form on our hair on the colder days. Sometimes we’d break off the icicles on our hair not realizing we were making a mess of our hair doing that. Took a while to get this is why mom would cut our hair so often that first winter and so finally learned our lesson.
Probably like riding a bike. You don’t forget. We have a photo of my grandmother on a bike when she was 80 (she hadn’t been on one in at least 30 years).
Can I swim well enough to stay alive (for at least a short time?) yes
Can I swim well? no
Do I do lake/ocean? Nope. Although I love water but not the public junk at most lakes and beaches are too sandy. And it’s too damned hot. LOL
Do I pool? NOPE. Too hot and I just don’t enjoy it
@jouest but really flips my boat a waterfalls I can sit and watch them for hour and the idea of standing under one just sounds so good but you really don’t want to do that unless it’s a teeny one because it’ll kill you
@algae1221@jouest@Kyeh I think it’s a visual thing. Who would swim in the ocean if there was a body floating 50’ from them?
Assuming we’re talking human. People would likely swim next to a dead fish.
Grew up on a lake, swiming is like breathing to me. Pools have there place and time but I’m a lake person, lake life is truly a lifestyle. I have a little kiddie pool in my backyard when I too lazy to drive to my dads and spend the day there. I love the ocean also just don’t have one around.
@jouest
Great Lakes are awesome! Only thing is that depending on which one your on they might not get warm bc their so big. When I was little, my dad had a friend with a house boat and would take me a long to play with their kids. We would crystal bay in the Detroit river onto Lake Erie, it’s an awesome spot. First spot I ever saw crystal clear water (in extremly deep water) before all the zebra mussels started invading all the lakes.
@jouest@Star2236 Lake Erie (I grew up on that) used to be polluted all the way to the bottom (it is about 60’ deep) and the Cuyahoga River was truly gross and caught on fire once (a song about that where part of the chorus is “burn on big river burn on, the Cuyahoga goes smoking through my dreams”. Dad took us to see the bridge that fire melted (we were kids). I was so happy when I heard that the pollution in there was cleaned up.
I am presently prohibited from swimming. (No, I don’t want to go into it.) That said, I prefer snorkeling or scuba over any surface-thrashing activity, and I’ve got a facial shape issue that makes most masks useless to me; they leak at the base of my nose on both sides. I’m going to need a custom-fitted mask if I’m going back in the water once I get the green light.
Midwest has a lot of lakes. And a ton of public access sites because they are all public water ways. Then we have lake Michigan and the dunes. So yea not so much swimming pools.
It was fun when we were kids. As an adult. It’s not really a thing I do. Except when I have had a girlfriend with kids. Then it’s… Different. Cause they love it. Same with camping. just go to the local state park or lake and they have fun and. Idk.
Without kids. Or with older kids. Or just a group of friends. I’d still like to just unplug and go to the boundary waters for a month. That’s lake related but not so much swimming as the primary mode of transportation
I love floating and splish splashing around in a pool. We had a pool when we lived in California for a couple of years, and I miss it so much I could cry. We hated California, but oh my gawd, that pool. I have osteoarthritis. My knees are both bone on bone. I have a bunch of spots in my spine that are bone on bone. The amount of pain I’m in on a daily basis is insane. I discovered that the pain goes almost completely away when I am in a pool. So leaving the pool behind was pretty heartbreaking. (we did look for a house with a pool here, but they just aren’t really a thing in Colorado.)
@phendrick That’s easier no doubt, but could result in a very short swim. My preferred position would be at least head above the water 98.5% of the time.
@kuoh@phendrick I can sink in seawater while holding my breath with my lungs full of air. Either I use flotation or I stay in the shallows. “Swimming” without fins and a BC is Right Out.
@kuoh@werehatrack
I took adult swim lessons many decades ago.
The instructor said Everybody can float.
I proved her wrong while doing similar to you.
She said nothing else after watching me sink to the bottom of the pool.
@kuoh@phendrick I had a similar experience with my bulldog. someone said all dogs could swim and chucked her in. had to go retrieve her from where she stood solidly on the bottom.
@phendrick I think synchronized swimmers are often in that position, but you’ll need to learn how to flip in the other direction at some point if you want to remain a conscious participant.
I didn’t learn to swim until college. I once almost drowned in a mountain lake when I was a kid - walking around with water up to my neck and suddenly the lakebed dipped - my father rescued me but it haunted me for a while.
I took a swimming class from a woman whose actual name was Barbara Fish! And fell in love with it for a little while - it gave me that feeling of being completely and totally in the moment and I wanted to swim every day. But I lost the mood & motivation; I should try to get it back.
@Kyeh IDK. To me better than a tub of ice (long ago athldtic training).
Always thought a hot sweat in a sauna was nice. Most likely depends on what we are used to.
Personally I love the water. I enjoy our swimming pool in the yard tremendously and use it every chance I get. By and large my favorite is still the ocean. I love snorkeling in a nice bay or cove. Scuba dove for a while but haven’t in several years so would not feel like it’s appropriate without going through a refresher for my SSI C card.
While I enjoy playing in the lake on kayaks, canoes, SUPs, jet skis, water skiing etc I’m not big on just swimming in the lake. I kind of like to be able to see in the water and most lakes are at least a lot more cloudy than the ocean.
We’re currently on an RV trip across the US and spent the day at Balmorhea State Park in Texas. It is home to the largest springfed pool in the world. 1.3 acres of water that was crystal clear with small fish in it. 72° water in the Texas chihuahuan desert was definitely refreshing.
Do I swim? When I need to.
Do I gym? Not as often as I should.
Do I home? You bet your ass.
Do I lake? Once a year.
Do I ocean? Once every few years.
@troy This feels right.
I float around with my kindle, good thing they made those things waterproof.
@sammydog01 heck yes
I used to swim at the gym.
Now wine I sip in the place I dip.
No ducks. No grouse. Not at this house!
Just staying cool in our own little pool.
As far as keeping it clean goes, we have baking soda, chlorine tablets, shock and that’s it for the most part. We check the chemistry daily. Sometimes multiple times a day if it’s being used considerably.
@sillyheathen just got a pool, am chemist now
also this setup is lovely
@jouest it can be frustrating tbh. But it’s pretty easy once you get it dialed in. It’s staying consistent that really makes a massive difference but I feel that way about most things in life.
Also I adore our setup. We didn’t think we’d actually get the house because we were the lowest bid. But I wrote a letter and the owners wanted to make sure it went to someone that would love it. So thankful because there’s no way we could afford it if we tried to buy it in today’s market.
@sillyheathen aw that reminds me of when we wrote a letter like that and the sellers reached out to say how touching it was and then accepted an all cash bid over asking price that seemed like it was paid out of a duffel bag from the back of the buyer’s range rover.
but they ADORED our letter…
@jouest @sillyheathen
vs. 
… 
Aww, I know they must’ve struggled with their decision, I can see it now, the chaos playing out their minds.
I’m betting karma got them in the end!
I think letters make a huge difference, most people would welcome the human factor! Glad it worked out for you sillyheathen! That pool looks like it’s got a nice home to go with it! Love your plants, actually the whole setup! It looks VERY NICE!
@jouest @Lynnerizer the home is behind me. The building in the picture the the shop that replaced the murder shed.
In fact I finished most of the framing for the upstairs today!
@jouest @sillyheathen
My cousin turned one of those DIY sheds into a gorgeous little pool house, it was very impressive! I’m assuming when you say the murder shed’s replacement it’s more like ‘murder shed 2.0’ rather than something else that has replaced the murder shed altogether. It’s used for the same thing, right? Probably worthy of a better name than The Murder Shed’s Replacement.
Maybe someday you’ll take us on a tour of the murder shed’s replacement, I think that would be exciting. 
And here I thought that was the pool house!
@jouest @Lynnerizer Here’s a mini tour. I’ve been framing like crazy. I’m almost done with upstairs. Downstairs I just need to frame in the stair case and Harry Potter’s bedroom.
I just ordered a ton of romex and outlets etc. will get it wired up next. Then throw up drywal, hang a door and clad some Juniper TnG. So stoked! 
The photos are a little disjointed. There’s a bathroom and spray/off gas room downstairs. The main wood shop is downstairs. Upstairs will be my studio for painting, small lasers, finish work and crafting (painting, glass, leather, sewing etc). Then the other side will be dedicated office space for both the Englishman and me as well as hangout/liunge/guest crash space.
@sillyheathen That’s pretty much a house! I don’t think you can call it a shed anymore.
(@Lynnerizer - she painted that mural in the bathroom - there are other pictures somewhere she posted a while back …)
@Kyeh @sillyheathen
) I don’t think I realized the extent of your skills, you just do it all! I see why you’re stoked, that’s going to be amazing when you’re finished! 
Holy smokes Kyeh is right, that’s almost an entire HOUSE! That’s fantastic, even at this stage! I do remember seeing that mural, it’s beautiful! My first thought… Ahhh, I wish I could do something like that in my bathroom! (No stamina for that kind of painting these days.
Thanks for the pics!
@sillyheathen
Why limit yourself?
@sillyheathen
@Lynnerizer, don’t you suspect that she has a clone?!? How can anyone get so much done?
@Kyeh @sillyheathen
Yes, that’s got to be it! Lol
@Kyeh @Lynnerizer
Man. If only I had a clone! Then I really could do all the things!
@Lynnerizer @sillyheathen well this is fantastic
Learned how to swim as a kid in lower grade school. In the snow belt we’d walk to and from swimming lessons at the high school 3/4 of a miles away. After swimming we’d walk home with wet heads and icicles would form on our hair on the colder days. Sometimes we’d break off the icicles on our hair not realizing we were making a mess of our hair doing that. Took a while to get this is why mom would cut our hair so often that first winter and so finally learned our lesson.
@Kidsandliz why cut hair when you can just snap it off on the first cold day!
@jouest Exactly. And it was fun. Of course the aftermath left a bit to be desired…
I know how to swim but it has been a long, long time since I actually swam.
@yakkoTDI falling in is a heck of a refresher
@jouest @yakkoTDI
Probably like riding a bike. You don’t forget. We have a photo of my grandmother on a bike when she was 80 (she hadn’t been on one in at least 30 years).
@jouest @Kidsandliz @yakkoTDI Oh, I’m pretty sure I remember how to ride - now if I could only remember where the damn bike is…
@jouest @Kidsandliz @macromeh I got a spare bike or two you can borrow.
Can I swim well enough to stay alive (for at least a short time?) yes
Can I swim well? no
Do I do lake/ocean? Nope. Although I love water but not the public junk at most lakes and beaches are too sandy. And it’s too damned hot. LOL
Do I pool? NOPE. Too hot and I just don’t enjoy it
@Cerridwyn hmm. sandless beach maybe
@jouest but really flips my boat a waterfalls I can sit and watch them for hour and the idea of standing under one just sounds so good but you really don’t want to do that unless it’s a teeny one because it’ll kill you
@Cerridwyn you love water just not if it’s in an ocean, lake, or pool.
So, bathtub?
@kittykat9180 showers are good, rivers and streams are wonderful. And of course waterfalls.
@Cerridwyn @kittykat9180 Standing behind a waterfall, looking out through the curtain of water, is pretty exhilarating!
I don’t know how to swim but I know how to not drown.
@kittykat9180 teach someone to swim and they’ll swim for hours, don’t teach them to swim and they’ll swim for the rest of their life
@jouest
@jouest @kittykat9180
Hah, that’s dark.
@jouest @kittykat9180 @Kyeh
@algae1221 @jouest @Kyeh I think it’s a visual thing. Who would swim in the ocean if there was a body floating 50’ from them?
Assuming we’re talking human. People would likely swim next to a dead fish.
Grew up on a lake, swiming is like breathing to me. Pools have there place and time but I’m a lake person, lake life is truly a lifestyle. I have a little kiddie pool in my backyard when I too lazy to drive to my dads and spend the day there. I love the ocean also just don’t have one around.
@Star2236 I migrated from a toxic river (downstream of Dupont…) to that usually much less toxic Great Lake.
decent trade!
@Star2236
You’re so lucky! I’m not very comfortable or confident in the water.
@jouest
Great Lakes are awesome! Only thing is that depending on which one your on they might not get warm bc their so big. When I was little, my dad had a friend with a house boat and would take me a long to play with their kids. We would crystal bay in the Detroit river onto Lake Erie, it’s an awesome spot. First spot I ever saw crystal clear water (in extremly deep water) before all the zebra mussels started invading all the lakes.
DIPLOMAT! RAT-A-TAT! FAT CAT! AWESOME!
@jouest @Star2236 Lake Erie (I grew up on that) used to be polluted all the way to the bottom (it is about 60’ deep) and the Cuyahoga River was truly gross and caught on fire once (a song about that where part of the chorus is “burn on big river burn on, the Cuyahoga goes smoking through my dreams”. Dad took us to see the bridge that fire melted (we were kids). I was so happy when I heard that the pollution in there was cleaned up.
I am presently prohibited from swimming. (No, I don’t want to go into it.) That said, I prefer snorkeling or scuba over any surface-thrashing activity, and I’ve got a facial shape issue that makes most masks useless to me; they leak at the base of my nose on both sides. I’m going to need a custom-fitted mask if I’m going back in the water once I get the green light.
@werehatrack this sounds worth it though
@werehatracK
PADI, SSI, NAUI or something else
Midwest has a lot of lakes. And a ton of public access sites because they are all public water ways. Then we have lake Michigan and the dunes. So yea not so much swimming pools.
It was fun when we were kids. As an adult. It’s not really a thing I do. Except when I have had a girlfriend with kids. Then it’s… Different. Cause they love it. Same with camping. just go to the local state park or lake and they have fun and. Idk.
Without kids. Or with older kids. Or just a group of friends. I’d still like to just unplug and go to the boundary waters for a month. That’s lake related but not so much swimming as the primary mode of transportation
@unksol plunking kids in a giant pool of water of some kind is
I love floating and splish splashing around in a pool. We had a pool when we lived in California for a couple of years, and I miss it so much I could cry. We hated California, but oh my gawd, that pool. I have osteoarthritis. My knees are both bone on bone. I have a bunch of spots in my spine that are bone on bone. The amount of pain I’m in on a daily basis is insane. I discovered that the pain goes almost completely away when I am in a pool. So leaving the pool behind was pretty heartbreaking. (we did look for a house with a pool here, but they just aren’t really a thing in Colorado.)
My position relative to the various sites mentioned is similar to my financial position.
Generally under water.
@phendrick oof same
@phendrick That’s easier no doubt, but could result in a very short swim. My preferred position would be at least head above the water 98.5% of the time.
KuoH
@kuoh @phendrick I can sink in seawater while holding my breath with my lungs full of air. Either I use flotation or I stay in the shallows. “Swimming” without fins and a BC is Right Out.
@kuoh @werehatrack
I took adult swim lessons many decades ago.
The instructor said Everybody can float.
I proved her wrong while doing similar to you.
She said nothing else after watching me sink to the bottom of the pool.
@kuoh if I work at it, can keep my toes above water while my head goes under. Haven’t figured out what that’s good for.
@kuoh @phendrick I had a similar experience with my bulldog. someone said all dogs could swim and chucked her in. had to go retrieve her from where she stood solidly on the bottom.
@phendrick I think synchronized swimmers are often in that position, but you’ll need to learn how to flip in the other direction at some point if you want to remain a conscious participant.
KuoH
@jouest @kuoh LOL. Were you still her best friend?
I didn’t learn to swim until college. I once almost drowned in a mountain lake when I was a kid - walking around with water up to my neck and suddenly the lakebed dipped - my father rescued me but it haunted me for a while.
I took a swimming class from a woman whose actual name was Barbara Fish! And fell in love with it for a little while - it gave me that feeling of being completely and totally in the moment and I wanted to swim every day. But I lost the mood & motivation; I should try to get it back.
@Kyeh I need Barbara Fish
@Kyeh You could alwats reacclimatize in a nice hot tub.
@phendrick That just doesn’t sound appealing on these 90 degree days.
@Kyeh IDK. To me better than a tub of ice (long ago athldtic training).
Always thought a hot sweat in a sauna was nice. Most likely depends on what we are used to.
Personally I love the water. I enjoy our swimming pool in the yard tremendously and use it every chance I get. By and large my favorite is still the ocean. I love snorkeling in a nice bay or cove. Scuba dove for a while but haven’t in several years so would not feel like it’s appropriate without going through a refresher for my SSI C card.
While I enjoy playing in the lake on kayaks, canoes, SUPs, jet skis, water skiing etc I’m not big on just swimming in the lake. I kind of like to be able to see in the water and most lakes are at least a lot more cloudy than the ocean.
We’re currently on an RV trip across the US and spent the day at Balmorhea State Park in Texas. It is home to the largest springfed pool in the world. 1.3 acres of water that was crystal clear with small fish in it. 72° water in the Texas chihuahuan desert was definitely refreshing.
@chienfou can confirm. live on a Great Lake. can’t see a thing down there. (also sometimes there are signs saying that the water will kill your dog.)
@jouest
Wow! That’s pretty specific.
@chienfou @jouest
How?? Is it full of poisonous algae?
@chienfou @Kyeh impressively, specifically correct. yeah the algae blooms will flare up and are toxic.
@chienfou @jouest Yeah, lakes and reservoirs around here get that sometimes too.
@jouest @Kyeh
But only your dog? It won’t harm people if they get in it?
@chienfou @jouest I assume it’s bad for people too!
@jouest @Kyeh
My confusion is why they would single out kill your dog and not kill you…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@chienfou @jouest Maybe because you’re not going to swallow murky looking water, but your dog might?