Tag Archives: pool fools

Glorious March rain

Posted on March 9, 2016 | 1 comment

Soaking, not flooding, at least not at the rancho. Via Bob Rose at LCRA:

“Additional waves of rain showers and thunderstorms will likely continue moving from south to north across the region tonight, Thursday and Friday.  Our weather pattern is being influenced by a strong trough of low pressure centered over northern Mexico.  Waves of low pressure circulating around the large low are flowing north into Texas, producing periods of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms.”

Only problem is the pool is filling to the brim. Gonna have to empty some of it tomorrow morning or afternoon. Once a pool fool, always… The bluebonnets, which are already appearing on area highways, are going to be glorious this year.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Weather

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The return of the skunks

Posted on August 19, 2013 | 13 comments

No sooner than our wildlife removal expert admitted defeat, presented his bill and departed with his wire traps, we sighted two more skunks.

A week later, we see them nightly now, and have taken to carrying flashlights whenever we walk to and from the pool (no bees, this year, mercifully) in the back forty to avoid an unfortunate encounter. Except for the whitish stripe on their backs (actually grayish), they are black, after all, and fit in well with the darkness.

We do seem, of course, to be free of raccoons and armadillos, the expert having trapped seven of the former and three of the latter. No skunk smells yet, the original reason for calling the expert. But I have faith in fate. The odors will return and, then, so will the expert. Maybe if we keep him on salary…

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Posted in Blogosphere, Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Pool fools, part 4

Posted on July 21, 2010 | Comments Off on Pool fools, part 4

Mrs. C., whose hearing is much better than mine, said the pool pump sounded strange. She found the pressure gauge riding 10 instead of its usual 26, so she cut it off. Return pipes in the scuppers seem to be clogged. Waiting now for pool guys to come check. Hoping the water doesn’t turn green without the pump. These are the things you learn along the way.

UPDATE:  Turned out the “weir” on the scupper was sticking, thereby impeding the normal flow of water to the pipes and the pump. Replacement ordered. Cost to come. Water still blue (reflecting the sky).

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Posted in Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly

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The rains cometh

Posted on October 21, 2009 | Comments Off on The rains cometh

Steady showers this morning on a forecast wet day and night through tomorrow. Glad to get the rain, as always, but it will push the pool problems diagnosis by the maintenance guys out until Friday morning at the earliest. Although it will be middle of next week before we can get the replacement parts for the impeller, anyhow. If the impeller is the problem, as rare reader JD thinks, and it now looks to us like it is.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate

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Pool fools part 3

Posted on October 18, 2009 | Comments Off on Pool fools part 3

This time we’re noticing that only three of the pop-up water movers in the in-floor cleaning system are popping up and squirting water. It became obvious when the usual fall supply of acorns and leaves began lingering in mid-pool instead of being swept across the bottom toward the drains in the deep end where we could easily scoop them up. Also the green algae have been returning.

This site suggests we check the pressure first, then the filtration system, and last the pop-ups themselves. The pressure is the same it’s always been. So the issue may be in this rather complicated-looking apparatus. Meanwhile, I got one of the pop-ups out of the floor and discovered that its rubber seal was weakening, to the point where the black color smeared off on my fingers. I need to get the rest out to check them.

And, wouldn’t you know it, once again, there’s a hurricane off the Baja threatening big rains here by the end of the week.

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Saved by Olaf

Posted on October 5, 2009 | Comments Off on Saved by Olaf

So nice of Tropical Storm Olaf to fade into a tropical depression, sending far less moisture up here from the Baja Peninsula over the weekend. Because after a few hours of chemical ministrations the green algae has been banished and the rancho pool is sparkling blue again. The water is too cold to swim, of course, but that’s why pool owners are called pool fools. Of course the forecast is for more rain through the end of the week, but if the algae returns it won’t be Olaf’s fault.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate

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Green pool

Posted on October 2, 2009 | Comments Off on Green pool

We happy band of pool fools have seen the water turn hazy green again since the last rainstorm a few days ago. Mrs. Charm says we must spend the weekend mixing chemicals and scrubbing the walls and vaccuuming the bottom to get the water back to its normal sparkling blue.

Alas, the weekend forecast calls for more storms, in a Pacific tap as it’s called, of moisture streaming up here from the remains of TS Olaf, predicted to go ashore on the Baja tomorrow night. So we may just have to start all over again on Monday. Pool fools, indeed.

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Posted in Mrs. Charm, Rancho Roly Poly, Weather/Climate

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