How to keep your pool “shimmering,” ATV/UTV advisements, Friendship Class of 1963 lunch
From Chuck Wiser, I Write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
I started my Wrambling’s writing career intentionally not discussing politics, as I didn’t want people “tuning in or tuning out” based on their political beliefs regardless of pro or con compared to mine. During the first presidential term that had me “nearly completely” convinced to write about it, despite my efforts to avoid it, I did succumb a little toward expressing my displeasure.
I just deleted an entire half page of diatribe apologizing for going against my earliest mission and focus of these Wrambling’s, thinking better of it again and will replace those complaints with a message that I shared on Facebook earlier. It said;
“So sad that we have to go into this 250th year and all of its significance, led by a person who doesn’t understand history, doesn’t appreciate our history and thinks only about how he can get his name etched into our history.”
I will leave it at that, and, that being said, I will get off my soap box and not address it again until, or unless, we continue to dis-ravel.
I just paused my Wrambling to go check the pool temperature as I was in hopes of reporting that it had hit its 90’s before I hit my 90’s. Not today as it peaked (or peeked) at 89⁰. Maybe tomorrow.
It is now the tomorrow I mentioned in that past paragraph. Oft-times when I can’t get to sleep, I will start my Wrambling’s Wednesday evening. Yesterday (that “tomorrow I mentioned) I actually started this post just before dark until it got too dark to see the keyboard. When I was proficient with standard typewriter keys I could type along at a fairly good pace for a non-secretary typist. Given the layout of the laptop keyboard, I can’t do that so I hunt and peck as needed. The keyboard keys don’t have the feel of a real typewriter, and the heel of the hands would rest on the built-in keyboard causing its own malfunctioning. It’s bad enough that my fingers often touch a key adjacent to the one I intended. Given that occurrence along with “auto-defect makes it all the more important that I “proof-read” before and after submitting my Wrambling for publication. I am very self-conscious about typos. I did reach out to a fellow journalist regarding having noticed their errors and asked if they proofed their work. The answer was something along the lines of “No I don’t, can you tell?”
When traveling in the truck (or car) on one of my many weekly trips to the Olean (or Hornell) Walmart, I listen to the radio, but generally not to music. NPR is my “news station” preference. When the news itself isn’t on I will listen to many of the narrative-based topics. Coincidently, and appropriate for this time of year, my last listening episode discussed a swimming pool (or lake/pond etc.) characteristic. Surveys indicate that nearly 3/4 (75%) of swimmers “pee in the pool.” The discussion of course was worthy of my listening to. I will not offer any confessions herein, but I do have a pool. The pools hypothetically are somewhat “self-purifying” given the chemicals that are added. There are two basic pool additives, those being Chlorine or Bacquacil Oxidizer. We don’t care for the Chlorine so typically use the other. You cannot mix the two types.
The other day, despite my thinking that the pool wasn’t too bad clarity wise, my wife said it looked cloudy. She’s the boss so I promptly decided to remedy that.
Pool cloudiness can be caused by; Poor Filtration, Chemical Imbalances caused by low or high chlorine levels, High pH or alkalinity, or Excess Calcium Hardness. Contaminants like leaves, pollen, sunscreen, dust, or algae spores. And the list could go on. With a Bacquacil sanitized pool, as opposed to chlorine, a Flocculent can be added. This causes the cloudiness source to leach out and fall to the bottom where it then can be vacuumed out.
After letting the pool run with the chemicals added, and then vacuuming the particles from the bottom of the pool our pool now does “shimmer” in its clarity. I am that Pool Boy as noted in today’s Wrambling’s title. It is a lot of work but well worth it.
A couple of years ago I had decided to give up on the pool and sell it not wanting to go to the expense of a much-needed pool liner installation. My wife, knowing how much I enjoy having the pool to “jump or dive” into convinced me to get the new liner and to keep the pool. I did that.
One downside to that new liner installation was the poor “professional” liner replacement by one of the “regions” main pool and equipment sales businesses. The work crew did a “piss poor” liner installation failing to properly smooth out the newly added sand upon which the liner sits. I didn’t realize it until after re-filling the then empty pool and getting into the pool. I immediately noticed the sand surface irregularities. I advised the pool supplier store as to the problem, but I never heard back from them. The surface irregularities beneath the liner form small pockets in the liner itself, into which the contaminants can settle.
Our Back Wriver Wroad Wraceway is now in full summer activity. Traffic on this road is worse in the summertime given the many celebrations of the Mill Stone establishment just “down the road a piece.” As if that isn’t/wasn’t bad enough there is now also an abundance of 4 wheelers, Side X Sides, and other recreational vehicles. Wondering about the legality of driving those vehicles on a main highway, I did my usual Wrambling Wresearch as to that legality. Here is what the law says; “New York does not have a standard process to make side-by-sides (SxS) or UTVs street legal for general public roads.” Under state law, you cannot ride them on public highways unless the road is explicitly designated and posted by local authorities as an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) route.
Other research In New York, revealed that you generally cannot drive a side-by-side (UTV) on public roads. Side-by-Sides are considered off-highway vehicles and are not eligible for standard street-legal registration. The primary regulations regarding side-by-sides in NY include:
- Weight and Size Limits:
- Public Road Restrictions: You cannot drive a UTV on public roads unless the specific road has been legally designated and posted by state or local authorities as an ATV route.
- Road Crossings: Permitted, strictly for daylight hours. You must come to a full stop, yield to traffic, and cross the road at a 90-degree angle.
- Out-of-State Plates: NY law enforcement often tickets NY residents for using non-resident plates to drive non-compliant vehicles on public roads.
This oppressive heat wave that we now seem to be in the middle of, may soon hasten the departure of our migratory aviary friends. It is not unusual to start losing our birds as they head back to Mexico or points more on our east coast but in the lower states, wintering locations. In the heat of the past couple of days the mid-day traffic has slowed to nearly nil.
I know this will be “TMI” (Too Much Information) to some but I’m sharing just because of the humor I see in it. Last night around midnight I wanted to hit the pool as It was too warm in the house and I hadn’t been able to get to sleep. Our covered back deck still has mostly visible range for the motion activated light on the end of the garage. As my plan was to “not bother with suiting up” I didn’t want the motion sensor to turn on the light, revealing my “naked” white colouring (sic). I need to crouch down and stealthily creep across the back deck to get to the pool without triggering the outdoor light. Once I get in the pool, I am not visible to the motion sensor and thus not to any neighbors who might still be awake. At that time of might the high 80’s pool temperature is very refreshing. When I get in the pool like that, I like to exert myself a little, so I start by walking against the flow. I gradually pick up my pace to run with the current of the reversed flow. Rinse and repeat as the saying goes so I reverse direction and run upstream the other way.
Yesterday I had a second privileged morning breakfast with Class of ’63 classmates Tom Talbett, Bill Hamilton and myself. I believe I shared a similar picture a couple of months ago but they didn’t see my Wrambling noting them, so I am sharing this again, for them.
We used to meet at a restaurant in Friendship, on the corner of East Water Street (Rte 31) but that is now closed. We now meet at the restaurant that occupies the former Compton and Heary’s furniture store on the opposite side of Main Street.
Tom, a former business manager of a local school and Bill, who now winters in Florida and I discussed the status of our own former classmates and lamented the recent passing of Roger Bledsoe. I am almost the youngest, beaten out by 8 days by former classmate, the former Helen Kordish, who is the youngest. Having started public school at 4 years of age we were always the two youngest. If my memory is correct, we were invited to begin grade school at Friendship Central School (FCS) to fill out a somewhat sparse starting Kindergarten class. One additional memory is of our having to carry our desks from the “old” FCS into the then recently added new section of the school.
If you have any cares, comments or concerns email me at IM.Wiserdad@gmail,com.
