To Pool or not to Pool

I grew up looking forward to having the opportunity to swim. When I was young my parents joined a swim club at a local pool so we would have someplace to go in the hot summers. When we moved back to Vegas after graduation all I could think about is some day having my own pool. I imagined sitting on a lounge chair or floating on a raft, drinking a cold drink, sunglasses on reading a book. That would be the life! Even in our previous house I saw our neighbor Bob constantly cleaning his pool and thought that's just the type of guy Bob is, always working. Now I have our pool and because of tight economic times and a son on a mission I'm in charge of cleaning and maintenance of our pool. Now my eyes are open and I see the pool for what it truly is.... a whole in the water that we throw money and time. Cleaning the pool takes hours, the pine trees that bring us so much shade are deadly to pool filters. It only takes a few needles to block the filter and reduce the pumps ability to recirculate the water. Vacuuming takes time as the lines clog quickly and the filters need to be cleaned after every sweep. Getting the proper chemistry is like hitting the lottery, either the chlorine burns the skins and gives everyone itchy skin or yellow fungus grows like cave stalactites. The water valve sticks for no reason and some mornings the pool is overfilled or noticeably dropped. That all adds to huge water bills. By the time all the work is finished, no one wants to even be outside. It just becomes one huge life sucking hole. It follows the Vulcan logic of Spock: having a pool is never as good as wanting a pool. Just live long and prosper.