Fireplace decisions over lasagna.....

Well, we're shopping for a propane fireplace to heat our lakeside cabin so we can continue working on the inside finishing over our sooncoming LONG (and extremely welcomed by me) winter. I kind of thought that the fireplace would be one of our simplest decisions..... buuuuuuuut when Enz just has no idea of style, it becomes not simple at all! I probably should have learned this lesson by now, this is after all, the third house build we have taken on in our almost twenty-two years of unfortunately being married; I really should have learned the first time!!! Enz is a stickler for traditional style and I am more into, well, earthiness, I guess... though we do BOTH agree on open-concept floor plans which has saved many an argument over the big stuff; floor plans can't easily be changed when the other is finally convinced of the right way (MY way). We actually did agree on a built-in over freestanding (MY idea) because the thought of cleaning dust out of every nook'n'cranny of the freestanding styles just simply doesn't sit well with me in a 'holiday home'. Anyhow, deciding on the fireplace came to a bit of a head while we were having dinner last night and 'discussing' our views. So as we sat eating lasagna and salad in our outdoor screened room while our PlayDay Duo lay snoozin' in the evening breeze we tried to come to a fireplace ahhhhhhgreement...

The two in debation...

"This is the one I think we should go with..." Enz said while pointing to the bottom fireplace picture.

"Why would you want that one? I'm thinking this one." I pointed to the top one.

"Seriously? You like that one??"

"Well, I sure don't like that one! And anyhow... what the heck is wrong with you that you would possibly pick the bottom one??"

"The top one doesn't even look like a FIIIIIIIREPLACE, Gillian!"

"Wood's ON FIIIIIIIIRE in it, Vincennnnzo... how the fuck can it not look like a fireplace?????"

*silence*

"This is pretty good lasagna, eh?"

"Yeah, it's not bad actually."

"I still like ours better though, we should make one with the fresh canned sauce soon."

"We're not making one until it gets cooler out, unless you're suddenly planning on putting an air-conditioner in the kitchen..."

Enz reaches to pick up the fireplace pamphlet for another close look before turning it toward me and says, "How can you possibly not like that one?"

"It's not that I don't like it, I'm sure it'd look great somewhere... just not in our cabin."

"Why wouldn't it look great in our cabin?"

'Think about it... we're rocking the outside, we're wooding the inside..... where the fuck do old-looking bricks fit into that ensemble?"

"At least it has realistic-looking logs in the fucken' thing! What the Hell does fuckin' DRIFTwood and pebbles think it's doing in a fireplace??!!!"

"What are you, fucking NUTS?? It's a motherfuckin' beach house, Enzo! BEEEACH... HOUUUSE! ... And great..... thanks so much... now I'm gonna be singing this all night long... 'aww it's a beach ho-oouuuuuse...' ....." *insert chair boogying*

"Gillian! Can you be serious, please? We need to decide on this..."

" I am being serious... I already decided, we're getting the top one."

"But I like the traditional one."

"That doesn't matter."

"How can it not matter?"

"Okay, let's just think about it for a minute... Where are we building our cabin?"

"On the lake."

"Right... well, just back from the lake, technically, but whatever, we'll go with 'on the lake' for arguments sake."

*eye roll* "Gillian..."

"Okay, now what lies between the lake and the cabin?"

"Dirt? ... Land? ... Weeds?"

"Let's go with a shoreline..."

"Fine."

"The shoreline consists of..."

"Rocks... and this is getting pretty fuckin' aggravating, Gillian!"

"Rocks aaaaaaaand???"

"Oh, for crying out looouuuuud!!! Can you just tell me instead of making me guess?!!"

"Pebbles, Enz.... rocks and fucking PEBBLES!!! And... what do we always find bits of washed up on this shoreline we've just descripted???"

*Puts fork down, leans back and looks at me before answering* "Driftwood."

"Exactly!"

"Gillian..." *exasperated* "...you do know that I already told the guy he was an idiot for even suggesting that one when I picked up the pamphlets... 'cause it doesn't even look like a nice traditional fireplace like I think a cabin needs?!!"

"Well, I guess now you're gonna have to go back and tell him that YOU'RE the fuckin' idiot who didn't get the fact that we're building a beach ho-oouuuuuse and that we need a beach ho-oouuuuuse kind'a fireplace..."

"Can you please quit with singing that dumb song and be serious."

"No, I already told you... it's in my head now!"

"So you don't like this one, at all?" *points to the bottom fireplace while looking at me in incredulous disbelief."

"Pebbles and driftwood, please!"

"You want me to make a pot of coffee now, or wait half an hour?"

"It's already seven-thirty... now's fine."

Doin' the Can-Can.....

Well, it's that time of year again... the time of the year I love to hate!

Canning Season.

Canning season is kinda brutal but thankfully only lasts for a few days before those few days of hard and seemingly neverending work turn into easy comfort in wait for the rest of the year. If I didn't so love pulling our canned deliciousness from the can cabinet for our favourite comfort foods, I would never can again. But I do love it and it makes it worth all the heat of canning, even in the unbearable heat of summer.

This year, I figured it best to get the salsa out of the way first... y'know, before I got too tired to realize all the sucky work involved in batchin' up the future deliciousness. First step in salsa is scrubbin' up the mixin's! Salsa is a dish that's allllll about kindred spirits getting along, what better way to start getting politely acquainted than by taking turns in the tub?!



Sweet greens were first in the tub but stuck around to air-dry and chat
with their new jalapeño chums.



The tomatoes were very patient tub waiters... but once they were swimming
it was a tough task to talk them out of that refreshing water!

All the new besties... a bunch'a lonely singles waiting to mingle!



Almost set...

 



How fortunate I am that my Pa-in-law is willing to help me and also tough enough to handle
chopping hot peppers without burning his hands and chopping onions without being forced to tears!



I, unfortunately, am not tough enough to chop onions without being forced to painful tears...
my onion prep get-up helps, but only just barely!

 

This is how Day likes to help with the canning...




And this is how Play likes to help with the canning...



 

Salsa-filled jars are in the canner!





Salsa schnazzayness...

Next, it was on to bathing then grinding tomatoes for sauce...

Maybe one of the only things that keeps me canning year after year...there's always one
lil' guy that makes me giggle inappropriately!

Last year was the first year we had the power-grinder and what a saviour it is;
how we used to grind bushel after bushel with the old human-muscle-driven grinder is beyond me...



Enz is SOOOOO bossy and selfish with the tomato squishin' job...
he never lets his poor dad have a turn, and I stopped asking for turns, too.

 

...so mean.....

With the tomato sauce done, it was time to move on to dealing with the sweet red peppers...



Even sweet peppers love bath time!



While the peppers soaked and the jars of crushed tomatoes cooled,
I figured I had a little time to deal with some peaches...

A quick peach crumble before taking on the peppers I de-seeded
and halved while the crumble was baking.



A little blackenin' on the barbecue before grinding, jarring and processing.



Cute lil' pepper jars... your holdings will be comforting come winter!

All in all... it has been a VERY busy couple of days! We still have one more batch of tomato sauce to get jarred-up today but once we finish we will be finished for another whole year... thankfully!!! I don't love to can but I do love the goodness of canning and it really is worth every bit of work it takes.

Do you do the Can-Can, too! Do you love it? Do you hate it?? Share in the comment section below... I want to know YOUR fun with canning!

 

 

Neuropathy Showdown - Week 13

Physiotherapy - Appointment 21: (August 22, 2016.)

It's almost funny... the stronger I get the harder everything sometimes seems.

I was an absolute, sweaty, breathless mess when I carefully and exhaustedly made my way out from Physio today. My mind totally gets that as my legs strengthen and learn, my body needs to push harder and demand more... but my body still sometimes wants to just shut down and give up from the pain of rebuilding. It's a constant catch-22 but I'm making certain it's always the work that wins, even if I sometimes have to rest in between for a minute or two.

Speaking of taking rests, I hardly took any today during our session, at all! We started at the stairs once again today, with a new challenge that I hadn't seen coming but began dreading the moment Julie explained to me the plan... we would be climbing all the way to the second floor with no stopping in between stair flights, straight up one flight then turning/manoeuvring across the landing (holding to the wall) before moving straight up the second flight..... eeeeeeep! I did the only thing I could do - I took a deep breath and began up those dratted stairs with one hand on the railing and the other settled nervously upon my hip. Julie had brought along and placed a chair on the landing in case I couldn't manage the whole way without a break or got too nervous and wore myself out but once I had started, I didn't want to break stride even though that chair, at times, did look pretty incredibly inviting. I felt too close to tears for comfort when we had reached the top after our slow and concentrated climb and when I leaned back against the wall for a little rest before heading back down I felt a whole rush of pride overtaking me. There was bright sunshine beams shining through the windowed doors on either side of the stairwell we stood in... I had finally made it to the sunshine instead of just the darkened landing between two floors! Going down the stairs is a little easier than going up for me, still when we reached the bottom, I was needing to sit for a quick moment. I know I said I didn't rest very much today and now here I am already talking about taking a rest but only weeks ago my stair endeavours went like this... 1 flight up, rest for 3-5 minutes, 1 flight down, rest for 3-5 minutes, and repeat with longer rests as I tired out. So today, basically I did 2 flights up, rest for 2 minutes, 2 flights down, rest for 1 minute. Improvement galore! Anyhow, we made it all the way up to the second floor and all the way back down TWICE!!!

I was already sweltering and breathing heavily when we started back to the neuro gym for yet another new challenge... the recumbent bike.

The Recumbent Bicycle which forces the legs to work all on their own
is brutally and excruciatingly more difficult than the Nu-Step below...




I thought I'd been doing well on the Nu-Step but I quickly learned
I had been greatly compensating by using my arms instead of my legs
while using this machine... I feel like such a fraud!!! :/

I'm sure you've heard the expression 'just like riding a bike...' but let me just say, that expression just no longer holds much water for me. Because my legs did forget how to ride a bike. I can't even begin to describe the difficulty my brain and body had in forcing my legs to turn those damned pedals. I should, first of all explain that I couldn't even get my own feet up and strapped into those pedals, Julie had to help me and she also helped me figure out the push movements... push hard against the pedal to force one leg straight while keeping the other foot pressed against the opposite pedal so my foot would not fall out of the straps then follow the pedalling motion through... Sounded easy enough, it really did, but it was honestly SO horribly hard and painful that even my brain felt pain... and brains apparently don't even feel pain! It was a constant battle to make my legs move those pedals and the amount of concentration it took of me was almost unbearable. I couldn't focus on counting because of the focus just the movements demanded of me but if I accomplished 22 rotations in my 15 minutes on the bike... I would be happily amazed! It really was that much of a struggle.

It took me a couple of minutes of rest to catch my breath and rehydrate with a few sips of water before we moved on to our final task for the day... quad cane time.

First, it was mirror-walk time to concentrate on watching my body move and correcting for proper walking posture as well as movement. I'm pretty sure I mentioned before just how much I despise mirror-time but, I'd have preferred mirror-time over what came next in a heartbeat... HALLWAY-time....... "Please God, don't let anybody I know happen down this hallway while I'm trying to figure out walking steps with this embarrassing quad cane and my therapist holding tight to the safety belt cinched around my ribcage! Please God, help me move quickly so I can get through this quickly! Please, God, make it all just really not be happening! Please God, just... hide me completely....." I was so shaky and so tense with nervousness, humiliation and flat-out fear that I almost felt I would faint. But I didn't faint. I concentrated all my attention on the movements I needed to make to get through this part so I could just go home and hide away again. People passed in the hallway as we went, I could hear the footsteps slowing as they approached us, I could see pant-legs and shoes as they tip-toed past us when it was safe. It made me even more nervous and ashamed in knowing I had caused a few momentary slow-downs but I didn't stop... Julie kept saying, "It's okay... keep going... we'll just use the distraction as part of moving forward... take your time and concentrate..." Now, I really do know, in my mind, that I shouldn't be embarrassed about working hard to try to heal a teach my legs to walk again but pride is not proving to be easy for me to overcome. I don't want to be seen with a cane. I don't want to be seen struggling. I don't want to be seen like this. I have people telling me all the time that it's no big deal, or saying who cares what anyone else thinks, or saying I have to get out and do things because nobody cares anyhow... the point is, I care! I'm guilty of it, too, but I never will be again, that much I can tell you for certain. My Granny used to get so embarrassed when I had to help her once she was unable to get up and down or even dressed on her own and I would brush it off, "Don't pay it any mind, Gran, it's not a big deal!" I would tell her. Only now I know, what a big deal it was for her. I will never again react with anything other than compassion of true understanding for others feelings of despair and humiliation in learning to deal with special circumstances. I know that people mean well in brushing off the mortification that sometimes sneaks up but it's just not something that is always a feat of simple to do. I don't know if anyone I know saw me in that hallway, nor do I want to know. What I do know... I made it all the way to the end and back to the neuro gym with an accomplished feeling of pride that help to push away my prior embarrassment as I switched back to walker-mode and headed out to catch my ride home.


Physiotherapy - Appointment 22: (August 26, 2016.)

My legs are growing STRONGER... even if they do still ignore my brains commands at times. I'll take it!!!

Today, I made it all the way up to the landing between the second and third floors of the hospital. It was slow, concentrated work as I painstakingly demanded of myself to climb aaaaand control my legs from involuntarily wobbling as I tried my hardest to lift and place my feet onto each next step without pause. Lifting and placing is a struggle but my body is finally responding to the proper movements once again. This gives me grand hope that I will soon be back to my regular old self. Twice up and down those stairs we went before heading back to the neuro gym for quad cane practice.

The cane has proven to be too much for my brain to deal with... and I can't say I am disappointed this is the case. We tried with the quad cane but I just couldn't get the benefit of its aid because when I concentrated on making my legs move properly, my mind forgot about the cane... and when I concentrated on moving the cane properly, my mind was busy and couldn't remind my legs how to properly move. I almost fell a few times and was, for once, grateful for Julie and the safety belt save that kept me from ending up on the floor. We tried a single-foot cane just to see if it might be easier but it was even worse in the throwing-me-off department.

New tactic... walking without a walking aid, well, except for the safety belt holding me steady. I was TERRIFIED!!! We first tried walking where I was close enough to reach out for the therapy table to steady myself if need be but I wasn't allowed to hold on to it except in feeling of emergency. Julie assured me my legs were strong enough to hold me and that I would not fall; I had to trust her. I had to trust my legs. And my legs really were strong enough. I said a quick quiet prayer and then tried to make my first step. I tried, but I couldn't move. I didn't know how to get started and the more I tried the more rocked back and forth which caused me to almost fall. Just as I started to panic, Julie reminded me to shift my weight to one side before lifting my opposite foot forward. A simple, natural movement that I know should come easily but it took a LOT of concentration to make it happen. But it did happen, and after a couple of tries in front of the mirror it was time to try in the hallway. I've talked about the hallways before and it's always a NOT fun space for me... I don't like feeling so exposed in my struggles but as much as I dislike it, it's also probably good for me in a way. The hallway is thirty-six meters long and feels as well as looks like it'll take forever to walk once down and back to the gym again. It took me almost twenty minutes to walk what I see other people walking in only a matter of seconds which was a might disheartening. However, it was incredibly invigorating to know that I was taking each carefully concentrated step on only my own two legs! Re-learning to weight-shift at the same time as forward movement needs to happen hasn't been an easy time but it is getting easier. Julie keeps telling me that she's not worried about how slow I am because speed is the easy part... the proper movement takes time but once it again becomes muscle-movement memory, the speed will come. So, I'm not going to worry either. I'm just going to keep on working at healing.

The last thing I did for the day was ten minutes on the Nu-Step machine and I wasn't even wobbly once I had finished!

Things are looking up... maybe I'll even be able to ski again this winter!

Neuropathy Showdown - Week 12

Physiotherapy - Appointment 19: (August 17, 2016.)

Well, one TIRED chickeracca, I am!

This afternoon was a busy one at physio today and although I was thankful to have a rare afternoon appointment (mornings are still slow for me to get moving) I am quite sure it will be an early night. I always feel as exhausted as I do exhilarated coming out of my therapy sessions but going into them takes me a little time to be able to adjust and relax into being open to newly re-learning old sequences. I'm always just a little nervous going into each session because I'm always just a little unsure of what's ahead, of what will be asked of me and what I will require of my own body. New challenges bring big worries of ... will I falter, will I flail or will I just plain fail?

I have faltered.

I have flailed.

But I can't say I have yet failed, nor do I plan to!

Julie and I headed straight for the stairwell at the start of session today and for the first time, Julie did not bring a chair with us... only the safety belt. Our stair goal for today was to make it both UP and DOWN the flight of stairs without a rest at the top. Was I nervous? Beeeeeeyond nervous!! But I did it aaaaaaaand... I did it without weights on my ankles to help me 'ground' my steps! It took SO much effort and concentration to control my movements, I can't even tell you, but somehow my concentration won a couple of rounds (the first time up I almost lost) with those dratted stairs. Three times up and down with only a very short rest perched on my walker at the bottom between each. It was confusing to have to so quickly switch gears with just a turnaround from up the stairs to down the stairs without a few minutes rest at the top but I managed and finished proud of myself for even just having pushed through.

After my stair time we made our way down and around the hallways to the neuro gym. Up until now we have been working with three pound weights around my ankles to help me control my foot placement in trying to retrain my legs while simultaneously trying to settle the ataxia that so annoyingly overtakes me. But today was another day of new challenges and since Julie feels I'm ready, we are beginning more muscle strengthening work she asked me if we could try five pound weights this time. Never being one to back down from a challenge... of course I accepted!

My first five pound strengthening exercise was standing knee lifts; standing alongside the therapy bed while holding on to the bed with only one hand for balance. Julie stood the mirror directly in front of me so I could see and understand every movement correction and how my body was reacting whether properly or failingly. I don't like mirror-time, at all... living it is one thing but coming face to actual face with it is pretty brutal and seeing the struggle is somehow even harder than feeling the struggle, it makes it even more embarrassing. Anyhow, I did manage to work through two sets of ten standing knee lifts and though I couldn't lift my right leg as high as my left, I still figured I had done well since my right leg managed to fully hold my weight while I lifted my left one. Score!!

Next, Julie lifted the next-over therapy bed to the same hip-height of the one I was already using, moved the mirror to the end of the of the makeshift 'walkway' and explained that we were going to work on my walking steps again. I am still having the WORST time with trying to lift and place my feet properly although... my right ankle has strengthened and is beginning to behave itself rather than rolling and tripping me constantly like it used to, thanks to sticking with my exercises! This gives me immense hope that my muscles and nerves will really eventually regain their past working memories. Anyhow, I did have a fleeting moment of panic with the thought of walking forward while holding onto the bed edges with only one hand since up until today I had only worked at inching myself sideways along. The fleeting panic took flight once I took a deep breath in my trust that Julie had never yet asked anything of me that she didn't already trust I was capable of. My steps were awkward and tentative and as hard as I tried I just still could not force my heel to touch down first or keep my hips from dropping painfully as I desperately tried to compensate so I could try and make it through. We stopped. We readjusted. We refocused. We started anew... again and again until my legs finally agreed to try their best to behave. By our third attempt, I was moving slower than a snails pace but was holding form while stepping and controlling my movements with a little less strain.

And then came along one last challenge for the day... a quad-cane.

I wasn't thrilled about the idea of trying a quad-cane and I knew I wasn't hiding the disgusted trepidation crossing my face even though I tried to mask it. I honestly don't know what's worse, the walker I just finally have come to terms with OR this new prospect of a cane?!! I really feel like the cane may be the most awful of the two but I know in my mind that if I want to eventually graduate out of a walker it's going to have to happen by transitioning. The inner turmoil is sometimes just TOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!! But once again, I accepted it as something that I just have to bite my lip and get through.

I might just be going from BAD...



.....to WORSE!

I was even slower with using the cane than I am with the walker and let me just say that a cane, as simple as it looks, is not an easy tool to use. Julie explained and showed me every movement and it looked unbelievably easy but when it came my turn to try it was seriously, anything but! I was terrified and not just of how I looked but of trusting that simple cane of disgustion to hold me and all of my since-illness-weight-gain. I followed every instruction I was given but had a really difficult time of keeping every movement straight and in sequence. When I was watching and listening I clearly understood but adding my uncooperative body into the mix with new challenges of those new sequences was almost ugly-cry worthy. Left hand moves cane forward followed by right foot step then left foot step and repeat all. Simple. But not simple at all. By the time we had tried the cane once along the length of the two beds and back, cane on the left side and then tried again using the cane on my right side... I was confused, shaky and ready to break down. I was tired, I was sweaty and deflated. And then I realized I had made it through. I hadn't fallen, I hadn't cried and I had started toward a very important graduation of walking tool toward once again being able to again walk UNaided. Even through all the mistakes I made in trying, I still had tried and though I know I didn't do well, I 'did' and maybe, just maybe, that's important, too.


Recreational Therapy - Appointment 20: (August 18, 2016.)

Today, instead of having my aquatic therapy in the hospital pool, Dave (my aquatic therapist) had arranged to take me on a tour of our local Canada Games Complex in hopes of urging me out of hiding away in my house. I did NOT want to go but I did go and my sister came with me so I was much more at ease than I had expected to be. When we arrived I did feel more than just a little overwhelmed with being out in public, the overwhelming summer heat and the hoards of kiddoes running about - summer day camps are running wild but only for a couple more weeks when school is back in session. Dave explained that it's generally really quiet during the mornings so that will likely be my best time to go.

It was really easy to manoeuvre my way through the front area and he had been right in explaining to me last week that there are LOTS of walker users, wheelchair users and cane users who exercise there and though I was happy not to be alone in my own struggles I wished that the others weren't also dealing with the struggles. I felt people looking and I tried to ignore the glances but it's hard to turn completely off the insecurities. I know that people mean well and probably aren't looking in judgement; I guess I just need to find a little more confidence in myself.

Dave first took us to the pool deck area where there had been recent renovations to build accessible change cabanas right along the poolside to change in without having to manoeuvre the squishy and maze-like change rooms. I already felt better about the openness of the easy access change cabanas but then when we rounded the corner out of the first one and were already almost at the pool edge I relaxed even more. I won't have to walk a million miles in front of a lot of people to get from the change areas to the pool if I decide I want to work on my pool exercises there once we close our pool for the winter. Pure relief! We talked for a few minutes about where would be best to place my walker as I transfer from walker to water ramp handrails, about the exercises I could start with and how far I could manage in the water and I felt at least a little more at ease with the whole deal, even if not completely excited at the prospect.

From the pool deck we made our way back out the doors we'd entered through and directly across the hall was the elevator to the second level; easy layout so far! The elevator opens directly into one of the many exercise rooms of the complex and it just happens to be the room with the machines for my needs. Dave had talked with my Physiotherapist, Julie, and said that all 'stand-up' machines were off limits which leaves me with the Nu-step (like at the hospital), the seated bicycle, the arm cycle and the seated rope climbing machine... I know I'll work my way up to the other machines as well, especially since I'm now starting to learn quad cane manoeuvring!

Directly opposite of the elevator in the exercise room is the door that leads straight out onto the walking track and I have to admit that it was a little more intimidating looking than I had expected it to be. The track is on the upper level but wraps around the pool area so it was pretty humid compared to the chilled exercise room we'd just stepped out of but the floor felt safe and not slippery at all so it will be a good place to practice my steps, I think.

It took us only about forty-five minutes to go through all the areas that will be of most benefit to me but I was still shaky and exhausted afterward. I think that once I actually begin going regularly, it'll get easier with each visit and become just a little less stressful.

It was an adventure. I walkered my way out of my safety bubble, even if just for a little bitty while... it totally counts!

New Pool - Part 3

My last pool post left off here with the pool in wait for a softer sandyfied bottom...

Soooooo close to being finished...

We had decided that we would sub out the liner-install and finishing hook-ups to actual pool builders who know how to deal with the finicky stuff so we could finish before winter! Liners are not easy feats and it just made sense to not wreck all of our hard prep-work with a huge, accidental wrinkle in the liner because I can't exactly move at lightning speed to help these days. It looked and felt like we were going to get thunder'n'lightninged out but the weather held just long enough for us... so grateful! The pool gang got to work spreading the sand bottom as soon as they arrived and before long our new pool was actually beginning to look like a POOL!!



The bottom of the pool gettin' down with the sand...

 

Play didn't waste ANY time AT ALL getting his BOSSINESS on..... 

 

Day, however, chose to spend his usual 'supervising time' playing his most favourite fun game with Mama.....

After the sand had been scattered, one of the guys started levelling it off while the other two started taping closed all the open joints before moving on to the following steps. These dudes have pool set-up down to a science!



Rakin'n'tapin'...



Next up was the bottom coping...



Followed by a second sand levelling!



Time to lay down the liner pad! Because our pool is a 18' x 34' in a world of 18' x 33' pools, we had to order an 18' x 41' pad which the guys cut-to-fit. But it all worked out fine and before long the pad was set and taped into place where it would fulfil it's grand purpose of protecting the liner.


It's liner pad tiiiiiiiiiime!!!

 

Once the fit was good it was time to fold back half and do the final hand-trowelling
and levelling for the sand bottom of awesome!



The first half was immediately followed by the second half.

 

WooHooooooo... LINER TIME!!!!! 





Lining up the liner... such a beautiful sight!



All a wrinkled liner needs is some patience along with the help of this awesome lil' vacuum unit...

...and the wrinkles shall BE GONE!!!

 

The water tanker arrived right on time... clearly my mother wasn't driving or we'd still be waiting! - Love you, Mama!!!

  

Water haul #1...

 

Thanks for joining the party Water Hauler Extraordinaire... let'er flow!



One last wrinkle-removing check!

 

It was figured that we would needs four trucks of water but since the water dude was only able to bring two loads the one day (he had a wedding he had to get to) and was going to bring the rest the following day... we decided it couldn't hurt to help with our own garden hose. We figured if we left the pool filling overnight we might even be able to get away with three water loads. 

 



First tanker emptied and our own little hose workin' hard... this hose can run with the big guys!!

 

INCOMMMMIIIINGGGGGG... for water haul #2!!

 

Our pool is finally full and I am so happy with the pretty new liner we almost didn't get... This liner wasn't available for the oval pools but because we ordered the pool before winter which gave the supplier plenty of time, they special made us one!



We let the hose run through the night and decided just to cancel the last two
loads of water since there were only about six more inches to fill...
By early afternoon, twenty-four hours for our hard-working little hose had filled the pool!!!








...and THE HEAT IS ON..... sung as only Glenn Frey could sing it!

A very welcome sight to see the filtering system working away, rippling the water happily in it's gentle current!
We should be able to swim by morning... Once the stairs are in we'll be GOLDEN!

What a project THIS has been, but the rest of the summer and deep into the fall we will be reaping full swimming benefits!

Next, we will need to start on landscaping but for now, we're going to just swim and enjoy a little... FINALLY! Oh, my happily grateful and soon-to-be-waterlogged heart!