Gonna put the world away for a minute, pretend I don’t live in it.
Sunshine gonna wash my blues away.”
~ Jimmy Buffet

Sunshine, water and chlorine combined keep COVID-19 at bay. The CDC reported on March 10, “There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of pools. Proper operation, maintenance and disinfection (chlorine and bromine) of pools should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.”
With temperatures reaching the mid-90s, not a reason in the world prevented us from opening the pool for the summer – a month early. Turn up the pool heater a notch, balance the chemicals and let the splashing begin! And that it did … in April!
Remember the classic movie, “The Graduate”? Dustin Hoffman, a well-to-do college graduate, escapes the “Now what?” pressure from family and friends during his college graduation party. He dons his scuba suit and tank, walks out the back door and into the pool, sinking to the bottom to find solitude. Makes good sense to me as I’m quite certain, somewhere in my family tree, there’s a mermaid.
Public baths, likely the precursor to the modern-day swimming pools, are recorded in earliest history. The first public swimming pool in the U.S. was built in 1887 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Not to be overlooked are the naturally occurring fresh water pools used by native peoples. Pools provided an escape from the summer heat long before the invention of air conditioning. Be it for hygiene, comfort, recreation or escape, pools are pretty cool!
Will the pool-weather continue? Temperatures are expected to drop over the weekend then here we go again. Next week, thermometer readings of near 100 degrees are forecast. So the answer is “definitely!”
Folks and pups out taking evening walks and visiting with neighbors – six feet apart; kids playing outside – six feet apart; life is not too bad in our neighborhood. Life goes on … Our street’s kid population even increased; welcome, new baby girl!

Sue Kilpatrick is a Crescenta Valley
resident and Official Skywarn Spotter for
the National Weather Service Reach her at
suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.