Unasked question: “So now that your retired in Costa Rica, what do you do all day?”

True, not one person has asked me that question.

So here’s my answer:

I mostly work on THE DAMN POOL. aka (TDP)

See that crystal clear water? That’s the only time it’s looked that way in the seven months we’ve lived here. When I moved in July, the pool had not been uncovered for months. The water was cloudy, but not green with algae. Knowing that I wouldn’t be swimming during while we “got settled” (har, that’s funnier than you ever can comprehend) I left the cover on the pool and didn’t remove it until the end of November.

And then the fun began.

Suffice to say that I am damn sick of those beautiful Bouganvilla flowers floating in (TDP). Never mind all the leaves that blow off the neighboring trees.

Do I use (TDP)? If you can call wandering around cleaning it “using it” then yes. If you call, drifting around lounging enjoying life, then once.

I’ve been told that pool water here goes through a seasonal change. When it’s rainy, the pools get acidic. Then when the dry season hits and water is added from the well, it changes to alkaline. I had (TDP) looking pretty good and blammo over night the water got cloudy and then green. On a Friday. The pool place is closed on Saturday – tranquilo.

From the olden days of my pool ownership, I thought the pool needed to be “shocked” ie: blasted with chlorine.

Wrong Mark Spitz Breath.

Nothing changed over the weekend, and when I took a sample of the pool water into be tested Monday, the chlorine was so high it couldn’t be tested. Two days later, same thing. Two days later, the water was diagnosed and curative measures prescribed.

Then filter pump motor quit. No water movement, no cleaning, no chemical cures.

Two days later (this past Friday) and a $100 lighter, I put the repaired pump motor back in place and began the cleanup of the algae from (TDP).

It takes about an hour to clean the filter when it gets gunked up. That needs to be done twice a day until the algae gets cleaned out.

Today the hose that sends filtered water back into the pool split.

What do I do all day now that I’m retired?

(TDP)