I have always wanted my own private swimming pool. And I probably have enough room in my yard to have a "real" swimming pool built, if I want to cut down my pecan trees or get rid of the unused storm shelter (a 1950s bomb shelter, truth be told). But it is both impractical and too expensive for me to do that. I DO have a nice 12' by 20' deck that I truly enjoy as a living area almost all year long. It has the usual outdoor furnishings on it which still leaves a lot of empty space that I usually fill up with potted plants and other experiments of the outdoor sort that I am always into.

Still, I've always dreamed of having a swimming pool that I could go swimming in when ever the days get too hot, or just because it would be a fun thing to do. I remember the beautiful homes I walked through in my youth out in California and how every one of them had a pool, even when the house had virtually no yard at all! I was amazed at the time, and over the years I would think about how those new homes all had swimming pools on such tiny lots. I am from Texas and there is a lot of space here for yards, so my mind set was geared for a large area as yard-space. My house is set on two lots, now, and I think that is too small for a swimming pool.

One year, one of my grandchildren came to stay with me for a few weeks. She was only about 9 years old and I had to come up with a way to keep her from going totally bananas with boredom while she was here. I came up with the idea to purchase a child size swimming pool and put it on the deck. When I got to our local WMT, I was surprised to find that times had changed and so had the swimming pools. Now, I could get above ground swimming pools of magnificent proportions for a couple of hundred dollars! Better yet, for under $50.00, I could get a really nice 3' by 8', double-sided, air filled swimming pool that was 4' deep! I was truly excited about this and I bought one, took it home, filled it with air and water and, voila! my granddaughter was entertained, successfully, for the next couple of weeks.

The trouble is that we think of those swimming pools in relation to children, only . Once my granddaughter had gone home, I could not bear to take the swimming pool down and put it away. I had enjoyed splashing around in it with her while she was here. And I wondered why I had never thought to have one just for myself. After all, there is no law that said grandmothers could not swim in a kids pool. It just isn't common practice, but perhaps it really should be, because I found that I could get the exercise that I truly needed in a pool that size. There is enough room to do kicks and arm strokes comfortably and if enough effort is put into it, breathing exercises,

That summer I learned that I could have a swimming pool in my own back yard. I could even put it in a place on my deck where it was out of the way. I still had room for my plants and in fact it gave me a way to use my plants in a nice decorative manner that helped my deck to a more enjoyable appearance.

Now, I am not talking about one of those huge round pools that require a filter, chemicals and cleaning equipment, even though those are very nice for those who have the room for them. I am talking about the rectangular pools that normally a person has to empty out once a week. You could be emptying it out a lot more if you live in a high mosquito area like I do. That is a lot of water to keep turning out into the yard. And also, I found that if you do not put chemicals into the water there is the probability of algae growing in it, not to mention that in time, you could be swimming with the tadpoles.

I don't like using chemicals in any part of my life for the most part, but I didn't want to be swimming in a stagnant pool full of anaerobic germs, either. So, after experimenting with getting the right amount of chemicals (chlorine) to keep the germs and algae down, I had to find a way to discourage the mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the water, chemicals or not. Most mosquitoes and tree frogs don't like to lay their eggs in running water. Frogs will lay their eggs in your pool, anyway. I could live with that, at least until I could find a way to empty my pool occasionally without killing all those frog babies.

I settled on buying a small bottom pump, rigging a clear plastic hose to that, and jerry rigged a charcoal filter meant for the large filter for huge above ground swimming pools, suspended it above the pool, and created a mini- waterfall into my swimming pool. The effect was that the water was pumped from the bottom of the pool and up into the air above the pool, filtered, and allowed to drop back into the pool which created... ta, da....moving water in the pool! No mosquitoes! The only drawback was that I had to unplug the pump before I got into the pool which was no big deal. It also did not deter the frogs whose sex life increased a hundred fold.

Benefits of the toy pool set-up for adults:

• Enjoy a morning, noon or night swim in your own back yard.
• Inexpensive and easily handled and set up.
• Can be set up on a deck, patio, or any small ground floor apartment yard.
• Easy to keep clean ( there are accessories like "pool covers" especially designed for them!)
• With the use of home-made or inexpensive screens, they offer exceptional privacy from the neighbors.
• Can be customized decoratively by those who have imagination and creativity going for them.
• Can be modified if desired....or completely thrown away when no longer wanted!
• Swimming is one of the best exercises for older people especially because water eliminates a lot of the stress of gravity during those exercises.
• Romantic implications in appropriate settings!
• It is fun, relaxing and refreshing to wallow around in the water!

There is another benefit, especially for those who love the sound of flowing water and decide to rig a waterfall. I have no trouble sleeping, EVER! The pool is positioned outside my bedroom window which I always keep cracked open even if I have to have the A/C going in the summer, or the heater going in the winter. That wonderful waterfall sound is the most relaxing, stress-relieving sound in the world and makes for easy sleeping whether it is nap time, or bed time..