The Reflecting Pool in Washington. Too political. Too controversial. Far above our pay grade.
But the struggles there would seem to mirror our struggles here. Anyone who owns a pool, above-ground like ours, or below-ground like others, knows the struggle.
Pools have minds of their own. During the winter, when no one is looking, they change; boy do they change.
You remove the cover in the spring, and you stare at the water below.
It is, of course, green, a phenomenon caused by what could be algae or could be the devil.
Following the green reveal, owners of backyard pools do what they always do.
They take a bottle and capture some of the liquid and go to the pool store.
They walk in and hand the bottle to the teen-aged pool expert. I don’t know why the expert is always a teenager, but the expert usually is.
The expert takes one look at the water, gives a shake of the head and goes off to do a test.
If the test is especially revealing other store workers come by and stare at the results. The news is bad.
The expert returns to the counter, takes out a sheet of paper and begins to write down numbers, lots of numbers.
It’s like the doctor’s office, when you’re learning about your cholesterol numbers and your blood pressure and your cognitive test. You nod. You don’t understand.
The pool numbers have nothing to do with blood pressure. But they do have something to do with alkalinity and maybe algae. I don’t remember.
The expert recommends shocking the pool. This has nothing to do with electricity. That would be dangerous.
The pool is shocked by emptying lots of packs of some powder into the pool. I think it is chlorine. It floats about. It dissolves. It shocks.
The expert also advices pouring some blue liquid in for clarity. And it would be good to add a bucket of calcium, so the pool liner doesn’t crack. That would be bad.
The instructions are precise. Add shock at 6, blue liquid at midnight, calcium at dawn.
In between there’s prayer. Your mother’s rosary. Work the beads.
Every spring we say we’re going to tear down our above-ground pool, create a garden, end our worries. I think I even quoted Cindy once as saying the pool was a “monstrosity,” or maybe she said, “eyesore.” I sensed she didn’t like it.
Then, every year, the chemicals do their magic. The green water turns clear, a grandchild or two hops in, we put our plans on hold.
Perhaps the powers that be in Washington would have the same result if they went to a pool store. Brought a water sample. Let the young expert run the test.
Then it’s shock at 6. Blue liquid at midnight. Calcium at dawn. Rosary throughout. Clarity could come. Call the grandchildren. Let them wade. All will be well.
Remarkable Rochesterians
Let’s add the name of this singer, who was back in Rochester to headline the 2026 Juneteenth Festival & Parade, to the list of Remarkable Rocheterians that can be found at: https://data.democratandchronicle.com/remarkable-rochesterians/.
Danielle Ponder (1982 –): Gifted with what one reviewer described as a “booming, saintly voice that could break through glass windows,” this Rochester native moved from serving as a public defender to becoming a full-time recording and entertainment star. A graduate of Wilson Magnet High School, SUNY Oswego and Northeastern University School of Law, she had begun performing in Rochester as a teenager and continued to sing after she joined the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office in 2011. She left the office in 2018 but returned two years later before leaving to devote herself full-time to music. Her first album, “Some of Us are Brave,” was released in 2022, and she has performed widely in clubs, at music festivals and on television.
From his home in Geneseo, Livingston County, retired senior editor Jim Memmott writes Remarkable Rochester about who we were, who we are. He can be reached at jmemmott@gannett.com or write Box 274, Geneseo, NY 14454.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Backyard pool season: The annual battle with green water and chemicals
Reporting by Jim Memmott, Special to Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jim Memmott, Special to Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
