Felt So Good

I went back to the pool tonight. Well, 5:20, if that counts as night. It was before supper, I admit. I finally decided I'd been putting it off for long enough, though thoroughly prepared to walk out if I didn't feel safe.

It turned out to be the perfect time. For the half hour I was there, winding through the walking course, there were never more than 5 others in that part of the pool. The air temperature was still close to 100, a light breeze wafted by to clear virus away, the fire smoke had thinned enough to show a bit of blue and a yellow sun, the sun was low enough I wasn't needing to avoid it and the after-work and after-supper crowd hadn't arrived - if they still do these days. I don't know. I wasn't going to stick around to find out.

I lasted for half an hour of continuous walking. Last year I was doing an hour, but I've done pretty much nothing lately. Three laps were all it took for my ankle to remind me it hadn't improved, but it didn't get worse as I continued. Nor did I get exhausted, as I'd thought I might after such an absence. Best of all, absolutely nothing - NOTHING! - was crawling on me, biting me, reminding me that bugs outrank us in the animal kingdom.

My mask, when I left the pool, was almost wet enough from me exhaling to be wrung out, but not bad enough to hinder inhaling. I breathed through it enough to support the exercise just fine, thank you. And a whiff of chlorine accompanies me around on my skin, possibly the cause of keeping the bugs at bay for an additional three hours.

Yeah, the bugs remain. I finally gave in and picked up some more chemicals to kill them off - at least what we can hit with the stuff. There's also a residual, but a need to repeat in two weeks, and again as long as they last, but there should be respites if we apply it judiciously enough. And more diatomaceous earth will be going down as well, covering more thoroughly than before. (Oh, and there's a large surge surplus of rubbing alcohol in the house right now. It kills on contact but only if there's contact. Turns out the bugs are wise to that.)

This stuff is better than what I bought before. First, a larger container rather than small cans, so better cost, and a hand control and hose applicator rather than aerosol requiring the can to always point up leaving you to miss the under sides of things. Several sites I've found recommend this particular one as the best stuff on the market right now. We can spray beds or furniture all over and return to the room as soon as it dries and it is people-safe and pet-safe. 

Not that we have any pets, unless you count the latest sighting of our sometimes-resident lizard yesterday. The bed bugs may argue the point too, but we'll be doing our best to disabuse them of that fixation.

But oh, the pool! Is tomorrow too soon to return?