A Stinging Rebuke for Hick

For the past few weeks, Hick had been getting POOLIO ready for the summer. He usually starts this process around the end of May. I guess he had too much going on then, what with feuding with the guy who has a driveway on HIS LAND, and getting the senior apartments ready for renting, and helping assorted cronies. 

Anyhoo... POOLIO is at least 20 years old. An above-ground pool that was nice when first installed. The boys loved it. Genius was around 10. The Pony had to walk on tiptoes and tilt his head back to keep his face above the surface so he could breathe. Fun times were had in POOLIO. Val even took a dip on occasion.

First Hick had to remove the cover, which was done with the assistance of his tractor. It was not a smooth process. In past years, he had the assistance of Genius or The Pony or The Veteran. Then Hick had to add more water, which could only be done while he was outside supervising, lest our newest crazy dog decide to chew a hole in the hose he runs from the outside spigot over the well. Next was running the filter, which had some problems Hick fixed. Then new sand for that filter. And letting the top skimmer thingy do its job for a while. This week Hick took a water sample to the pool place, and got chemicals.

Friday evening, I returned home to an indignant Hick.

"I went to put the ladder back down in the pool, and about 30 wasps came swarming out! I got stung 3 times! One on the thumb. That's the one that hurts. It didn't swell or nothin', but the joint really hurts."

"Good thing you're not allergic! My dad had to carry an epi pen when he was climbing poles and working on phone lines."

"Yeah. Well. That's a good thing."

Hick is like a stinger magnet. Whether it was these wasps (which have been know for years to hang out down by POOLIO and under the back porch) or yellowjackets that he mows over and aggravates, Hick takes a stinging every summer. Those insects either find him delectable, or have a vendetta.

At least Hick now has about a month to enjoy POOLIO before the nights turn cool, and the water becomes cold.