"The Kiddie Pool Caper" (Do You Recycle?)

It was a hot Saturday afternoon in the loft garden. Did a lot of hand watering and potted up a few little planters to place around the property before we were to leave for the Indy Race.

Some of you may remember I have moved from our home in New Braunfels (finally sold in December) to live in Fort Worth with my husband and his new job. Settling into our trendy urban loft left me with no garden but gave me a landlord with an empty landscape. So a partnership of sorts was born where all my plants could live in this barren new landscape and I could have a corner to place the rest of my things. Things being my collection of rusty bits and a place for Tufa World.

This trendy new loft also comes with a bit of labor. Mind you it is a labor of love but there are the down times. As each resident has arrived, they have brought their things, had a project, and then moved away - you guessed it, leaving their project behind. My sweetie and I have cleaned out 2 or 3 corners of left overs, weed-eated, raked, shoveled, swept to create a bit of a cleaner place. In the process neighbors have come out, identified items of prior residents, offered us encouraging words and praise for our efforts.

This brings me back to Saturday. I walk around to the North side of the building and notice the new upstairs 205 neighbor struggling with something under the outdoor stairwell. He waves Hello and is inside before I can ask him if he needs any help. So I walk over to see what he may have been struggling with since this is in an area I have not yet tackled.

Oh, yes, I remember now, this is what the guy in 103 was telling me all about. The debris from the great earthworm farm and and compost experiment. 103 guy told me he was joining in my clean-up efforts and had emptied kiddie pool and large plastic trash can of their contents while almost losing his stomach's contents several times. He had told me that he left the kiddie pool and trash can under the stairs in case I wanted to use them in the garden for something.

So, my sweetie and I wrangle the crumpled swimming pool out and discover 205 guy has placed his potting soil and planting container under the pool. "Let's just get rid of this. I'm not going to use this pool and the kids can't use it cause it has holes in in," I tell my sweetie. So off it goes to the dumpster. I have had enough of projects and we have a race to see.

It was an off night. I only took 160 photos because I had to work my way around...

the man and the red, white and blue hat, who with his stadium pillow never seemed to stay in one position. (So, luckily for you gardeners, no Indy race posting to wade through.) It was a great race. After it was over we hung out in the stands, enjoyed the cooler night air and let the majority of the race fans leave before we made the short journey home.

Arrive home, pull into the parking lot, look over to see this blue crumbled up swimming pool has returned. "Oh, no he is not!" You know the neighbor. The one who always complains about something? Well, he has resurrected this pool for no good reason than to annoy me. I am certain of it.

We run upstairs to get the dogs to walk them and quickly devise a plan. Back with the dogs, I'll go get the pool, my sweetie will open the side gate so annoying 101 guy will not hear the parking lot gate open. We take our load to the landlord's other rental building (not far) and place it in their dumpster. Surely, annoying 101 guy will not find it there. Back home, ready for bed, knowing I will have to deal with 101 guy, wife and child in the morning.

Sometime in the night my phone pings letting me know I have a direct email. Then later another ping. Through my sleepy haze I wonder and almost know this can not be good news and decide to read them when I get up in the morning.

Get up and grab the phone to read:

Who took our wading pool from out back and tossed in trash. I went and retrieved it from trash this afternoon--- and now its gone again can't find it. So two questions- who tossed it the first time and who moved it where I can't find it the second time.

Its worth like 15 bucks- but still. I'm assuming it was not Eddie since I had permission to keep and he would have asked before tossing.

Be nice if someone would fess up and explain what made them do it not once, but twice. (sent at 1:05 am)

and the one from my landlord's wife:

The great kiddie pool caper...I hope it's back by tomorrow, I am coming over to FW with my bathing suit! (sent at 2:48 am)

So I respond:

Is it the blue one that was crumpled under the stairs - full of mud and had 2 holes in it?

Why don't we spring for a good one like Leuda* has? (* one of their rental properties.)

Oh, this is just great. Now everyone in the complex thinks I have taken a kiddie pool away from a child in the middle of summer. Look at my watch. Do I have enough time to go across town to Wallie World to get a new and possibly less decorative kiddie pool before I have to get to work?

Call and leave a message for my boss and off we race to replace the offensive pool. Get there and they are totally sold out!!?! It is only the 12th of June. Big sigh, what will I do? I have to get to work, what can I do? Wait, what is down the swimming accessory aisle?

That's it. Get it and go. I will deal with "where will they put it?" later.

Get my lunch ready, sent out a quick email to the masses:

I have replaced the kiddie pool that was cracked and broken. This shiny new one is inflatable and can easily be collapsed and stored away. Perhaps all the M Loft kids can enjoy it?

Run downstairs, knock on the door (I know they are awake, I heard them earlier out in the parking lot), no answer. Really? My sweetie tells me to leave it on their patio table and he will stop by later. They obviously got the email. Ok. Off to work.

Nothing from 101 family but a little comic relief from 206 girl:

i want to be a M Loft kid and play in the pool!!

hehe ;-)

The story does end well. 101 guy in his glee to score a kiddie pool from the trash (months ago) did not know(?) it had holes in it. Wanted to pay for the new and improved pool and sent me an email:

Thanks that was considerate. D is very excited..

Then the follow-up from the landlord:

Eddie and i Thank you for the

came in 2 waves:

Hysterical commentary!

Have you recycled anything lately?