You Know You Are Old When

[MossRoad]

Obviously, every situation is different but even though both of us are "retired", we both still have p/t jobs, if for no reason other than to get out of the house and to feel like we're still in some way useful. I'll try to schedule my work for days when she'll be home so as to give her the house to herself for the day.

As far as projects go, I've found that the ambition to actually do them isn't there like it once was. For sure the older I get the less tolerant of hot and/or humid weather I've become, so summer projects take way longer than they should.

Every night for the past few weeks we've been going outside and working in the yard after work. Lots of flowers, finishing some projects, etc... grab a quick dinner while watching the evening news, and back outside. Been in the 90s this week. So 2-3 hours outside, then we jump in the pool for a bit. We end up not coming inside the house until about 9:45 most evenings.

We both agree we could get used to that a bit earlier in the day if we didn't have jobs.

We're getting close!!! 3 years or less!!!!

 

[WinterDeere]

I’ve been out of town, and just got home to find kids left solar cover on the pool all week. It’s at 93F. Ugghhh… no relief!

 

[MossRoad]

I’ve been out of town, and just got home to find kids left solar cover on the pool all week. It’s at 93F. Ugghhh… no relief!

Yikes! Too warm to enjoy.

 

[WinterDeere]

I haven’t run any calculations, but I’m wondering if dumping all the ice from our freezer into the pool might make a difference.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[MossRoad]

I haven’t run any calculations, but I’m wondering if dumping all the ice from our freezer into the pool might make a difference.

I've had good luck with turning the return jets to point up so they make a good ripple and running the filter overnight to drop temps.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm watching my mother and stepfather (80 and 87) look at retirement homes, and all I can think is, "what would I do all day, in these places?". Going from a house with detached shop, where there are always more projects than time, to keep one busy. Not that I love working on projects all day everyday, but it was gets me out of bed and moving each morning, and keeps me busy on most days off.

This is why my 87 YO mother is still in the old homestead. When my father went into the nursing home she said she wanted to be out of the house by fall... I looked around at 100+ years of accumulation and thought "holy "
He died before that could happen and she decided to wait a year before making any permanent moves. 7 years later she still lives in the house my paternal grandfather built in 1927, and we're doing our best to keep her there as long as she can.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

This is why my 87 YO mother is still in the old homestead. When my father went into the nursing home she said she wanted to be out of the house by fall... I looked around at 100+ years of accumulation and thought "holy "
He died before that could happen and she decided to wait a year before making any permanent moves. 7 years later she still lives in the house my paternal grandfather built in 1927, and we're doing our best to keep her there as long as she can.

Very similar situation with my 97 y.o. Mom.
Still at home, caregivers 24/7.

 

[WinterDeere]

I've had good luck with turning the return jets to point up so they make a good ripple and running the filter overnight to drop temps.

Yeah, definitely programming the pump to keep running tonight, and leaving the solar cover off!

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, definitely programming the pump to keep running tonight, and leaving the solar cover off!

I had a 7 day timer with the old pointer-style thumb screw ON-OFF pins for about 20 years. It was at least 20 years old when I salvaged it from my old job. It was nice, but several times a summer one of the thumb screws would loosen and the pump would run for 24 hours until the next OFF pin. So last year I purchased a 1 day timer with the little push in tabs every 15 minutes and installed that. Also made an ON-OFF-AUTO switch on the external side of it. That way I could force the pump to stay on if I wanted. That timer motor took a dump last week.

So I ordered a better quality 1 day timer with the 15 minute tabs and a built in ON-OFF-AUTO switch. That should arrive in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I've been turning the pump ON when I leave and OFF when I get home every day. I don't need it on 11 hours a day!

Anyhow, now that it's getting hot out, I'd rather run the pump at night to cool it off. I'm looking forward to using the little push tabs on the new timer. It's so easy to adjust the schedule VS the thumb screws and/or setting the clock ahead/behind.

 

[Topzide]

A couple good size ice blocks sure wouldn't hurt either!

 

[WinterDeere]

I had a 7 day timer with the old pointer-style thumb screw ON-OFF pins for about 20 years. It was at least 20 years old when I salvaged it from my old job. It was nice, but several times a summer one of the thumb screws would loosen and the pump would run for 24 hours until the next OFF pin. So last year I purchased a 1 day timer with the little push in tabs every 15 minutes and installed that. Also made an ON-OFF-AUTO switch on the external side of it. That way I could force the pump to stay on if I wanted. That timer motor took a dump last week.

So I ordered a better quality 1 day timer with the 15 minute tabs and a built in ON-OFF-AUTO switch. That should arrive in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, I've been turning the pump ON when I leave and OFF when I get home every day. I don't need it on 11 hours a day!

Anyhow, now that it's getting hot out, I'd rather run the pump at night to cool it off. I'm looking forward to using the little push tabs on the new timer. It's so easy to adjust the schedule VS the thumb screws and/or setting the clock ahead/behind.

Mine is new, just installed last summer, so it has a fully-programmable variable-speed pump. I'm still learning what programming works best, but last summer I let it run 24/7, on a very low speed for the overnight.

But it's still on "spring schedule" right now, which has it on only 9am - 9pm, to minimize heat loss. Hence, overheated today, after 4 days topping out around 90F outside.

Heck, it was pretty cool here until the beginning of this week, and I was out of town most of the week.

 

[Oaktree]

This is why my 87 YO mother is still in the old homestead. When my father went into the nursing home she said she wanted to be out of the house by fall... I looked around at 100+ years of accumulation and thought "holy "
He died before that could happen and she decided to wait a year before making any permanent moves. 7 years later she still lives in the house my paternal grandfather built in 1927, and we're doing our best to keep her there as long as she can.

When my father died in 2002, my mother started periodically hinting that she'd like to sell the house and move into an apartment. Never did, remained there until her passsing at 96 last fall. She enjoyed gardening and being outdoors, I have to say she'd be bored silly in an apartment. She did hire someone to do yardwork, snow clearing, etc. when she hit her late 80s.

 

[newbury]

Yeah, definitely programming the pump to keep running tonight, and leaving the solar cover off!

What you need to do is rig up a sprinkler to the pump so the output is spraying up in the air and thus cooling down via evaporation.

 

[WinterDeere]

What you need to do is rig up a sprinkler to the pump so the output is spraying up in the air and thus cooling down via evaporation.

That would definitely help, but create other problems with water chemistry.

We've probably derailed this thread enough with pool talk, so if anyone is interested in discussing further, we should probably start a new thread and throw a link to it here.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Walmart. $24.98 and 10 ft long!
I got one a few years ago and put it at the end of driveway. Wife & I got in it nekkid one hot day, nice until just our luck friends we hadn't seen in many years drove up!
Luckily there was a hibiscus in bloom close at hand so we could make it into the house. Those friends haven't been back since!

 

[masseyrider]

Walmart. $24.98 and 10 ft long!
I got one a few years ago and put it at the end of driveway. Wife & I got in it nekkid one hot day, nice until just our luck friends we hadn't seen in many years drove up!
Luckily there was a hibiscus in bloom close at hand so we could make it into the house. Those friends haven't been back since! View attachment 876438

EYE BLEACH! Just imagining such a thing I need plenty of eye bleach.

 

[Eagle1]

Got some friends that wanted to celebrate naked gardening day until the FedEx truck pulled up.

 

[Oaktree]

Got some friends that wanted to celebrate naked gardening day until the FedEx truck pulled up.

Waaay too buggy here to even think of such a thing. Plus none of our gardens are in the least bit secluded from the road. Pass the eye bleach!!

 

[airbiscuit]

Who will suck out the poison if you get bitten by a snake?