The latest happenings at the LaSolana pool...

I haven't officially measured the distance from my front door to the entrance of the LaSolana pool area. I'm guessing it can't be more than fifty paces. Maybe one of these days I will measure it for real & settle my own curiosity:

"Don't tell me the 'Rona has made it to the pool Jack. Why in the world is the entire pool roped off with yellow tape?"

Entering the pool area I notice yellow tape surrounding the entire pool. The 'Rona is the first thing that comes to mind.

"It's not the 'Rona Rob," he adds while lounging in a green lawn chair in the smoking area, "One of these old guys took a shit in the pool and they had to call in the cleaner to come and shock it. He said it would take two days for the chemicals to take affect. That's why the yellow tape is there."

"That is disgusting," is my initial words, adding, "I will have the image in my head every time I get in the pool from now on out. Who was it?"

"Nobody knows for sure. It could have been a number of these old guys. I don't think a lady would do that," adding with a shrug, "You got to remember something around here. It's all old people for the most part, so shit happens...literally."

I'm happy to report the problem is resolved and all is back to normal.

The other day I was in the pool floating in circles when I decided to ask a friend to reveal her secret.

"How did you get so good at picking football games Miss Kitty?"

"I just have a knack for it Rob," is her modest answer as a flotation device guides her gently around the pool.

Miss Kitty, a distinguished lady in her own right, is currently the win leader in the football pool at LaSolana.

"How do you think you'll do this week?"

"Hopefully I can win it again Rob," she won the last pot and has finished runner up twice. The season is only five weeks old.

"How come you're so bad at picking games Rob? I would think a guy like you would be better at it. You seem to know a lot about football," the truth is the more you know about football, the worse you are at picking games. I've seen it a million times. I tell her such.

"It's hard to believe someone can be as bad as me Miss Kitty. Unfortunately, I just don't have it. That's why I finish last every week. The best thing to do is let me tell you what I like & take the opposite. What's your secret Miss Kitty? How come you are so proficient at it?"

"I just concentrate for a few seconds on each pick and then I go with the one that sticks. Nothing more than that Rob. Mix in a lot of luck as well."

I know it's luck; she knows it's luck; everyone at the pool knows it's luck...the thing is if you do it consistently is it really luck? I had to make sure she wasn't trying to hustle me.

"Don't give me this luck story Miss Kitty. Everyone knows you are connected in ways that I can't even fathom. You probably got a hot line to some guy way up there and when things aren't going well you ring him up & whammo! All the calls start to go your way. It's way past a guy like me."

"I wish Rob," adding with a giggle, "My son will tell me what he thinks every once in a while, but I just go with my gut for the most part."

The two of us float around the pool for a bit more and then I ask, "Where is Carmine?"

"I haven't seen him in a few days. Do you think the zombies finally got him?"

Carmine is a patron of the pool who tilts ultra right. He's convinced the country will be staring down a President Pelosi come inauguration time.

"That's crazy," I add with a laugh, "Last week he told me Antifa was on his trail."

"Never a dull moment at LaSolana with all these old guys around Rob," she adds with a smile.

"You got that right," is my immediate response.