Signs of summer, #2

This is the second installment of this week's posts of the signs of summer I see around my insular existence.

Local signs of summer #2.   Water sprites.

They hover around the outside of the local pool like mosquitoes around my tender skin, like mayflies over the river, like fruit flies around Philo's lunch box

- oh sorry, I digress-

waiting for the 'closed' sign to be removed from the pool gate so they can dive in.

As summer goes on they tend to multiply as news spreads of the watery coolness and mom's great snacks.


You have to be wary of the water sprites, though. They steal your Dr. Pepper. They plan watery attacks on unsuspecting sunbathers minding their own business.

As summer progresses they create detritus: balls of every sort and size, unused tubes of sunscreen lying around, empty cans of Dr. Pepper they stole, wet towels, more wet towels, and on top of that, wet towels.

If you let the water sprites into your home it begins to take on a mildewy smell, so I try to keep them in the confines of the pool area. If I put out a list of chores to do, it keeps them away better than any mothballs or cedar chips ever could.