Well, Shit. Plan…C?

Last year I bought year-round passes for the some twenty-seven swimming pools scattered about Tucson. Unlike other passes ($50 for a family membership and we went to the zoo twice? Yeah.) we actually got our money’s worth and more out of them. We went swimming nearly every day for two months, and at least twice a week most of the rest of the year.

This year was going to be even better. I’ve got Zephyra now. This summer we’d pack up and ride down to the park, hang out in the air-conditioned library for a while (I even got a basket on my handlebars, especially for books, lunch, and a netbook!), then wander across the park and hop in the pool. A great afternoon beating the heat, no need to have money on hand. Because as we all know, money on hand gets spent. Healthy exercise and lots of fun and no worries about the car.

Except that the city is as cash-strapped as everyone else this year, and so seventeen of the pools will remain closed. One of the closed pools is the one I was planning on spending my summer in.

Damn it.

The open pools aren’t all that far away. One of them is only a few blocks farther than the one we like. But it’s not in a park, and there’s no library, and it’s the most boring pool in the city. Which wouldn’t bother me, if I were going alone, but boring means few kids go there, which means I have a bored eleven-year-old harassing me and/or whining the whole time we’re there.

All the other pools are at least three miles away. Right where riding bikes isn’t feasible (maybe you could, but I can’t. Sorry.) but taking the car is kind of silly. Besides, it’s dying. I need to be only driving it when necessary–such as to buy groceries.

Taking the bus–well, fares went up, ’cause city transportation is broke too. So that’s $5 round trip for the two of us, and I can’t do that every day.

I love my little apartment and I adore my helpful, sweet landlord, but now I really kinda wish I’d moved somewhere with a pool. 🙁