When I was a kid, I loved Corn Husker’s Lotion. Not because it did anything particularly great for my skin, though. Corn Husker’s was a goopy sort of clear-ish lotion in a bottle, and I loved to turn the clear glass bottle upside down and watch the bubbles rise to the top.

This was one of many simple distractions that kept me busy on summer days when I couldn’t go swimming or play with friends, although those were rare days. I grew up across the street from a lake, and more often than not, if I wasn’t swimming, I was in a canoe or a small sailboat, or on a bike, or hiking a trail with friends. There were the days when there was nothing to do, though, so I took my joys where I could get them. And sometimes, that was a Corn Husker’s bottle.

I’ve spoken, here, of all the various activities we had planned for this year, only to watch one after another fall apart. I’m not a Netflix person, unless I have no other choice; I’d rather be outside if given a choice. I’ve done lots of reading. Of course, there’s been work to do, too — as well as house cleaning, taking care of my mother, and the various normal things that happen around here during the summer.

It’s been especially frustrating since both hubby and I have been walking miles every morning, keeping our bodies working, looking forward to hikes and trips and lots of other fun stuff that, well, isn’t happening. I haven’t been more capable of physical activity in many years. But here we are; even attempts at camping, which is nearly as socially distanced as you can get, have fallen by the wayside. It’s a struggle for the best of us to keep a good attitude during these times, but I’m eternally thankful that I’m not in the mental place I was years ago before I started this journey. I’m not so sure I would have been able to meet the challenges we face, now.

So when hubby mentioned getting a pool, I admit I laughed at him. That’s one thing both of us have missed about camping; just the simple ability to float around in the water on a hot summer’s day, relax, watch the clouds float by overhead. I admit I wasn’t for the idea at all, since I figured he wanted a BIG pool — if you know my husband, you know he doesn’t do anything on a small scale. It was an attempt to at least be able to have something else to enjoy about our home, since we are here all the time these days. But even that attempt wasn’t going to work, since everyone else in the world had the same idea and there are no pools to be found.

Well… until a friend texted me and offered a small inflatable pool. I told hubby. We went and looked at it; I guess in my mind, I figured it was a kiddie pool, like the kind I had for my daughter when she was a toddler, but even those are hard to find right now. No, we were both wrong; it was 15 feet wide, a little higher than waist high. Just enough to float around in and watch the clouds float overhead.

So, as redneck as it might seem, we now have a pool in the backyard, tucked between the house and our outdoor seating, surrounded by our veggie garden and MANY trees. I don’t know that it’ll last longer than this year, but it’s our Corn Huskers; a simple thing to keep us happy and distracted, another little nicety that makes the days a bit less tedious and more endurable. More often than not, our late afternoons and evenings are out in the pool, or grilling not far from it, with a picnic dinner within view of both. We can float there, gossip about the neighbors, watch hummingbirds light on the feeders, and listen to music.

Anything any of us can do to keep us a little sane, a little happy, is worth the time.