Portable Water Tank

[Trab]

My developing ‘green’ side encouraged me to seek out ways to water the home vegetable garden without resorting to using the municipal system. Rain barrels, hooked up to the downspouts from my eve troughs were the simplest answer, but left something to be desired. At barely 50 gallons per barrel, I needed a lot more water than my three barrels could hold.

One day I noticed that a local department store was having a sale on kids swimming pools, with an 8 foot diameter pool, 3 feet deep, going for only $100. A rapid calculation determined that such a pool would provide me about 1100 gallons, or about the capacity of 21 barrels. Since individual barrels cost about $100 apiece, this was a deal not to be passed up.

Some hard work, and the ground was flattened enough to allow the pool to be filled without risk of it simply rolling down the slope of the yard. The slope was not great, but well defined and ended at the chain link fencing at the neighbors yard. Now to redirect the downspouts and wait for rains. Being on Vancouver Island, on the wet coast of Canada, I didn’t have long to wait. A few weeks and the pool was full.

What I never counted on though, was the curiosity of cats. I never thought that from the feline perspective there was bound to be a top to the pool, not a wet and unwelcome reception. Of course we all know that cats can swim, but it is most definitely NOT something they like, so when our cat projected itself into the air, only to land squarely in the middle of a cold pool of water, the reaction was swift.

Like a banshee from the nether worlds, the screech could be heard blocks away as it churned its way to the side of the rubber walled pool. Frantic to get out, it managed to quickly shred the sidewall material, which gave up in the most spectacular way, cascading a thousand gallons of water, and one drenched cat, across the garden and into the chain link fencing. When the water level dropped, there was the cat, grasping the links frantically, looking like flotsam left behind by a receding tsunami, which I guess it was. The law of unforeseen consequences won that round, and kitty was down one of its nine lives.

[Lugnutz]

Hehe. Wet cat. If you want rain water, we got flooded here.

[Cole Parker]

All life is a lesson. Seems the lesson here is, next time, build a top for the pool. Easier than training a cat not to pounce.

C

[Merkin]

One wonders how friendly the downhill neighbor is right now.

[Lugnutz]

Wet behind the ears.

[Cole Parker]

Or build a kennel around the swimming pool and fill it with dogs. That'll keep that frisky feline away.

C

[Trab]

I think I need to point out that this was flash FICTION. This did not happen, at all, in any way...at least not with me or my cat.

[Camy]

I should think your cat is very grateful.

It amused me no end, Trab. Thankee.

[Cole Parker]

Yes, a disclaimer would have helped. How was one to know? Cats do stupid things like that.

C

[Merkin]

Not so fast, Trab. It is a known fact that an uphill neighbor will always do something stupid to irritate their downhill neighbor. And they usually have obnoxious pets. Fiction is not stranger than truth.

[Bruin Fisher]

Well done, Trab, great fun!

On the topic of truth/fiction, I admit I assumed it did really happen. I often write events that really happened to me into my fiction. The flash British Soldiers I've just posted here is an example. It happened, just yesterday, and I walked home giggling so thought I just had to report to you guys. So maybe I shouldn't have put it in Flash Fiction, but it's a story, so I thought it belonged here.

[Trab]

In truth, this is only the second of the many stories I have posted here that is entirely fictional. The vast majority of what I write is based directly on real experiences, and probably with greater than 90% truth in them. Embellishing a bit, particularly to make myself seem much smarter than I really am, is perfectly fine with me...seriously, I don't do that, but I do change up minor things to make my words more amusing, if only to me.

[Merkin]

If this is an example, I think we need more of true-life experiences embellished into flash anecdotes. It's like listening to a congenial fellow sitting on the next bar stool, and I love it. But maybe we should have a separate forum for them, something like "Flash in the Flesh."

[Cole Parker]

And if they're angst-ridden, how about a subhead titled 'Flesh Wounds'?

C

[Merkin]

Or if they have to do with culinary adventures, "Flesh in the Pan"

[Cole Parker]

THAT'S AWFUL! I LOVE IT.

[DesDownunder]

I can't resist...

How about flash in the flesh - light?

[Trab]

Hey, how about "Flesh Flash"?

Hmmm, stories about flashes of flesh causing flushing.

[Cole Parker]

Flushed in the Flesh has more than one meaning.

C