Well, it's the first day of autumn, and I've only been in the pool twice this year (which is twice more than Allison, by the way). It was unseasonably cool this summer, and it seems unlikely to heat up within the next few weeks. I'll probably just close the pool. Certainly I'd like to get the cover on before the leaves start falling.
It's weather like this that makes the threat of global warming seem so remote. Milder winters and seemingly mild summers - why, that's California weather, not New England! Hmmm - maybe if enough of the ice cap melts, the redistribution of water weight will give us some earthquakes, too.
In the interests of not being myopic, I realize that some parts of the country had some of the hottest, driest weather in decades. Just look at the preponderance of wild fires in the West and the near Dust Bowl conditions in some parts of the South, and the idea of global warming doesn't seem so farfetched.
Or does it? Most people are not very good at taking a long view. In particular, this warming trend may be independent of the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere - it may just be a normal climatic shift.
Whether or not the greenhouse effect is responsible for warming, it's a sure bet that you won't be able to notice it in any particular year. The swings in temperature due to everyday weather are far more extreme than the ponderously slow increase in average temperatures, which are on the order of a degree or two per century.
All of which leads me to resist the temptation to fill in the pool, at least for a while. Besides, what would I call this site then? Things That Would Have Died In My Pool If I Hadn't Filled It In Because New England Is Finally Getting Some Decent Weather? I'll admit it's kind of catchy, but I don't want to increase the average download time by that much.
You can respond to my ranting here.
Feed the birds, tuppence a rant.