Rebar, Hat, and Sledge Hammer

There comes a time in every swimming pool’s life when it stops being a backyard oasis and becomes a large, expensive hole that spends most of its time collecting leaves, dirt, and regret. Ours had reached that distinguished stage, so we decided to give it a proper retirement by filling it with dirt—lots and lots of dirt. Somewhere beneath the new ground lies an old worn-out swimming pool, forever waiting for a cannonball that will never come. It may not hold water anymore, but at least now it’s finally doing something useful: holding up the yard.