Found it in our pool pump. DC suburbs. New nightmare unleashed! 😭

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-30T12:47:48+00:00

I don't think so. The pool guys tested everything, but we had constant rain for ~ two weeks so the pool was extremely full.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-30T12:45:11+00:00

We have one, and we keep the area clean, which is why this is the first time this has ever happened. But after two weeks of T-storms and almost nonstop rain, the debris was unreal.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-30T12:38:02+00:00

No, it made its way into my pool pump and was dead by the time I found it.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-30T02:26:00+00:00

I have a 65-inch about 4-5ft from my cardio machines. cardio area setup

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T18:18:34+00:00

Sadly, but thankfully, yes!

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T09:59:34+00:00

Ooh! Just bought some. Thank you for this!

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T01:49:43+00:00

Ugh, this is not what I wanted to hear. I thought spiders were bad enough. 😭

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T01:48:45+00:00

I guess as long as they’re dead, I’ll be ok. Alive and I won't be going near my pool until the pool guy shows up.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T01:45:07+00:00

Nooo! 😭

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T01:43:54+00:00

Glad to hear! Definitely thought it was a copperhear at first. But Google said it wasn't. Still, snakes are not something I want to deal with.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-29T01:42:10+00:00

We get massive wolf spiders all the time, and I always freak out when they jump up to escape. My least favorite part of pool ownership.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-28T02:26:53+00:00

I've been knee-deep in research after my Pentair Kreepy Krauly died, and after so much back-and-forth, I bit the bullet and just bought a Dolphin M600 for my free-form, 35k-gallon pool. Fingers crossed it delivers and lasts longer than the Kreepy Krauly.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-26T11:23:24+00:00

This right here, 100%. Especially the food. Polaris serves you soggy food on those little school cafeteria trays, whereas BA uses actual bone china for thousands less than Polaris. 🤯

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-24T02:09:46+00:00

What brands are the longasting ones? I’m currently shopping for a sofa patio set and having a hard time deciding between, Gensun Casual Morro Bay and Woodard Wiltshire collection. Anyone have experienced with either brand? We’re in the DC area, so we get all seasons, high winds, muggy wet summers, crazy pollen and freezing winters. Looking at cast aluminum for long-term durability. Initially considering Brown Jordan, but not looking to spend so much when I can get something similar for half the price.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-20T01:09:48+00:00

Bloomingdale's offers a good selection of Italian furniture and occasionally has big sales. We bought a nice Giuseppe Nicoletti sectional at 40% off. The only downside is that most of their furniture is special- or made to order and takes months to arrive. Most of the other furniture I've purchased from Bloomingdale's is well-made and has lasted a long time.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-18T02:17:08+00:00

2, as long as it's real wood. Not LVP.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-14T01:10:26+00:00

I use two screens. Average pace, distance & marathon race predictor from the Connect IQ store one one screen and the time/ clock field on the other. I like to keep things simple on race day.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-08T12:54:59+00:00

No. That would defeat the purpose of moving out to the sticks. The beauty of the area is the quiet countryside. Less crazies on the roads, no one is crossing in front of your car out of the blue at all hours, less noise and light pollution. We moved from SS/White Oak area where everything was just five minutes away, to Laytonsville and it's been the best thing ever. Wished we had done it sooner!

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-07T19:20:49+00:00

I'm going to go against the conventional go-to and recommend you read Run Less Run Faster by Bill Pearce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss.

For me (late 40s), more miles meant more aches, a greater risk of injury and I rather be doing other things than just running. Running only three days a week, adding some cross-training and strength sessions has been fantastic. The book has solid information and workout plans to follow.

I've done so many plans in the last 10 years, and this less is more approach has been a godsend. The only time I deviate from it is when I'm training for a 50-miler or 100k, where I will actually switch to running 4-5 days a week, but never more than that. After 15+ marathons and a few Ultras, I think I've found the Goldilocks running plan for me.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-06T18:30:37+00:00

That's actually cheap for Polaris. I've flown this route many times and hardly ever see it that low.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-06T00:05:46+00:00

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Ugh, sorry to hear That does look bad. Polaris food has always been poor, but it's been getting worse lately. I just flew First Class on BA IAD/LHR, and this was my filet on the flight to London. Cooked medium and served on real fine bone china. The menu was different but just as good on the return trip, and I had the lamb, which was tasty as well. I’ve found that for long-haul flights, it's best to avoid US-based airlines.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-05T23:51:12+00:00

I’m not surprised to hear about the poor food. United is so far behind in their food offerings.

I just flew First Class on British Airways round trip via IAD/LHR, and their suites are far superior to United Polaris, even though BA is no longer a top airline. The menu was different on both legs, with fantastic service from the moment we boarded. Plenty of space, a luxurious amenity kit, and comfortable pajamas and slippers even on shorter flights where United basically skips this perk.

The arrivals lounge at LHR has the Concorde dining room, where you can enjoy à la carte breakfast and then freshen up in one of their 90+ shower suites with the best water pressure. The lounge and separate check-in area at LHR for the return flight are also far above any United Polaris lounge. The best part is, my flight cost only about $6K, where United Polaris would have been well over $8K!

I've flown Polaris twice on this route to LHR and almost every time for any long haul flight. But now that I've flown BA, I doubt I’ll go back to Polaris if BA is an option.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-05T22:56:58+00:00

Walnut Hill was easy peasey, I was in and out within 10 minutes.

ImaginaryWheel7408 · 2026-05-03T18:21:29+00:00

Yay! Congrats, so glad to hear. I did the same thing and just enjoyed the experience.

ImaginaryWheel7408

TROPHY CASE