Two weeks ago our swimming pool looked a lot like something Shrek would bathe in. The water was a deep brown color, and the only things swimming in it were frogs and mosquitos.
We didn’t get around to opening the pool at all last year. I’m not a guy who generally “puts down my foot” on things like this, but I told my opinion — if we didn’t open the pool this year, we should just get rid of it. The hundreds of dollars we put in to chemicals each summer would pay for lots and lots of trips to the Community Center’s pool. Just sayin’.
Susan was bound and determined to get the pool swimmable this year. I told her I wouldn’t take the lead, but I’d help when needed. The weekend before last we spent several hours sucking the muck out of the pool. We didn’t cover the pool last fall, which meant when all the leaves fell off the trees, they landed in the pool and decomposed, turning into a brown, yucky mess. Susan used the vacuum while I stood in the center of the cesspool, stirring gunk to the top and occasionally coming up to have mosquito larvae removed from my person. Blech.
This past weekend, the pool began showing signs of life. With a few more scrubbings and back washings, the murky brown water was replaced with a cloudy green, which eventually transformed into a slightly less cloudy blue. It’s not crystal clear, but it was good enough to swim in. And we did.
Susan continued to vacuum for a bit while I used one of the kids’ goggles to skim the bottom of the pool, looking for rogue leaves. Mason (with no life jacket) and Morgan (with one) swam around in circles and had a blast, complaining only when one would splash the other (“He got me wet! In the pool!”).
Sorry Community Center, we won’t be visiting any time soon!
Eek for the icky pool! All of a sudden, me scrubbing clean my front balcony floor (which I haven’t washed in forever) seems like a much less daunting task (and not nearly as gross).
It does feel nice though when you clean something back to normal, wouldn’t you agree? :)
I don’t just drop in, but Granny will come swim when invited. I love pools, but only in the privacy of someone’s stockade-fenced back yard. Babysitting atthe pool while the folks go out would always be an option!
I spent nearly $300 on chemicals on my pool the year before I decided to close it down for good. I spent $1000 to demolish and bury the in ground pool. I figured I got a return on my investment in about 3 years (not counting the electricity costs to keep the filter running).
Keeping it running for the kids is always good but I’m not surprised that you would occasionally ponder the idea of shutting it down for good. Maybe when they graduate from high school! ;)