I Always Forget How Much Work It Is.....

It sounds so easy.

"Let's open the pool."

Today it was Hubby's idea. I didn't have to hint at all! Actually, I was going to watch last night's episode of Dancing with the Stars because I didn't have time to watch it all this morning. Maybe THAT'S why he suggested we open the pool.

It sounds so easy.

All you have to do is go out there and take the cover off, right?

Yeah, right.

Said cover weighs 120 pounds. I'm guessing here. And it's bulky, so even though we fold it back over itself over and over until we have it off, it's still almost impossible to manage. At least with this new cover (which is supposed to hold an elephant, but we haven't actually tested that) we don't have a ton of water on it and all the leaves. This cover is a tight mesh that allows water to get through, so it isn't like a tarp full of nasty water.

It's still heavy.

Also with the new cover, we don't have the knee-deep collection of leaves that have blown under the cover over the course of the winter. But the water is still a yucky green. And it stinks.

After the cover is off, it has to be rinsed off and allowed to dry before we pack it back up. It covers a large portion of our back yard.

Then the pool has to be swept down. That's my job, and my back and shoulder muscles are already complaining. Hubby put some chlorine shock in the pool, but we typically don't use chlorine anymore. We had the pool installed in 1998, and in the summer of 1999 we discovered that I was allergic to chlorine. Hubby said, "Only you."

We use a much cheaper salt system now. It wasn't cheap when we put it in, but it is cheaper in the long run if you add up all the chemicals we used to have to buy. I think we get by on about $6.00 worth of salt each summer now. Plus a cartridge each year that goes for about $100. The salt system keeps the pool crystal clear, and the water actually feels softer, if that makes any sense.

I'm taking pictures each day so I can post the progression of it getting clearer and clearer. It really doesn't take long at all.

I'll post them when the pool is sparkling clear. Margarita, anyone?