The Pool Is Open

When Hayley and I were house-hunting here in Florida, she was adamant we needed a pool. What would be the benefit of living in Florida if you didn't have a pool?

I've struggled a little bit with pool maintenance this year. Basically it's that I fall out of my routine on shocking the pool, either because I forget to add the stuff, or I forget to go to the pool store to get more of it. This has meant battling a couple infestations of yellow algae. This meant that at the point where the weather became optimal for swimming, you wouldn't want to swim in it. (I did get it under control briefly, but when we got in, Hayley grumbled it was too cold, and then the algae bounced back.)

But since the semester ended two weeks ago, I've been able to get things back on track, with regular administering of shock, the addition of some "Stop Yellow," regular vacuuming of the pool, and regular cleaning of the filter. It seemed all good last weekend, but then the weather prohibited us from swimming!

This Tuesday, though, I jumped in after mowing the lawn, and it was 85℉ and glorious. Exactly what I needed after pushing around a lawnmower in 90℉+ heat.

And so Wednesday, before dinner, we finally got in as a family for the first time this summer. The bottom is clean, the water is clear, the kids were having a blast.

One of the real benefits of summer is that we can dip in whenever we like; a quick morning swim before lunch has been one of the features of our summers. If we ever move away from here, this is one thing about Florida I will definitely miss.

The pool is open!