Just Keep Swimming

This year we have had 33 foot, above ground, pool from hell. We failed to winterize it last year, and paid a dear price.

At one point early this spring there were frogs living in it. I don't mean one or two green friends, I mean families of them. Every night it was a symphony of croaks, and if you walked out with a flashlight you would see them gathered along the rim of the pool, discussing what I can only imagine must have been the fate of the frog world.

In the beginning of May, we started the process of re-opening the Pond pool. We went through all the steps, and nothing. I had planned an end of year party for Ana and some of her classmates, and we ended up having a pool party with no pool. My friend and her hubby came to visit, and we sat around looking at the pool, listening to the frogs enjoy what should have been our special swim time as we drank wine.

I turned 25 (plus 6) this past week, and since May I have been planning a huge shin-dig to celebrate my eternal youth. Yet the pool, for all the work and money we sunk into it, has stubbornly hung on to its emerald green hue.

Timeline of events:

Summer 2011: Spend 2 days cleaning and treating pool, enjoy 3 months of crystal clear pool fun.

October 2011: Dan and I leave for 10 days of vacation, return to a green pool. We decide "screw it" and lower the water level, but do no further winterizing.

Spring 2012: Frog families take up residence and begin breeding/ plotting world take over

Early May 2012: Plan pool party for Ana's friends. Begin treatment of pool, dumping 100s of dollars into the chemicals and water, with no results. The frogs moved out... well, the ones who survived. If those frogs are truly plotting world take over, we are toast. Have Ana's party with a slip n slide and water balloons instead of pool.

Mid May 2012: Friend comes to visit, we drink wine and look at the pool. Decide it looks too toxic to swim, but trooper that she is, she gets in and helps me skim and vacuum. True friend.

End of May 2012: Take water sample to pool store #1, are sold 60 dollars worth of chemicals, use said chemicals, pool turns slightly bluer.

Memorial Day: Saturday we swim, Sunday we leave town for a night to go to a (real) lake, return to an even greener pool. Monday we swim anyway. Well, those who decide to swim, swim, I choose to drink wine.

From there the time started ticking, and my huge 31 25+6 year birthday party was approaching fast. Nothing was working.

June 4- Go to pool store number 2, find someone who actually seems to listen, she gives us a strict schedule of chemicals- we shock, we chlorinate, we stabilize.... I wake up at 4 am and realize we are out of shock, so I drive to WalMart at 5am. I am impressed with the number of shoppers at 5am. Really, how is WalMart as a place to start your day... they are either genius or crazy. Still undecided.

June 5 (my birthday) we go back to the pool store, the lady is still stumped. Chemicals are fine. There is NO REASON the pool is still green. And by green, I mean emerald. A lovely shade, actually. But not appealing. I drink wine by the green pool, and pray. I have 25 people, and a ton of kids coming to a freaking pool party in 4 days and the pool looks like something the creature from the black lagoon would inhabit. Minus the frogs. Not sure if we are minus the creature since we can't see the bottom.

June 6 Still Green. I do not go to the pool store, however, I do visit the wine store.

June 7 (party is in 2 days) we make one. last. trip. to the pool store. Pool lady gives us one. last. thing. to try. We are given strict instructions, and sent on our way.

June 8 (1 day till party) :

8 am, Friday morning, the pool is blue. As the day goes on, the blue gets bluer, and I am thanking God for answering my silly prayer.

Friday evening, 4:00, we head to the grocery store, last minute supplies, etc... we come home...

5:15 WATER. Beautiful blue water. POURING out the bottom outer seam of the pool.

How does this happen??

 5:30 We get on our bathing suits, jump in, and begin the process of finding the leak. We decide it is under the stairs. We remove said stairs, and release into our newly blue pool all the algae that was trapped behind and under the stairs, immediately tuning the pool back to a cloudy green.

5:45 Meltdown commence.

6:00 Husband is able to locate the (huge) hole that was apparently caused by a rock caught between the stairs and the floor of the pool. Patch said hole.

6:10 We begin vacuuming the green out, I  begin continue praying.

6:40 We get out of pool, pour one last dose of chemicals into the water, I crack open a beer... still praying.

Saturday (Party day)

7:00 am, We have a bluer pool.

10:00 Even bluer. AND we are holding water.

2:00 Guests arrive, fun is had by all

Sunday-Tuesday (Aftermath)

Rains for 2 days straight.

Pool is slightly green.

Oh well.

Pond it is.

At least it gives me an excuse to drink.