It was warm. Too warm for April. I felt brave. I peeled back the winter cover like a bandage, expecting maybe some leaves, maybe some dust.
But it looked back at me.
The water was alive. Not just murky. It moved weird. It smelled weird. Like compost tea and heartbreak.
I whispered to it. It did not care.
I tried to net the surface. It resisted. Bubbles formed where no bubbles should be. Something black swirled near the main drain and disappeared.
I dropped the brush in and backed away.
I shocked it. Then shocked it again.
Nothing changed. I checked chlorine. Still zero. I added more. I added algaecide. I added prayers. The foam that formed looked like regret.
The pump ran for 48 hours. I didn’t sleep well. Neither did the water.
Eventually, it cleared. Slowly. Like forgiveness.
If you’re about to open your pool and expect perfection, you’ll be disappointed. But if you expect a little chaos, you’ll be ready.
Need a gut check before you lift the cover? Here’s a Reddit pool opening thread. It’s full of people just like us. A little lost. A little tired. Fully committed.
Also check our opening and closing blog category if you want to learn the easy way instead of the hard one.
