Our Pool, the Black Lagoon

When we became homeowners in February, we unwittingly also became owners of our very own Black Lagoon. The MLS listing described this as an above-ground pool. I'd like to make it known that this is a hugely misleading description. Take a look:

Over the past weekend, we began the tedious process of converting our lagoon into a functional swimming pool. This process required use of the words coagulate and backwash. (This is jargon that might seem second nature to any seasoned pool owners out there, but it caused me, a mere novice lagoon owner, to check my drink for unwanted particles.) It also required Rick and my dad--our resident pool expert!--to don their best "Black Lagoon" faces.

At one point, a creepy one-armed ceramic girl with a hole in her head began eerily rising out of the muck and mire. Or...my mom held her there so I could take a picture. I can't remember which.

 Gross, right? I fully expected to wake up Saturday morning and see this:

But apparently the potential swamp critters didn't think the shock, algaecide, and clarifier made for a desirable living habitat, because we were pleasantly surprised to see this instead:

As you can see, it's no longer a Black Lagoon. More like a Cloudy Green Mess of Leftover Leaf and Dirt Debris From the Cover Being Haphazardly Draped Across the Pool for the Entire Winter. Please note: this is not a recommended approach to pool care. :)

We are now trying to battle the cloudiness, which is proving to be a bit tricky. I'm hoping we figure it out soon though, because, quite frankly, it's sort of turned Rick into a version of Swamp Monster, minus the scales and claws...


P.S. Weirdly doctored photo of our pool overtaken by a swamp thing is compliments of too much time on my hands and this website. (In case you want to buy that costume for yourself.) :)