Re: when can i close my pool
I think that your plan would work. If the effort of putting on the cover and having to redo it when the water temps are lower is less than dealing with the leaves, sounds like the way to go. You may want to give some thought to pulling the cover back a few feet 1 -2 X per week to let the pool 'gas-off' and also to see if anything's trying to grow. :)
Re: when can i close my pool
Or try a leaf net. That's what I use.
Stretch it over the pool while the leaves fall and when they're about done, pull it off, dispose of the leaves and cover as you wish. Personally I only use the leaf net to cover over the winter as well. It freezes into the ice (God I hate thinking about that) and in the Spring seems none the worse.