I just had a duh.... moment.

There is no place in my yard where I wouldn't be near a tree or two. Dust collects on tree leaves. Any rain washes said dust off tree leaves. Dust collects in whatever container is under trees, especially a pool. I can surmise that even a small pool is a dust and dirt magnet.

With living in a semi rural farming community, there will be lots of airborne dust, even if all the roads in town are paved (which for the most part they are). My dirt battle will be a constant thing, so I better get used to it.

Another thing.... We have two chocolate labs, who both love water. One of them has learned how to climb the cheap intex pool ladder. Would I be correct in an assumption that the inevitable dog hair in the pool would actually make a cartridge filter a bit more efficient by adding another layer of filter media? Yes, I know that pets swimming in the pool will increase the chlorine demand slightly, along with increasing the dirt load. I just think it's funny/cool that Abby has learned this on her own.