Photo from: http://www.blog.therustedchain.com/2012/10/spiders-and-tractors-and-games-oh-my.html?m=1
Confession time… a week ago Saturday, Tim and I, and Nancy, a truly lovely lady, gave a baby shower for a besties friend son and daughter-in-law. It was lovely! The house and gardens looked wonderful, and I managed to totally eradicate any traces of the multitude of dogs that live and visit the premise.
Move the clock forward… a measly 9 days since my house glistened, and it’s hard to remember the organization that frolicked in these walls! Since that day, we have had house guests. Actually, it would be more appropriate to say kennel guests if we did in fact have kennels, but since we don’t, our home has gone from 3 dogs to 5 dogs.
Now, mind you, for years we did have 5 full-time dog boarders. Sadly, four of those canine friends are now gone, but, joyously, two more have joined the family. But let’s face it, guests are not the same as family… be they human or dogs! My routine, such as it is, is basically non-existent. Right now, my life is like the poor farmer in the age old dilemma of trying to get the fox, the goat and the cabbage across the water. Due to the various personalities of the mutts, they cannot be left together unattended, and, the pup in the group, a whole 6 months old, seems to be on a genocide mission to rid our house of all gnomes! The bodies are mounting (where is he even finding all the gnomes, I thought I had them all put away) and many will have to undergo tremendous amounts of physical therapy before they will be ready to return to their gnome home.
So, suffice to say, my house is a pit! When you open a door or window, fur balls roll across the floor, reminiscent of an old Clint Eastwood western. Muddy paw prints dot the floor, and my windows look like someone was finger painting with doggy snot! AND, I’m not even going to mention the smell. With the heat and humidity we have been having, let’s just say my Frebreze can has waved a white flag and has given up!
So, how does someone, who likes a clean house, cope with these conditions? Easy… I’ve moved outside! I’ve turned the house over to the dogs, showed them where the bin of dog food is, lifted the lids on the toilet bowls for their drinking delight, and told them I’d see them all in 10 days. I’ve taken a sketch pad, along with large glasses of lemonade outside, chant my mantra, and plot and plan future outdoor projects.
Okay, okay, perhaps I’m employing a wee bit of hyperbole license, but not nearly as much as you might think! There are, indeed, fur ball tumble weeds in the house, but I have not left the dogs indoors by themselves while I escaped… I’ve taken them with me. I’ve been spending as much time as I can outdoors with them. They’ve been playing tag, hide-and-seek, and lots of time splashing in their pool. I see no real point in trying to clean inside until Michelle returns from vacation and collects her two, so I really have spent lots of time outside plotting and planning. Tim did lots of planting this weekend, and I’m now turning my attention to the wee one’s corner. We already have a large play structure, a dragon swing hanging from a branch, tether-ball, sandbox and logs and stumps for climbing, but, I’m always on the lookout for the next addition, WHICH brings me to today’s offering! Finally, a tie in… kinda/sorta!
I saw this tic-tac-toe board on The Rusted Chain http://www.blog.therustedchain.com/2012/10/spiders-and-tractors-and-games-oh-my.html?m=1 and thought this would be great in the back corner. I (meaning Tim) will probably dig them in so they will be even with the grass, allowing him to mow right over them, and I’ll save one of the netty bags from potatoes, to store the markers in. We can them hang them from a tree branch, so they stay dry. Poor Tim, while I’m avoiding my house, I’m creating more work for him! Thank goodness he enjoys projects almost as much as I do, and he’s willing to do the things that I can’t… or won’t : )
The boys… did I mention all the dogs are male… and I have cooled off inside, so it’s time to go back out. There are plants to water, weeds to pull and dreams to be dreamed… and not a fur ball in sight!
~Kimara~
Photo from The Rusted Chain
