Sitting Pretty!

Today was a trial run for Sunny in the rose garden.  With all the exits now closed, she would have a bit of play space but would still be contained.  This dog loves to roam but with all the possible dangers out there, I feel she is much safer being kept inside the fenced area. Her latest escape saw her running deep into the marsh.  This was a bit nerve-wracking with the large alligator that lurks somewhere in that same marsh.  Miss Sunny might just well have become breakfast for a hungry gator! Today,  I stayed outside with her for a long while just watching her reaction to having fences and gates where just yesterday, there were none.  She did fine so I busied myself with  freshening up the yard benches.  Michael had toted the two of them up the hill and into the rose garden where I could reach them with the water hose.  After a good scrubbing, they still looked rather bad.  The weather had taken its toll on the finish and the wood was dried from the sun.  These benches needed help!

For some reason, it seems as if I have an over abundance of red paint.  Almost every can that I opened was a variation of red!  There were bright reds, dark reds, purplish reds and brownish reds.  Hmmm...here is a novel idea!  How about painting the benches red?  So I found a paint brush and set to work!  Sunny was most remarkably well-behaved and never once got too close to the paint.  That is truly amazing since yesterday, she most likely would have turned the paint bucket upside down and eaten all of the paint..all of that after she rolled in it and traipsed around inside the house!  Today was different, though, and she merely laid on the grass chewing on a dead squash plant all the while watching my every move.  Oh, how I relish these rare days!

I must say that by the end of the afternoon, the benches looked a lot better.  Tomorrow, I will seal the paint with a coat of polyurethane and Michael can tote them back down the hill to the little sitting area.  He had created a small area with benches, bird feeders and a birdbath last year so I could sit and watch the birds.  I am hoping to add flower boxes and maybe a swing this summer.  Since the rose garden is now enclosed, I will also have to redesign that area to be a bit more puppy-friendly.  She has already learned (the hard way) not to pull on any of the rose bushes!  Thorns hurt!  Still, a few of the other flowers and potted plants might have to be moved.  Sunny is curious..as puppies tend to be.