Doggy Day Saturday

TaTa and I got up early today and laid in bed for a while this morning before heading over the the dog park in Groton. Ms. Monroe was very excited to find out she was going to the park. She was even more excited to find out she was going in Nannie's car. Before we went to the park, I made a quick stop at Starbucks for my morning jolt.

When we got to the park, we walked on a trail about 50 yards into the woods. Along the way, we notices that there were several marked trails you could hike. As we continued into the woods, we saw a clearing. When we got to the opening, there was a huge section of land fenced off with trees and mulch along with chairs and tables. This section was for the big dogs. There were about 4 large dogs running around inside this section. As we continued back, we saw another section fenced off which was for small dogs. When we got to the small dog section, there was a Chiuaua running around inside. He was very excited to see Chelsea. Once we got inside the fenced section, we unhooked Chelsea and let her go. The Chiuaua was running all around Chelsea, trying to get her to play, however, Chelsea could give a rats-ass about the dog. Instead, Chelsea jumped at me and TaTa to pick her up.

I walked around the fenced off section trying to get Chelsea to run. She however has no vested interest in walking with me. Rather, Chelsea thought it was more exciting to pee on every tree and bush she came in contact with. There were some instances where we saw Chelsea with one of her back legs on the tree, while she balanced on the other three. The bottom three pictures represent what Chelsea did at the park, while her mommy and daddy did the walking.





After we left the park, TaTa and I dropped the dog back home and went to Home Depot. Let's see...We got fertilizer for the lawn, a spreader, fertilizer for our shrubs and plants, wood for our deck, stone sealer and a sander. I got a spreader because the one I got, which was one John gave me from the dump years ago, was small and very flimsy. The one I got has bigger tires and holds more fertilizer. Additionally, it is make by Scott's, which is the fertilizer I use. We got Step 1 Scott's fertilizer, which is to build the turf and kills crabgrass. Now, I usually got through 4 15,000 square feet bags of fertilizer each application. With the new spreader, I only ended up using two, so that goes to show you how far off the settings on my old spreader were. I was excited to only use two bags because I just saved $90.00!

We got wood for our deck because the railings on the deck rotted out in some sections and cracked and fell off in others. For a new deck, I am surprised at how crappy it has lasted. Additionally, all the stain came off. TaTa was a great helper. She held the new wood while I cut it with the saw. We removed all the old pieces and put on the new pieces, using screws vs. nails. While the railings dry out in the sun, I am going to use my new sander and sand the whole deck down and and strip off the stain. Once I get this done, I am going to stain the deck, using a good stain due to the deck being in the sun all day. Below is a picture TaTa took that highlights my constructive personality.



TaTa and I also fixed our mailbox today and put back up our hydrangea mailbox, which will look nice once the hydrangeas bloom. While fixing the mailbox, we noticed all of our hydrangeas coming up. Very exciting indeed!!! While out today, we also got mulch for the beds. We found a small place down the road from us who delivers to the local folks. Hemlock mulch, which is darker brown and has a great smell, is $35.00 a yard. The guy said we would need roughly 3 yards because the bed in front of our porch only needs a top coating, whereas the bed by the rock wall needs a good 3-4 inches down as we did not put much down last year. I thought $35.00 was a good deal considering they charge you $4.00 a bag and we used roughly 50 bags last year. Anyway, they are coming tomorrow morning to drop off our mulch.

The last item we purchased today was sealer for our walkway. For those who have seen it, it is a very dull white/gray color, when it is suppose to be mixed with rich colors. I came to find out that in order to get the rich colors, you need to seal it, which not only brings out the full luster of the stone, but also protects the stone. The sealer makes the stone look slight glossy and always wet. I am actually looking forward in sealing he walkway because it will hopefully look amazing when it is done. I will be sure to take some pictures.

We picked up Cha-Cha and Sponge Bob around 6 tonight and stopped to get something to eat along the way. We got back to our house just about 8 and they headed home. TaTa just took a shower and now she is sitting here reading, waiting to give me a massage (I wish!). Tomorrow TaTa and I have lots to do....we need tog o for a walk/bike ride, lay the mulch down, get crap ready for work, maybe sand a little....we'll see though.