There Can Never Be Too Many Projects

We have 4 dogs (5 until very recently), and as a result have given them their own fenced yard, and a private entrance to said yard with their own doggie doors and ramps.

Then we decided to spoil them with their own puppy cabana. This is the finished product 9 years ago, complete with a climbing ramp, but just prior to shingling the roof.

During the last 9 years, we've moved fence lines, trees have grown up, the pups dug a shallow hole under the cabana to lie in, and with all those combined factors, moisture has eaten away at the wood, and rotted it.

So this Memorial Day weekend, instead of putting together the water pond, or building a shallow water pond on the terrace, we're tearing apart the puppy cabana, and replacing 80% of it. At first, we thought only 3-4 deck boards needed replacing. The roof had to be removed to replace those boards, and that was when we discovered the mega-rot.

Since this is Virginia, Memorial Day is synonymous with extreme heat, so out came the pop-up canopy to work under.

Next the entire cabana deck was removed. Some of it may be usable, maybe.

Then again, maybe not.

Tomorrow: rebuilding, repainting (everything that is brick red now will be forest green, with a natural deck treated with Thompson's), and reassembling (with some design changes to accomodate the aging puppies).

Hopefully, next weekend we might get to finishing the water pond, or at least hooking up a usable hose. Meanwhile, the water barrels are half-full and we have a 30% chance of spotty rain showers this week.

Also today, more peppers planted, broccoli is coming along, romaine lettuce is heading up nicely,and the city water was left on with soaker hose for the blueberries, as they are just tinging with purple and need all the water they can get for a good crop.

And you thought we weren't doing anything!