Sooner Or Later

We have a water feature on our back patio.  I know you’ve seen the lovely rock waterfalls on the entry to many resorts. Beautiful rock formations, some with perfectly stacked stones and some with random rocks here and there, no doubt placed by a landscape designer with a degree in rocks.   

Well, ours isn’t anything like that.  In fact it is a rather ugly pile of rocks, not carefully laid by a stone mason but maybe tossed there by a group of teenagers involved in a crazy game of rock tossing. Really it doesn’t have much appeal except that the water does make a nice sound when it flows down the rocks into a moat at the bottom.  The moat is about two feet wide and runs along the face of the rocks.  A nice trickle of water drops off a ledge and falls into the two foot deep moat, creating a soothing sound like being near a real waterfall.   Monty put a timer on the pump so it has become a breakfast and happy hour waterfall that we enjoy.

One of the best features is the fact that you don’t actually see into the moat unless you get up close and personal to the rocks and stare down into the murky water.  Although Monty has tried numerous products to clear up the water it is just plain yucky looking.  We have a few sad looking plastic water lilies floating there but it doesn’t hide the accumulation of dead leaves on the bottom. 

Daisy has ignored the rocks and the water although when we first moved in here I found her standing on top of the rocks, playing king of the hill like a mountain goat.  After a good scolding she hasn’t paid much attention to the rocks, but we should have known sooner or later she would get inquisitive. Sure enough, last week when I looked out the window, she was stretching over the moat to investigate some tasty looking bird dropping on one of the bigger rocks.  

The next thing I knew she came running into the house soaking wet.  She looked shocked, and like one of my kids, I could imagine her crying “Momma, Momma, the moat just opened up and tried to swallow me. I had to crawl and scratch my way out. I didn’t think I’d make it, even my tummy is wet, I need a hug”.  

All this as she ran dripping wet and shaking water everywhere. She was heading for the living room carpet and the couch by the window.   I tackled her midway to the couch.  By this time the tile had become a slip and slide and we looked like a wrestling match.  I was trying to get her out the back door and she was trying to resist but we kept sliding on the wet floor.  She had no interest in going outside, the moat might be after her.   

I was calling for help from the calvary and Monty was trying not to play on the slip and slide  while tossing me a towel.  I wasn’t sure if the towel was for me or Daisy, it looked suspiciously like a dog towel but we shared it anyway. 

 I felt bad that Daisy fell in, it must have been a sight to see. I’m not sure how she managed to climb out of there, probably she was so surprised she just shot out when her tummy hit the water.  We checked her all over and she didn’t appear to be hurt, just embarrassed.  Luckily she already had a date with the groomer for later in the week.  Hopefully she has learned her lesson, even a tasty looking bird dropping isn’t worth the bath.