Mud!

So for a Chicago winter this February has been rather mild. We have had a few days where the temps have got up near the 50s. I know, still pretty cold for those of you who live in warmer climes, but for us this is tee-shirt weather. Problem is all this lovely weather has resulted in the copious amounts of snow melting, and now that the snow has melted it has revealed the disaster area that is now our yard. Because our yard had to be regraded so that the water would flow away from the house all of our grass was ripped up. So now our entire backyard is pretty much just a large collection of mud. With dogs this has turned into some unique ides on how to get them out to potty without getting them all muddy. Things like taking them out in the front yard where the grass is. Or checking the temperature to see if it is cold enough for the ground to be frozen. But mostly we find ourselves having to carry the dogs to the bathroom to wash off their paws in the tub. Oh the joys of mud and dogs.