all tied up

Today the girls asked if they could play in the front yard. I said they could, and when I went outside to see how they were doing a few minutes later I found Audrey and Lauren sitting lazily on the flagstone. Around their waists were ropes tied to the wrought iron railings. Ella was weeding. "Your dogs are tied up, I see," I said to her. "Yeah," she said nonchalantly, "They were just getting a little out of control."

And there were Audrey and Lauren, just sitting, gazing off into the distance, looking as bored as any tied up dogs you've ever seen.