The backyard phoenix

I thought I'd take a break from my usual dog blogging activities and blog about plants. Yes, plants. Actually, one particularly special plant named Rita. Rita is some kind of vine-y faux black-eyed Susan that was growing in our backyard. Rita went through some tough times recently (that can probably be traced back to Michael and Beth abandoning her for a week in mid-July), but now she's back! Like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Here's what Rita looks like now (yes, that's my beloved red bowling pin in the background):
And here are some pictures of Amos and me enjoying the backyard.