Our bedroom has the best view from the house thanks to a sliding glass door that runs the width of the room. Looking out into the garden is a great way to start my day. We have a tiny fountain on the patio, a hummingbird feeder nearby, trees, flowers and my beloved garden swing.

Re-covered Garden Swing

My family gave me the swing for Mother’s Day several years ago, something I’ve always longed for.  It’s lovely sitting there in the evenings with my husband or one of the cats. When my boys were younger, they would sit with me too.

The metal frame of the swing held up nicely, but the cushions took a beating from their time in the sun.  A few years ago I made a slip cover, giving it a fresh new look. I spent a fair amount of time at the fabric store, mulling over my choices, and figuring out a pattern in my head. The swing went from a weathered, tan-colored seat to a bright floral.

I bought the outdoor upholstery fabric on sale, along with piping cord and elastic to hold the cover in place. Using a coordinating fabric, I made strips of pink bias to trim the skirt and to pipe the edges.

In other words, this wasn’t just any old swing cover.

When my eyes swept the landscape early yesterday morning, I noticed the swing cover folded back.  My mind couldn’t quite make sense of this, since I tie the corners securely with neat little bows.

What happened here?

I investigated and found this:

This is the soft center they were after

To my dismay, a critter with determination and sharp teeth chewed through the ties and the trim in order to get to the soft cord inside. How could they have known it was there? The entire corner of the cover is toast.

The left corner…

…and the right corner.

I know there’s a lesson here, because that’s what is often said about life. Am I right? I’m just too dismayed at the moment to figure that out.