How Long Has THIS Been There?

My daughter and her husband stayed with me for about a month last year while they looked for another house after their lease ran out. They brought their dog and cat with them. I thought it might be awkward or an imposition to have them, here ... but it turns out it was rather nice! I enjoyed having them here and was sad to see them go when they found another place.

The other day I was looking out the dining room window at the backyard when I noticed something on the swing rope. It's hard to see in the picture to the left (a larger one is below).

I have looked out this window every day since I bought this house in 1999. Granted, this pooper scooper hasn't been hanging there since 1999, but it has to have been there since last spring ... close to a year! How did I not see this before now???