Rusty wheel nuts (not pictured)

This is the afternoon view from my living room window. It always looks good when the sun hits the fence. I've had an odd day. I should have been taking Yellow Dog to the garage, but I was so out of sorts this morning that I re-arranged it. His wheel nuts look badly rusted, so I wanted them replaced. The guy rang me yesterday, to point out the cost implications. "They will be alright.' he said. "You could rub them down and paint them." I tried to imagine myself doing that and failed. "No, just replace them, preferably with ones that won't rust." This may all sound hilarious, but I've actually lost sleep over it. Is someone sabotaging my wheel nuts?