^ One of the great luxuries in life, I suppose, is a patio.
Fresh air and sunshine; comfortable places to sit and eat, a patio marries a home's interior to the out-of-doors and I count myself very lucky to have one.
^ A proper patio has a floor of some sort. I've monkeyed around with gravel and bark and brick patios as well as the original concrete pad out back that came with our house, but in one way or another, they all drove me mad.
So when my mother died and left me some money, I knew just what to do. I paved over my front patio with big, beautiful slabs of slate, a more rustic version of the slate stonework laid in the front hall of the house where I grew up. A lot about that house drove my mom nuts, but she always loved that stonework and I'm happy I could replicate it here. She was a patio fanatic herself, and I know she would approve.
^ Seating matters.
We often gather here in the evenings as my husband and daughters trudge home from their busy days out in the world, and let's be honest: everyone wants a comfortable spot. So I pull up enough chairs and spread around the cushions so that we all can have a soft and cozy seat.
And let's be honest about this, too: Gracie rarely lies on the ground. Ever the princess, she usually takes up more than her fair share of the couch and needs to be coaxed to properly share the space with her humans.
^ A table is useful. My husband built this one out of his supply of pallet wood, and I coated it with several layers of outdoor Varathane to stand up to the moisture of the Pacific Northwest.
Some days, my table is open for the drink glasses and small plates that collect around our early evening snack times. Other days, it's heaped with plants. Gracie prefers the snacky days and loves the easy access of the low table. We are always working on her self-control.
This summer, I'm experimenting with weather-proof metal trays as a safe place to set down our phones and tablets. Not only do they protect electronics from plant debris and the inevitable puddles that come from daily waterings, but they also give me a target to toss my phone which makes finding it again all that much easier.
^ I personally am a fool for a swing. Found this IKEA model at my local thrift store a few years back and my patio life is vastly improved. I sit here while Gracie mows down her dinner, and she knows perfectly well that she can't touch a tidbit of kibble until I sit down in the seat and give her the magic word: "Okay." Then she is free to attack her bowl, and believe me, she does.
A rug is a nice addition to a patio, and lately, quite a trendy one at that. I like the concept, and used rugs with abandon on my old brick patio. What can I say, they helped keep down the weeds that grew between the bricks. Now that I have my marvelous stones, I don't feel a need to cover them up with a rug. But here on the original aggregate porch, a rug to cozy up my favorite corner still suits me just fine.
^ Though I mostly prefer minimal decor - read that cutesy knick-knacks - indoors as well as out, I'm a firm believer that every room needs an edited collection of small things to create interest and tell a few stories. My mom collected birdhouses and this turquoise model was my favorite of hers; so glad it's mine now. The carved wooden bird I have had since the days of '80s country chic, but to me the simple silhouette and streamlined design hold up well to this day. Scented geraniums are the outdoor equivalent of an outdoor diffuser, and the metal tray is another safe zone for my ever-in-the-line-of-danger phone.
And suspended above, because I am a fan of hangy things too, are bronze bells and a white ceramic wind chime. God forbid that the chime would ever actually ring, because it wouldn't take much movement to break that sphere and let's be honest, I just like how it looks.
^ More objets d'art: from left to right, my husband's collection of walking sticks, an old-school wooden post box that used to serve as a drop-off and pick-up place during my days as a hard core Girl Scout leader, and my spider plant family who is staycationing on the front patio this summer.
^ Oh, a view is nice too, isn't it? Between the patio and the walkway, I built in two small planting areas for succulents and ground covers to scramble about, and left open sight lines to my rose garden beyond.
^ Though most gardens are meant to be viewed from the side, the areas close to walkways benefit from a top-down perspective. A low-lying bird bath, a Cuban pot with a ruffled rim, and you know, rocks, add visual interest for passersby.
^ We are lucky to have a deep front lawn. We're situated at the front of the neighborhood, and the developers cleverly set our house way back on its lot to greet the newcomers' eye with lots of space which lends the (misleading) appearance of a goodly estate.
On the down side, our back yard is a postage stamp but the long expanse of grass in front gives us the right balance of privacy and connection to the world going by.
^ And two more essential patio touches: wind chimes and string lights.
Our wind chimes have been merrily tinkling away out here for several summers now, but the string lights have been a mere fantasy until last weekend.
^ Last weekend, we were all standing around and trying to contrive the best way to hang them .
Pro tip: unscrew the light bulbs and set them safely aside until the wire is securely hung. Experience has taught me well that any attempts to hang the string with the bulbs screwed in place will result in broken light bulbs, gnashing teeth, and extra trips to Target.
We realized the wind chimes would need to give up their usual spot, and debates ensued about where to move them.
And that's when my husband said, "Oh, keep them close to the laundry room window (shown in the second photo above); I like to listen to them as I'm folding clothes.
Well. Who knew.
^ With summer in full swing, Gracie and I spend time out here every day,
reading
talking
napping
eating
or just plain lazing around.
When autumn comes, and the rains fall, the leaves swirl, and darkness creeps in earlier each day, we will cart off most of the patio furniture and move the potted plants to frost-free zones.
But Gracie and I will still spend time out here every day, all year round. When we get home from our walks, I'll serve my dog her dinner on the porch step, and then I'll sit down in the swing to watch her eat. If it's cold, I may lay out an old towel so she has a comfortable place to lie down. I may even grab myself a blanket to wrap up tight against the cold.
We will sit, cozy and warm.
We will feel the fresh air upon our faces, and we will watch the world go by, and we will dream of summer days to come.
And we will think what a grand thing it is to have a patio.
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