We have had the most gorgeous string of warm, sunny weather here. They say it's ending today and I think it is already raining so I guess that's that. It's very hard to remember that the rains will most certainly return when you've been out in the garden, three weekends in a row, in a t-shirt. But I'm not complaining. It was lovely, and it was just the boost we needed to get through to spring.
On another note, when I was out working in the front garden, I was sidetracked by this most unfortunate sight:
WHAT THE H?
That does not say springtime to me. That is some of the most broken-down, depressing outdoor furniture (among other things) that I've seen in a long time. You know when you walk by something a million times a day that you don't even notice it anymore? Well, that's been my front porch.
We are not in the market for new patio furniture so I had to improvise. Firstly, the wicker chairs and ottoman had to go. Wicker is not my favorite thing. Last summer, I painted it all black and it didn't even last one season under cover. Bad.
The green chair in the corner is over 100 years old and used to belong to my grandparents. We called it the "Monk Chair" growing up because it has a carving of a monk on the back of it. My grandpa chopped the legs down so that their little dog, Tiko (they named all of their dogs Tiko), could jump up on it more easily. Someone painted it gold, then black, then dark metallic green, and I've continued to take excellent care of this rare antique by putting it out on my porch under a leaky gutter. But that's another problem for another day. At least the paint will be easier to scrape off now.
Luckily, we had some cuter furniture on the back patio that I thought would brighten things up out here:
Better, right? A little more inviting, I think. The ferns in the pots were getting lost out in the back garden so I put those here, too.
You see that brick planter box behind the chairs? It runs the length of the porch and the length of the house and nothing grows in it. It's under the eves of the house so it is bone dry and completely in shade. I was thinking of taking out the soil and filling it with river rock this year. Can you think of anything better to do with it (besides tearing it out completely)?
Off to ponder what to do with the empty back patio…
