My in-laws had a concrete patio under a grape arbor for years. About three years ago, they decided to build a pavillion and pour the concrete. This meant leftover pavers, and lots of them. It was driving me crazy that these pavers were just sitting behind their garage. I have a "dead" corner in my backyard. Grass does not grow there. It is uneven and more dirt and weeds than anything else. It is my nemesis.
Grass is definitely at a premium in my backyard. I have what I like to think of as entertaining areas. I have a deck off of my back door. It's two tiered and on the top, I have the "living room." It's a little bistro table, a loveseat and a fireplace. The bottom deck has our table and a bar. This is covered with a new roof (still not finished but that's another story for another day). Don't get me wrong, it's not extravagent. Our bar is one we found at a tag sale around 12 years ago that I repurposed. It's cute and I stuck an umbrella in it that looks like a kiwi and it works. It's cluttered but that's me. I cannot stand minimilast looks. I love them in other people's homes but NOT in mine.
Then we go down to another deck. That's where our hot tub is. When my husband's brother died we sold our van and bought a hot tub. My husband has a very bad back. I'm talking, surgery is going to have to happen kind of bad. It was really bothering him back then and so we just bought the hot tub. For a while after my brother in law passed away, we lived a bit more recklessly than we ever had. I have always been very controlled with my eating and drinking. I think I tasted more food in the year following his death than I had in my life. Donuts for breakfast? Why not? We could be dead tomorrow. Nachos and margaritas for dinner? Sure! I would never have allowed myself to eat those things.
Finally, one day, I told my husband I was pretty sure we weren't dying but if we kept eating and drinking like we were, we would be dead soon. In retrospect, I wish I'd never opened that Pandora's box. Losing weight is a whole lot harder than maintaining it. It's also much harder to 'give up' foods than to never have them in the first place. Again, another story, another day.
Behind our garage, we had a chunk of space. Not really big enough to do anything with so we put a pool and a small deck. It fits just perfectly there and doesn't take up any yard that matters.
We had a huge maple tree in the dead center of our yard. When we moved in, it was just right. Then it was huge. It blocked the sun pretty much all day from our pool. Everyone else's pools were 80 degrees and ours would be 70 because of the continuous shade. When we decided to get rid of the tree, it was a really hard decision. On one hand, it was the focal point of my yard. I had put a little path to run between it and the pond next to the garage. I also planted plenty of shade plants. The tree was the reason I had to originally think outside of the box with the whole grass thing. It blocked the evening sun from our deck and the back of the house. I was really sad to see it go but it was going to have to happen eventually. A maple is just not a great choice when you live in the city on a small lot.
Now I have taken 24 of the pavers. I carried two to the back corner and was done (they are WAY heavier than they look). My husband got some back and my son ended up carrying 15 back, one at a time. He just did it, without my asking. He knew I wanted it done and couldn't physically do it so he went out and carried them back. I have no idea when he became a young man and acquired the strength to do that but I was grateful nonetheless.
I thought about bringing the portable basketball hoop back there. Then I thought again. It's right by the fence and I'm sure that is going to lead to more balls out of the yard than not. I have a concrete table set that has been all over my yard and that is now my plan. To somehow make that yet another seating area. My problem? Right now it looks like some leftover concrete pavers plunked in my yard. Nothing is clicking. Usually I start something like this and it takes shape in my mind. This time, I'm tapped. I'm not sure what is holding up my mental process. Maybe because it's all uneven and not quite right yet. Maybe I need the table and benches on it to get some divine inspiration. All I know is I stared at that slab of pavers until I went cross-eyed yesterday, waiting for something, anything.
It will work. It always does (at least until I change my mind and move stuff around again). I'm just impatient. I want this adorable space. I want it to be cozy and charming and inviting and right now it is anything but that. My life these days is an exercise in patience and I guess this is one more thing I will add to that ever-growing list.
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