Saturday, May 31, 2014

patio time

I love this south side of our house where the patio is. We live on such a small plot of
land that this is the only semi-private space we have. And with all the neighbor's trees
on this side of our house, it stays shady until mid-afternoon. It's a great place to have
morning coffee.


On the double shepherd's hooks on this side of the house, I decided to go
with what I had instead of spending money on hanging baskets. 


Our patio set was given to us by some dear friends of ours who were down-
sizing. It's perfect for our space. The little table/ottoman and wicker stand are thrifted
 pieces that I've had for a long time. I'd like to find a large metal art piece - perhaps a
big sun? - to hang on the aluminum siding. I know they make vinyl siding hooks that
you can just slip under the siding, so I'm assuming they make ones for aluminum
siding, too. Or that you can use the ones made for the vinyl siding. 



The neighbor's trees that hang over the patio are the perfect place to hang
things such as wind chimes... 


and a candle holder that I use as a bird cage.


We're taking advantage of the beautiful weather before the mosquitoes
get too crazy and spending some relaxing time on the patio in the 
early evenings. The vintage colander ~ now planter ~ was a recent find at 
Goodwill. I lined the bottom with coffee filters so the dirt wouldn't fall out of the holes.


 Brian installed a new thermostat last night and no luck with either the AC or furnace
switching on. We're going to be calling a HVAC guy later today. Today it's 86
degrees but the humidity is only 28% which is really low for our area, so it
doesn't seem too hot in the house. Good thing we have a lot of fans!
 

30 comments:

  1. No words necessary!! You and Brian look so relaxed and comfy!! I can see you are enjoying the gorgeous weather, too! Got home last night and I am still wading through stuff inside so I may not get outside til tomorrow. Lots of weeds! Ugh! What cha reading?

    XO,
    Jane

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    1. Blogger is driving me nuts...it published my blog post when I had it in my draft folder - before I even wrote any words! I had no idea until I got an email from Feedspot saying that I had a new blog post. Huh?! I also had someone email me the other day and say they couldn't comment on my blog. I wonder what's going on? Anyway, I removed that picture of me for the final blog post...but I was reading Anna Quindlen's newest book, Still Life With Breadcrumbs.

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  2. Looks like a nice, relaxing place to be.

    Judy

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  3. I love your cozy little area, the trees hang over like a ceiling in a room creating a very nice private space. I can relate to privacy issues, our lot is about 1 1/2 feet higher than our neighbors, so when we are on our deck their 6 foot fence only comes to us about 4 1/2 feet. it 's like being a glass room, When I'm outside I dont' want to see anyon. Hop you get your air fixed soon, the nights have really been cooling off so we just have a fan at night. I'm not a hot weather girl by any means, and I've been fine. Have a nice weekend, how about a hug?

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    1. Ah, the fishbowl life of living in the suburbs! When we first moved out here about 25 years ago, we had a field beside us and woods behind us. Now we're surrounded by houses on all sides. Sure, I'll take another hug from you! :-)

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  4. I love small cozy little spaces like you have. I don't do hanging baskets much. They dry out so fast. Sometimes I'll hang Boston ferns in the shade.
    Brenda

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    1. The baskets I've bought over the years have been just fine. I water them every day, but that's no big deal to me. I have a hanging basket on my front porch and by my back door.

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  5. Just looking at your pictures, I am relaxed. What a nice cozy spot. I love the wicker furniture.

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  6. It's so pretty, Melanie! What a nice cozy little spot. It looks very relaxing there. I really love the furniture and the way you're using the shepherd's crook. The potted plant looks so cute inside the birdcage, I love that idea! I hope you're able to get the HVAC figured out soon, it sounds frustrating. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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    1. Thank you so much for all the sweet comments, Jennifer.

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  7. I love the way you are able to use stuff you already have. Everything looks so pretty...Mommy is proud of the artistic woman you found inside you.

    Mom

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  8. I love seeing how you substituted things that you had instead of hanging baskets. Your houseplants get a little vacation at the same time. You have a cozy spot there.
    Balisha

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    1. Hanging baskets get expensive! I already have one on the front porch and at the back door. Two more would've been pushing it!

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  9. What a beautiful space to be in all summer! I hope that I can have a shade garden someday, because all of my favorite plants like shade (like hostas, ferns, and moss). It is nice that you can be outside without the sun beating down on you all day. Also, love the idea of the plants in the birdcages! So cute :) Hope your summer is off to a good start!

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    1. Unfortunately, we can't be out there all summer because of all the mosquitoes - they're terrible in our area! Thanks for visiting and for your kind comments.

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  10. Sorry to hear that you have not had any luck with the AC repairs, I hope that you get it sorted out soon. You have a lovely place to sit outside though, it all looks very pretty and it is great that your new to you pieces go with your old new to you pieces of furniture! Love the colander/planter!! xx

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    1. HVAC guy coming this afternoon, so we'll see (gulp). Thank you for your sweet comments!

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  11. That shady area looks cool and inviting :)

    I don't have my window A/C units in either and need to get a victim ( aka sons ) soon in regards to that :)

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    1. We don't have window AC units - we have central air. In the meantime, lots of fans do the trick - or else we're hiding out in the basement where it's cooler!

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  12. Your patio looks so inviting and cozy and cool with the shade of the trees. Love the idea of using a colander as a planter...I'll have to remember the coffee filter lining idea.
    Mary Alice

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  13. Your patio looks like the perfect place to relax. I love your white wicker furniture and how you used things you already had to hang from the planter.
    Julie

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  14. I know it's hot out there (and inside too apparently!), but your yard is so charming. We've had such a long winter, it's fun to peek at some summer inspiration!

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    1. I actually kind of like the heat...it's the humidity that really gets to me. I agree though that I'd take hot weather any day over winter!

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  15. What a charming patio space you have, Melanie! Our previous home only had a 30 foot lot, but the back yard was surrounded by lilac hedges, so it was my little private oasis. Our back yard in our current home is quite a bit larger, but lacks the charm and privacy. Enjoy your lovely patio!

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  16. What a nice patio! That looks like a cool place to hang out these days. Though I wonder what's up with your thermostat? I hope your HVAC guy arrived soon after, as you don't want to be at the mercy of the elements, even when inside your home. Keeping comfy also applies when inside or outside the house. In the meantime, your patio looks like an inviting place to keep cool! Cheers!

    Dennis Cannon @ Laird & Son Heating & Air-Conditioning

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment - I read and appreciate each one!