Once Around the House

Okay, we started out with our walk on the patio and then I jumped the fence there to include that daylily. Let's get back to what we have here. Dr. Deeds specializes in "pots" - anyplace that he can fit a pot he puts one. I, on the other hand, like to place them with great precision. What with the ADD, I can only stand so much visual confusion in one place at one time. My newest project is to secretly hide some of the pots and see if anyone notices. Until then, let's take a look at what currently resides in some of them.

Pink is a special color for the patio at this time of year. In fact, we have some very lovely "weeds" that are a delightful pink. In fact here is a picture of them -- in a POT!

Next is a lovely variety of Hydrangea that will really be beautiful in a few more days of this high 80's-low 90's temps we've been having. I know that there is some magical stuff that you can do to change the color of your hydrangeas, but I really like these just the way they are.

One time Dr. Deeds brought home a lovely exotic plant for beside the pool - naturally in a pot - that is a lovely shade of yellow and orange. I am not sure what they are, but they certainly lend an air of the tropics (or maybe the desert?) to the poolside. What do you think - and better than that, do you have any idea what they are?

Probably my favorite right now is the bright pink Bouganvilla. We used to have one that grew all up the side of the house. It was just tremendous and didn't even look real. I'll check to see if I have some old picture of it for camparison one of these days. In the meantime, here is what we have to look at right now!

To finish up this pink story I took a picture of this fine plant. I don't know its name either. Did I mention that Dr. Deeds also is an avid gardener and never met a plant he didn't love? He is so crazy about them that he just has to bring one home - or two, or three. I have lately taken to telling him I am stealing his Lowe's chargecard if he brings one more plant home (but really, it could be worse, right). We now have an entire slew of these beauties - some white and some pink. Don't worry, we'll get to the white ones later. Remember, we haven't even left the back patio yet! We have an acre of so to cover before we get to the dog days of summer and an entirely different roundup of blooms! You can see by all of this that I almost never lack for a flower to make "everyday special".

An Everyday Special Walk Around the Yard

Today is the kind of day that just beckons you out the door, camera in hand. I took a short spin around the yard just now snapping a few photos of the flowers that are saying "Spring" while the weathermen are saying "Not so fast!!" It seems that our yesterday's 85 won't be seen again today. Not that it's cold out there, but it certainly isn't anywhere near 80.

It's about time to start thinking about getting the patios and porches and pool ready for the sunny days ahead. First, we need to capture exactly what we see right now so we can make our plans and get on with it.

Sometime in the next few weeks work begins on the pool overhaul. It's about time as it has been 20 years since it was dug and then sadly forgotten except for the fun times and hurricane bathings of all the visiting dogs! Last summer it gave up the ghost and we have spent the last so many months trying to decide whether to turn it into a turnip patch (my suggestion) or have it refitted, refined, and made beautiful again. I lost! So now the fun begins - again. After 20 years all the equipment has been improved, discontinued, or updated. The tiles need replacing also, and while we are at it, why not just give the whole thing the once over!! So, I guess the next few weeks ( even months from what I hear) will be full of pool-talk and picture taking of progress. The result should be a working, beautiful, inviting pool finished just in time for our "beach time" each year. Who knows, maybe the backyard will win the race!

Gather Round the Table

Now that we know we want to deal in black and white as the focal point for our table setting, let's find a table to use as the stage. Two of the tables here at the store are good candidates. A nice fruitwood in a tradional style would be a good choice as would an outdoor picnic type table with iron scrollwork as a base. Both tables are ones that are at home in New Orleans either in the dining room or on the patio.

Let's set both tables just for the fun of creating an exciting scene. We can then decide where we wish to entertain when we know more about the weather for the evening. Dining outdoors lends another magic dimension that lets us be more adventuresome in our settings. There is something about the lights on the patio that make everything seem a little more soft and mysterious. Indoor settings are often more dramatic and "formal" which lends a certain tone to the event. Setting the stage often determines the entire menu plan and seating arrangements. So let us go about setting both our tables and making those decisions before we move on to location and menus!