Loading in~

After two days of practicing patience, we were finally able to begin to load in the patio...Nikki came out to help us lay it all out.  We started with placing the tiki torches in the holes we placed in strategic places and then bringing in the benches and one chair we planned on using out there and then began to place herbs and veggies in the planters and position them.....While the kids helped me with all of that, David began to build the fire pit on top of the fire bricks we'd had inlaid in the concrete......

As soon as the first cool evening came, we burned our first little fire....

There have been a few changes in the months since that first day of loading in; as with any project, our needs have changed as we actually live with the finished product.  The veggie planters were moved as they grew too large to be placed quite so close to the torches and as we continue to work on the Gazebo, the sun pattern has changed which meant that more movement of planters was done.  But here are a few shots of those early days.......

There are herbs and veggies in the pots. 

Another view.....

And another....this area (below) is now filled with the tomatoes and peppers.

As we put the roof on the Gazebo, we lost sun which meant we needed to move

them; the chair was moved over to the fire pit/bench area which actually works 

better when we entertain. 

Another angle.....

Later that first night, we sat outside to test out the Tiki affect....

The end result is that we have a lovely outside sitting area where none existed before and I have finally have the "kitchen garden" I always wanted to have.  No more sending someone out for Cilantro to have them bring me Parsley....I can make a quick run out the back door to get what I need without risking a boiling over pot......

Lazy days ~~

So, what's been happening on the patio/gazebo front?  Not much...and lazy days have something to do with it (as well as rain and heat and bugs). The patio is completed and work progresses on the gazebo..but slowly...

Living out here in the country, we quickly learned that getting contractors out to do a job can take a lot longer than living in town.  It took us almost 4 weeks to find a contractor to even come out and place a bid on laying the patio; once we had one actually show up - it took 3 weeks from the day of the contract to the actual laying of the patio.  We started the patio process in February but it was March before it was actually laid...late March. Then there was the two day wait until we could actually load it up with furniture and planters and use it.  We were definitely practicing patience during that time.

We did most of the layout ourselves which meant days spent moving the old patio stones and grass but our contractor came in a few days before the concrete came in and laid rebar. 

This was followed by a few days of trying to keep the pets out of the framed area...but finally the day came when the concrete truck showed up.  About 4 p.m. this is what we were looking at; most of the crew left but two of them stayed a few more hours to smooth it all out .....

We have a tradition of placing something in all new concrete to mark the day it was laid; around the hot tub there are handprints of all us with the date.  The slab laid for the shed was also marked.  This time we did something just a bit different; although the chickens were locked up for the day to avoid them interfering with the work, we did get some chicken prints into the concrete.....

We sprayed Pam on the feet of Antique Rooster and pressed into concrete before the "film" that begins the hardening process as formed completely. 

After everyone had left for the day, we began the two day wait before we could load in the benches and torches and planters....it was a long couple of days of practicing more patience.....

Changing plans~

Strong winds. Lots of bugs. Dappled sunlight. Heavy vehicle traffic in the surrounding fields and roads (i.e. a sod roller that shakes us like I imagine a small earthquake would do) . And a paving stone patio that refused to work well with others (partly due to chickens that love to peck near it) and dirt that refused to support sod no matter how hard we tried. All of these contributed to our overcoming an aversion to a concrete patio and path from the backdoor to the Gazebo. It all went in yesterday.

Over the past 8 years, we learned that bugs are so heavy for 4 - 6 months each year that we are "housebound" for way too many days. We wear bounce sheets tucked in our collars to do yard and garden chores during those months. Sitting on the front porch is a rare thing because either you are being blown so much you don't have to do a thing to rock in the chair (!) or you are being bugged beyond tolerance.

We can tolerate the bounce sheets and the winds; what we find we can no longer live with is being housebound for so many months of each year. The plan was simply to lay concrete inside the frame of the gazebo and roof and screen it. Until it wasn't. The more we talked about it, the more we convinced ourselves that putting in a patio was the right move. Having to reset pavers each year was getting old. The area between the house and gazebo is shielded from the winds most of the time, but keeping grass there was nigh on impossible due to high traffic. And so, last years project of completing the gazebo was put off until this year.....

We placed permanent "holes" on all sides of the patio and walkway so that Tiki Torches will stand firm in the winds and being buffeted by playing dogs and protected from the pecking of the chickens.

And there are fire bricks in the spot where we will build a small fire "pit" for those evenings when there is a chill in the air.

Now comes the job of making that stretch of concrete "fit". This means lots of container planting. We found 2 pairs of concrete planters that will be filled with something in the "heirloom" realm; I've dug out my "Restoring American Garden's" book and been making a plan. The kitchen garden (the brick one just outside the back door and along the foundation) has been planted with Rosemary and Marigolds (they help a little to keep bugs away).

The idea is that folks won't notice the concrete because of the plants that cover it and the pretty torches that line it. I hope that the seating areas draw folks in and make them want to sit and enjoy the view while sipping ice tea or an ice cold beer in the summer and Irish Creme laced hot chocolate in the winter near a small and cozy fire. I know that that is what I''ll be doing!

And if the torches aren't working well enough to keep away the bugs, we'll be able to move into the screened gazebo and sit in cozy chaise lounges or melt away the stress of the day in the hot tub!

There is a lot of work ahead for us....but I am ready!