I have many reasons to be grateful, but I never feel as appreciative about my life as when I’m sitting on my backyard deck.
It’s not a fancy structure, and it doesn’t include a water view. But it’s big enough to hold a table with an umbrella, dining chairs, a lounging chair and two beds for our dogs. What more do I need?
If I’m sitting outside, it must be a pleasant day. I’m always grateful for those. Though I bought the smallest “market-style” umbrella I could find, it still covers most of the deck. So, I am able to use the space even if the sun is broiling.
Rain, however, is a deal breaker. But I am lucky enough to have a front porch that provides both shade and shelter from storms.
Deck time is a luxury. I’m a school librarian, so I have nine weeks off in the summer. I’m a writer year-round, and I often work a day or two per week during July and August in a vacation library program. Not this year, however.
I am reveling in my freedom. Writing is my passion, and I enjoy the flexibility it offers. I can write on the deck if I choose. When I write is up to me. Reading, another one of my favorite activities, is often closely tied into my writing, and I love to read on the deck.
Whenever I am sitting on the deck, I try to give silent thanks for the gift of free time.
Our deck is quite new, and I like its sturdy design. When my husband, Paul, and I bought this 1870s-era cottage in 1988, the back yard was a scruffy wasteland, notable only for the handsome pear tree in its center. An attached shed that ran perpendicular to the house, a small, detached carriage house, and a retaining wall separating our property from the next-door neighbors’ created a natural courtyard. Beyond the carriage house, a larger yard on our lot was overgrown with random, spindly maples.
The “L” formed by the house and shed, with its door leading from a mudroom, was the perfect place for a deck. Within a few years, we had one built, and had the shed shored up. But the shed was never in very good condition, and the deck deteriorated over the years as well. Two years ago, we had the deck, shed and carriage house torn down. A new structure at the badk of the house follows the footprint of the old shed, but is actually a family room, with a loft above for storage. The new deck is attractive and well-built. The new garage is a lovely, classical design with plenty of room downstairs and a “bonus” room above.
Since the garage is twice as tall as the old carriage house was, we have even more privacy in our courtyard. I did lose some gardening space in that area, but there is still plenty of room in the “big” backyard. There, I have three raised beds with assorted vegetables, nasturtiums and marigolds; an herb bed that includes lavender, lemon balm, echinacea, thyme and mint, as well as cosmos and calendar; and big beds of garlic and potatoes. Our chicken coop and pen, with our three chickens, stand nearby.
The yard is lined with raspberry plants, and there is another small pear tree, as well as rosa rugosa, joe pye weed, hostas, honeysuckle, lilacs and bleeding hearts. It took years, but the big backyard has become both a productive urban garden and a little piece of paradise.
I can’t see much of it from the deck. But I can admire the rhododendrons that line the retaining wall. We tore up several raised beds in our renovation project, but some of the plants just kept on growing, up through the wood chips Paul lays down fresh every year to cover the courtyard. Our pear tree is always a pleasure to observe. It produces many pears, but, unfortunately, they are small and not very tasty. The squirrels enjoy taking bites out of them and throwing them on the ground, however.
Our bushy-tailed frenemies are entertaining to watch, as they chase each other up and down the tree and across fences. The dogs especially enjoy the show. Chickadees, catbirds, cardinals and bluejays visit the feeders and birdbath. We have a hammock in this little yard, as well as two Adirondack chairs. Statuary, including gnomes, a hedgehog and gargoyles, keeps watch over the place.
On the warmest days, I enjoy breakfast on the deck. If we are both at home, and I can talk him into it, Paul and I will lunch there. I am amused that my labrador retriever, Quinn, immediately goes to the deck door after I prepare my late afternoon tea. He never does that during the winter, and he didn’t do it today, because it’s raining. But on nice days, without fail, he knows that I am going to eat my snack on the deck, and he wants to be there with me.
On the Fourth of July, we can see our town’s fireworks from the deck. We don’t get to see any ground displays, but why leave home when most of the display is clearly visible from the comfort of your own lounge chair? Paul doesn’t get too excited about fireworks, but I like to sit out alone with a glass of wine and watch the show. I can even hear the oohs and aahs, and clapping between the booms.
It is then that I allow myself to think how lucky I am to be so fulfilled without even leaving my own backyard.
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