OH, where dreams motivate the housework:

There are a bunch of things I need a 2nd pair of hands to do, but I figured out some cool furniture swaps for when that help is here-- long story, but I always wanted wicker and couldn't afford even the Walmart knockoff, much less the real thing. Here, we found a few nice, authentic pieces in good shape at Goodwill, and therefore I started watching for wicker.

Now, I could furnish a whole yard. And we do have one to furnish.

I know wicker won't maintain well outdoors, but I'm OK with using it till we're too old to live here, taking care of it, and storing it off season, sensibly. So I have a loveseat, telephone table, and windowbox-shaped planter box, with a tin lining to catch water, presently in the LR. There's also a wide coffee table that used to be against the wall for decor, but is now looking for other space to take up. They've made nice INDOOR cottage furniture here for 4 long and lovely years. Looking at them will always remind me of that... and of sneaking the loveseat home to our own house... loaded on the van's bike rack... via the back driveway, while the first housemate moved OUT the front driveway, loudly, in a relapsed-alcoholic huff. Too funny-- she never saw us drop that loveseat in the garage, and scoot out for ice cream!

So. The loveseat stays in the LR til Greg swaps it for a nice chair after January. The telephone table is now a LR lampstand (and will be replaced in January with an antique table Greg's ancestor made). The planter box has been in the LR picture window adjoining a dining card table, to hold napkins, forks, calendar, etc. The coffee table is now looking for another space to take up.

The telephone table and planter box will fit under the kitchen windows for houseplants! The planter box can have its understructure open to the front, with ample space underneath for my pink toolbox. I do have potted plants in PA to nest into it, and a ceramic planter there for the telephone table.

There's more wicker in the garage-- a large oval mirror, a second smaller coffee table, and another small item; also there's a chair out front centering a display of white iron lawn chairs. Two of the smaller items are in an armoire in the garage, and I can store the coffee table on top-- till we give it all a fresh coat of spray paint, and furnish the lawn in the spring.

All that wicker (except the two plant stands I'll move into the K soon) will furnish what is now just grass and heat pump/AC unit, about 14' x 30' of lawn behind the bedrooms, partiallly screened by a privacy fence. The exterior wall behind the bedrooms has a great roof overhang-- items under it are usually kept naturally dry due to the storm patterns here. That's the longterm wicker destination for use, pulled from the dry space out and around a large and deep coldwater wading pool (or hot/cold tub if we win the lottery).

The white against the green grass will be cool and airy!

So that's the place for enjoying sunshine with friends-- I'm sun allergic so I'll circulate from under a shade canopy or three, and two beach umbrellas, all of which we have already.

A cute addition will be the white 5-panel folding screen Greg repaired; I can hang plants on it and it can be aimed to screen a changing-room/portapotty corner of the fence. When we win the lottery, we'll cut a door through the middle bedroom which is near the loo, and put in an endless pool. I may have to get tiki torches for this backyard paradise for now.

The rest of the landscaping out there will be container flowers around the wicker, and rain gutter planters hung on the privacy fence. Greg already has plans for an AC screen, upon which to hang plants too.

I'd like to extend the privacy fence to meet up with the adjoining garage, and put a proper gate in that-- right now there's about 16' of removable ag panel there, that swings open for the lawn crew. Two fence posts ought to do it, and we do have a post hole digger.

Can't wait to bring my PA plants HOME, here. First step = move that planter box! I did pull it away from the wall, to make room to sit at the lunch table in front of the large LR window-- the card table of 4 years yielded to our bigger, round pedestal table with the May furniture load. I wanted my neighborhood-watching spot back, overlooking my garden! Sitting there it's just like dining next to the window in our camper, and so it always feels ike vacation there!;-)

~S~