Suburbia

I was completely uninspired for this week’s blog post. I looked through my post idea file. Not a single thing I wanted to write about. Taking matters into my own hands (like they weren’t before?), I decided I needed a new venue. I was going write from my back patio. My heart filled with joy at the idea of it.

I went outside and realized the patio was dirty. D’uh, it’s outside. I know me, though, and I need to be in a non-cluttered environment to do my best work. So I took our our big janitor’s push broom and swept and swept and swept. A half hour and many dust pans full later, it was good enough.

I then brought my notebook (the paper kind) and my drink outside to my chair … which was also dirty because it lives outside. [Author’s note: Thank you, Ikea, for naming your low-end, folding chair “Jeff.” I love it and smile every time I use it.] With Jeff all nice and clean and my lap desk retrieved from inside, along with my drink, I sat down to write.

Fortunately, these words came, and I could tell it was going to be an inspired day to work on my novel as well. How could it not be when surrounded by my fabulous back yard?

I cannot say enough how much I love our home. It is not what everyone would want: it’s smaller than most places we were looking at, and a lot of yard maintenance is required. Those “negatives,” however, are why we bought it. Although the square footage is below average for the neighborhood, when it comes time for the weekly clean, I’m so glad it isn’t bigger!

Recently when Kurt came over to the house, he teased me about the picket fence in our front yard. He said it was very me. It definitely fits in with my 1950’s housewife tendencies. 

So sitting on my patio, I could hear the birds singing and a neighbor’s tree rustling. It was idyllic. You know what? Suburbia is everything I want it to be.

And that was where my post was going to end, except an incredibly cool thing happened that perfectly fit in to my little scene.

After DH2U and I got back from a trip to a the garden supply center – thanks for the gift certificate, Steve! – we were up on the back terraces putting up a trellis for my bean plants when our next door neighbor called out. These neighbors have been absolutely wonderful to us from even before we moved in. They had just bought a new patio set and wondered if we wanted their old one.

Um, yeah! Like my new writing area?

Our neighbor and his son passed the furniture up and over the fence, which was so much easier than walking each piece around. Now I feel like a real grown up with honest to goodness backyard furniture! I see many a summer meal being eaten out there. And we’ll be taking our neighbors out to dinner soon as a huge thank you.

Suburban life definitely suits me.