Reading And Relaxing

By Mary Ellen Ellis | May 17, 2022
Image by HaiGala
by Mary Ellen Ellis
May 17, 2022

My favorite place to be outside is on my back patio. It’s not fancy, but it looks on my garden, is surrounded by flower beds, and provides some shade. It’s a perfect spot to read, enjoy a cup of tea, and relax on a warm, sunny day. 

What My Outdoor Space Looks Like

The back patio on my house is a simple space: a concrete slab covered by an aluminum awning. It’s a blank slate for creating a beautiful outdoor space. A sliding glass door opens onto the space from the breakfast room. To the right is a walkway to the driveway. 

The patio is surrounded on three sides by flower beds and the lawn. In one large bed, I have a large rose of Sharon, daylilies, hostas, and sedum (and unfortunately bindweed). Another bed has more hostas and a lot of shade. The third bed contains spirea and my herbs. 

On the patio, I have a table and chairs for entertaining. My favorite place to sit, though, is in my plastic Adirondack chair. I use one as a footrest and have a little side table to hold my drinks. It’s not a fancy set up, but it’s comfy and cozy. I have several containers with annuals to soften the concrete: impatiens, coleus, petunias, and begonias mostly. 

How I Enjoy My Patio

Once the weather is warm enough, I like to drink my morning tea out on the patio with whatever I’m currently reading. I love to hear the birds chirping and enjoy getting away from the TV news, which is what I watch with my tea in the winter months. 

An afternoon break on the patio is also a treat. I switch to herbal tea for the afternoon and watch the squirrels come in for a snack of peanuts, bird seed, or bread crusts. 

I don’t always have time for evenings on the patio during the week, but on weekends, it’s where I prefer to be after dinner. A warm summer night outside is the perfect way to wind down, either with a cup of herbal tea””yes, I drink hot tea all summer long””or a beer or glass of wine. I read in the evenings or chat with my husband. 

I love my outdoor space, and I wouldn’t change much about it. A screen might be nice to keep the mosquitoes out, but then I would miss my squirrels and birds. Some are even brave enough to take a walnut from my hand. Each year, I add more containers and flowers, though. That’s an update I can always work on.

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