Repair, Replace, Repeat

One of the wonderful things about gardens is that there is always something about to burst open.

  

Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to other things. The problem is that nothing lasts forever . . . 

. . . especially screens.

Their frames don't last long either so Nick and Burt have been replacing the screens and rebuilding the frames that are the walls of our lanai. (I just can't get used to that term, it sounds way too exotic for a slab of cement with a roof over it!) Regardless of what it's called, they're almost finished and in spite of an obvious disregard for power tool safety, all of their fingers and toes are still attached!

Over the past seven years we have hosted a parade of contractors hoping one of them would be able to restore the1950's lanai attached to the back of our house. They usually said it was too far gone and should be torn down and replaced with a new, vinyl prefabricated one they could install in just a single day! Of course we would need to cut down a couple trees and replace part of the driveway but they could recommend someone who could handle all that, too. What? That's not what we were asking for, not even close! Well, eventually we came to the realization that if we wanted it restored we would have to do it ourselves. So we got to work, made more than a few mistakes and now it's nearly completed. Burt, as always, has remained cheerfully optimistic throughout the entire project. 

Meanwhile, drunk with DIY success, I found another project. These wicker chairs from Target spent one too many winters outside. Everyone always avoided them because they were uncomfortable and left a waffle pattern on your thighs if you were wearing shorts. So before chucking them in the landfill I decided to see if they could be reworked into something we would actually want to sit on.

Then there was this unattractive piece of trash patio furniture, also another possible candidate for a makeover. Are these pieces worth fixing? I'm not so sure, but Burt thought they had good bones.

After a few cans of spray paint, some fabric and a new umbrella we have another spot to enjoy ourselves at the end of the day. After all, you can never have too many places to relax in a garden!

Plus, having a moveable table means sometimes we can dine among the peonies,

or have a conversation by the hedge.

We can answer emails among the fragrance of old roses,

or just forget about work and down a few cold ones!

Where's your favorite spot for relaxing?

Hope you all are having a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!