With few places to go, absolutely no one to see and essentially no ability to make plans, I've been more anxious than ever to make our home the best place to be. So I really fixated on a wish list item that has been slipping down the priority list for six years, but finally had its moment: my dream Lutyens-style bench from Plow & Hearth for the porch. I got the greenlight to make the porch my happy hour destination of choice, where I can sip wine and wave to strangers and admire the dogs of the hood, and it's already upped our curb appeal about 1000%.
I rounded it out with a wicker side table and cabana bolster pillows from Target and a nice, big geranium that brings me so much joy with its bright pop of red.
Like, seriously, how did we ever NOT have the bench?
From the bench, I can admire this favorite spot of the landscaping we did a few years ago with my mother-in-law. That combo of golden thread cypress, juniper and loropatelum just makes my heart sing.
In the other direction, I can gaze upon this collection of succulents that look great today and will likely be scraggly messes come fall because that's what succulents do.
The porch improvement happened just in time for my first socially distanced visitor! Melissa brought by some paper gold (a.k.a paper towels) and plopped her chair down for a quick visit. It was a delight!
And maybe because she felt bad and knew I needed something to smile about, Mother Nature allowed this one iris to bloom for the first time in a few years. I imagine that's just the schedule it's on, but I like to think it was for me.
Next up, I'm planning a major sheet mulching overhaul of a hated corner of the backyard, and I can't wait to share more about that someday.
