Spring Fever

I have been struck with Spring Fever...the real kind, with body aches, headaches, sniffles and a sore throat to boot. Its not very often Mom gets sick enough to actually complain, but the last few days have worn me down. So I took a couple of sick days.  Unfortunately, the weather decided to look kind of nice. After the snow, rain and gloom the last week or two, it was nice to see the sunshine. Even if I didn't feel well enough to go outside and enjoy it. Boo.

But, my time loafing around the house feeling sorry for myself wasn't a complete waste of time. I did manage to catch the more favorable Spring Fever and do a little surfing looking for images to inspire our outdoor spaces this year. Our back patio is built somewhat like this...minus the french doors and overhead shade. I can live with my big slider with its huge full length side windows, but we NEED the shade. Finding an inexpensive DIY version for shade may be our biggest challenge, especially since it has to hold up to our winds. Living here, we know the meaning of a zephyr.

If old man winter decides he is done with us, we could start working outside as early as this weekend. Do you know how happy that would make me? Sigh. I would love to have Easter outdoors this year. Especially if I could host brunch on my back patio with our deep seating cushions redone and drapes catching the breeze like the ones pictured above. Notice I said breeze, not gale force winds. A girl can hope, right? I'm thinking of reupholstering the cushions and making grommet drapes out of painters drop cloths. Cheap, relatively easy and durable. 

Add splashes of color with throw pillows. Soft greens, blues, and tans, maybe a little apricot thrown in to warm it a bit. Need to find a solution for a coffee table. The one that came with my deep seating conversation set is cheezy. I would love to find a Craigslist piece like the one above, or something I could make look similar.

I'm thinking I need to add a swing like one of these back there too. I know that won't happen before Easter, heck, none of it will probably happen... But, a swing back there on lazy afternoons with a good book and a cool glass of something would be absolutely divine.

Speaking of things that won't happen until later in the summer...

We need to partition a portion of the yard off for the dogs. Our back yard runs the length of the house, plus some on each side, but its shallow. It ends rather abruptly about 10, maybe 15 feet from the house where our master bedroom protrudes. Its a 10 foot drop into a gully full of sagebrush, with nothing more than a rock wall capped with a split rail fence.  Hence, Sagebrush Ridge...

Any way... we will be putting in an electronic fence (our only option) and redoing that section of narrow yard. Its currently in a state of ick. Yes, its a technical term. Grass that won't grow, a weird slope to a drain and honeysuckle that was never properly supported equal ick. I'm dreaming of a small hidden patio tucked in the corner among water savvy plants, connected to the lawn that we will keep by

a casual decomposed granite path. The dogs will love having a path to sniff along when they head out to do their business. Much better than the mainly concrete courtyard they get to go to now.

Our courtyard looks nothing like this. Its much smaller and doesn't have a fireplace. It does have two japanese maples flanking the front entry, and plenty of narrow flower beds that are crying for mediterranean plantings and lights like these overhead. Our copper firepit and a few chairs will round out the space nicely.

Tomorrow, I will show you what I have in mind for my vegetable gardens. And maybe then I will have kicked this cold to the curb and can show you what I have been up to indoors.