Room with a View

"As I look out to my garden
I feel a sense of pride
It really is a lovely room
Except it is outside"

I made a major change to the garden this season with the replacement of the gazebo canopy. Early last winter I made the mistake of leaving the previous brown canopy in place. I thought I could easily remove any snow that accumulated upon it. However, my laziness got the better of me when during the first small snow storm of the season I didn't bother to remove the snow that had fallen. Dumb move. The next day I found the gazebo roof structure had bent and collapsed. It remained that way all winter after I resigned myself to having to teardown and replace the entire structure. However, back in April I decided to try and bend the roof structure back into shape, and unbelievably it worked and has held in place. That little bit of effort saved me a lot of cash. I then replaced the brown canopy with a new heavy-duty green canopy that I purchased from a third-party vendor.

The green actually looks good, although a dark brown would have worked as well. I will be sure to take it down at the end of this season and by doing so potentially extend the life of the gazebo for another year or two.

I also made a major addition to the collection of garden furniture. After a lot of consideration (online reviews, visits to local patio furniture stores, and attending garden shows) I decided on new Adirondack chairs for the garden. I donated the old flimsy plastic ones that I had for twenty years and purchased two new poly chairs. I was unsure about buying these recycled plastic chars instead of natural cedar. However, I want them to last and be able to keep them outside all year. 

These chairs are low maintenance and super comfortable (they should be, considering the expense). I sat in at least twenty different types of chairs before I decided on the Finch brand. The neck pillows also helped me to make the decision. In addition, we added a small side table. These chairs should last forever. 

In the meantime, they make for a comfortable place from which to relax and view the garden.