patio/deck

There is a balcony deck outside our living room, which is obviously unappealing for much of the year when it's cold and rainy. And then in the summer, it gets extremely hot in the afternoons, because it's a southwest exposure. And then given how little time we usually spend at home, making the deck into a usable space has always been a low priority for us. Until now! We are all here, and the deck is shaded in the mornings, and so we've embarked on a low-key project to make it a little nicer. We got colorful planters -- and nice wooden one from Mom Raab - and some new plants from Cornell Farms, and we've planted lettuce and flower seeds in some other planters. We thought about buying chairs, but decided to just put our comfy camping chairs out there instead. They're lightweight and portable, and we'll just bring them back into the garage when the rains begin in fall.

Dwarf red maple.

Liesl and I played some card games and Scrabble outside this morning. Jasper loves lying on the deck with me, curled up at my feet. I've taken a number of morning work calls out there and it's sweet to be outside, looking at the forested greenspace and hearing the birds, with a dog to keep me company.

And then, on an unrelated note, the baking continues: this was a rhubarb upside down cake that Sebastian helped me make. It might be his first baking project and it turned out delicious!

Sweet Jasper enjoying the grass.