I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Colorful Patio. 2020

Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

I am so happy you decided to stop by!!

Today, I will be sharing how our colorful back Patio looks for this Season......
But first, I want to Thank Kristie, over at Love My Little Cottage, for featuring my post, Patriotic Decor in the Den, from last week's Little Cottage Linky Party!!
 Thanks so much, Kristie!!

Please stop by and ink up to this lovely party!!!

Not too much new here since my last post.....

Keeping busy doing projects in the garden since we have had a stretch of amazing weather.....

Low's in the upper 40's to mid 50's and high's in the 70's with no humidity...

Perfect in my book......

I have truly been enjoying time out on the back Patio, taking advantage of the nice weather before it gets disgustingly hot and I am stuck inside with the air conditioners blaring.... 

While sitting out there one evening after Dinner, this red cardinal was singing a song up high on top of the trees behind my yard.....
After he was finished, he visited our back yard with his mate, picking up some seed tossed out of my little cup feeders by the Blue Jays and Grackles...

I could not get my camera fast enough to get a picture of that...

I did get a photo of my little friend Chip on top of our fence in the back of the yard.....
I guess it was a good vantage point to survey the situation.....

 And our yard is frequently visited by Blue Jays.....
 My son, Joey, and I enjoy sitting on the back patio, watching the birds and the antics of Chip, our resident chipmunk after Dinner in the evening......

Most of the time, Joe can't sit still long even to enjoy it....

Joey is now living full time back at his apartment and going into work at his office once a week but he is still coming here for Dinner every day.....

I am cooking more and I am actually eating Dinner now everyday.....

Joe and I do not like a lot of the same foods so I used to make him Dinner and then just eat other things because I did not want to eat what I made him.....

After 35+ years of working night shift and eating whatever, whenever, my eating habits were atrocious...

One of the good things that has come out of this health crisis is that I am now on a regular meal schedule which I do not think I have been on in 40 years.....

Hopefully, that will, along with my 4-5 miles a day on the stationary bike at least 5 times a week, sit ups and arm exercises with weights for strengthening, help me to lose the weight that I have gained since I stopped working over a year ago and while recovering from my knee replacement surgery.....

For me, it is more about living a healthier lifestyle after working night shift for such a long period of time than losing the weight for just appearance sake.....

The major project that we did on the Patio this year was buy an outdoor carpet to cover the failed faux brick treatment that I did on the concrete several years ago......
 This would be perfect for a concrete floor in an enclosed porch but not one exposed to the elements, especially snow and ice in the Winter......

I did not want to spend a lot of money so I had Joe buy carpeting that cost only $35 at Ollies......
 We just had to cut about 15 inches off of it for it to fit the Patio......

I also had Joe buy 2 outdoor mats at Ocean State Job Lot for a mere $10 each.......
 Honestly, I think this was one of the best things we did..........
 It has worked out really well........

Let's start on this side of the Patio.......
I call this my side because this is usually where I sit.....
 On the edge of the Patio......
A large pot placed in a bright yellow plastic milk crate for a pop of color, planted with petunias......
And a smaller pot, planted with a new guinea impatien....
I planted marigold seeds in the pot that the Dwarf Alberta Spruce is planted in and they are starting to pop up.......
Hanging from the awning is a basket that Joe also bought at Ocean State Job Lot........
Instead of planting something in it, I opted to put faux greenery inside of it out of fear of it being too heavy to hang from the awning and risk pulling the awning down.....
Below the basket is a flea market find........
 A plant stand that I painted aqua several years ago.......
A few colorful pots on the plant stand......

One with an impatien on top, hens and chicks on the middle shelf and a begonia on the bottom shelf giving it room to grow......
 A marigold planted in this aqua pot along with a cute ceramic frog on the side of it....
 You can see that the bright colors of the Patio came from the cushions on the chairs.....
 On the side of "my" chair......
A resin table that I had spray painted pink.....
And a floral arrangement I made last year using up flowers in my stash.....
Why the empty pot????

I don't plant anything in it, hoping that the morning doves that have nested in it several times in the past will come back and nest in it again.....

My son, Joey, would never forgive me if I planted flowers in it!!!!

Hanging on the side is a children's size rake......
On the plant stand in the corner is a bright green pot planted with impatiens.....
I bought the wreaths for the windows and door at a flea market.......
2 years ago, I bought these cushions and pillows at J.C. Penney's on Clearance......
After several years of white wicker chairs that I had to spray paint every year because of the amount of dirt that accumulated on them, I decided 2 years ago to get these adirondack wicker like chairs from Wegman's........

They are light weight and easy to clean.......
Next to the chair is a metal drum table with a floral arrangement that I made in a ceramic bird house.....
A vintage metal milk crate turned upside down with a pillow on top serves as a foot stool for me!!
The shimmery chandy is set on a timer and goes on in the evening.....
 We do not have central air conditioning so we have to have a window unit for the Den.....
 At least it gives me a place to put my little camper on it!!
On the table that matches the chairs is a pot with an impatien planted in it, birdhouses that I painted, a candle and a red bird.....
The vinyl place mats were bought at Ocean State Job Lot....
Between the window and the door.......
I planted 3 impatiens in this pot inside of this Ice Cream Parlor style chair that I bought at a flea market many years ago.....
Several years ago, I extended the Patio using pavers because to the underground electrical wires.....
This is what I call the "Bump Out"
I wanted room for a table and chair in case I wanted to have a bite to eat out in the Patio.....
The "Bump Out" is between the 2 brick walkways that I put in....
I bought the folding bright green table and chair on Clearance at Ross Dress For Less a few years back......

It also gives me room to provide more shade by using an umbrella since our back yard Cottage Garden gets the Sun all day long!!
On the table.....
A marigold in a pot under a birdcage.....
A Gnome pot that I made.......
 The pink place mat came from Dollar General and the aqua one was part of that set of 4 from Ocean State Job Lot......

Underneath the table and chairs......
Planters and pots planted with seeds and my stepping stone that I made over by giving it a fresh coat of paint and adding crystals and river rocks.......
On top of this table is one of 2 Owls that Joe bought to ward off the squirrels that insist on burying peanuts in my flower pots that my neighbor throws out in his yard
So far, they are still working...NO squirrels!!!
The back door.......
I added a pretty pink pair of garden gloves to the wreath on the door this year....
The other side of the Patio......
This is where Joe or Joey sits......
This side is more of a utilitarian side of the Patio......
The "working" side......
Above the chair.......
 You can see that I added a set of Solar powered lights to the back of the house.....
A few garden signs and plaques......
I bought this mirror at a yard sale for $5.00......
I love how it reflects the garden......
Next to the chair is a filing cabinet that I also bought at a yard sale for $5.00.......
I painted it in Bright colors which I am thinking I made need to refresh a bit.....

On top of it is another place mat, a citronella candle and some pretties.....
The other owl used to ward off the Squirrels......
In the top drawer of this filing cabinet is wear I keep our garden and utility gloves along with containers of bird seed..........
One box is for Joe's gloves and one is for mine....

In the bottom drawer is where I keep some of the garden tools.....
Above and to the side of the filing cabinet.....
I hung an old garden rack and then used it as a hanger for frequently used garden tools......
 This hanging pot I did plant!!
A plant stand is next to the filing cabinet.....
And another children's rack with a metal butterfly on it hangs on the wall.....
In the corner......
On top of the Electrical box.....
A birdhouse that some bird's had built a nest inside of......

Hanging on the awning, are 2 wire baskets that I wired together.....
My Baker's Rack/Potting Stand......
I gave it a fresh coat of paint at the start of the season......
Pots planted with hens and chicks and hummingbird solar lights Joe bought at Dollar Tree on the top shelf.....

Last year, I gave my "I Have to Go Sprinkle" sign a fresh coat of paint.....
Garden shovels hang off the sides......
Sprinklers, Garden Soil in a vintage enamel pot and a coffee container full of bird seed stored on the bottom shelves....
I replaced the wood shelf with an acrylic glass shelf....
The edge of the Patio on this side.....
Again, I planted marigold seeds in this pot that holds another Dwarf Alberta Spruce......
2 pots, one planted with a marigold and the other with a new guinea impatien.......
And my Gnome/Fairy Garden Tub......
And a flower box planted with more impatiens......
 Yes, I have 2 umbrellas in the back yard as you can see the stand for the second one in the picture above......

I thought of doing another "bump Out with pavers but this stand is prettier than the other one and doesn't look all that bad in the yard......
 They provide much needed shade around the patio.......
 Since the back yard gets the Sun the entire day from sun rise until about 4pm when the sun swings around to the front of the house.....
 The aqua one is new this year, bought at Ocean State Job Lot.....


I hope you enjoyed seeing our Colorful Patio.......
I will be doing updates on how all my flowers are growing.......
 So I hope you will stop by to visit again soon!!

Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!

Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......


I am linking up to these parties:

THURSDAY
Vintage Charm
Home and Garden Party Thursday
Share Your Style Thursday Link Up Party
 Encouraging Hearts and Home Party
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 
Grace at Home Party

FRIDAY
 Funtastic Friday
Friday Favorites
Home Matters Linky Party
Embrace Your Style Link Party
Flaunt It Fridays

 SATURDAY
Saturday Sparks
Pink Saturday-Anything Goes!!
Best of the Weekend Party

SUNDAY
Snickerdoodle Sunday
Silver Pennies Sunday
Happiness is Homemade Linky Party

 MONDAY 
Inspire Me Monday
Love Your Creativity Link Party
Busy Monday
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11 comments:

  1. JeanieJune 17, 2020 at 10:07 PM

    I'm just wild about your green chair and table. So cheery!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Miss MerryJune 17, 2020 at 11:53 PM

    Your patio is so bright and cheerful!! It is very welcoming.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Louca por porcelanaJune 18, 2020 at 11:08 AM

    How adorable!Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Julie's Creative LifestyleJune 18, 2020 at 8:29 PM

    I love how bright, cheerful, and colorful your patio and yard looks. You made the cutest fairy garden. Enjoy the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AbbyJune 19, 2020 at 10:56 AM

    Very cheerful! I love the gnome pot you made and your fairy garden planter is always Adorable! Thanks for all the eye candy and inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My thrift store addictionJune 20, 2020 at 1:04 PM

    Debbie, your patio is colorful, cheerful, and inviting! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Carolyn @ Our Gilded AbodeJune 22, 2020 at 9:17 PM

    What a cheerful and colorful patio! I just love it and it makes me smile! Popped over from the linky party at The Dedicated House. Enjoy your beautiful space!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnnJune 28, 2020 at 4:02 PM

    Your patio looks like the perfect spot to relax, Debbie. Thank you for sharing at Party In Your PJ's!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kristie from Love My Little CottageJune 28, 2020 at 9:15 PM

    Your patio looks great, Debbie. It's one of my features on the Little Cottage Link Party tomorrow. I hope you can drop by.

    ReplyDelete
  10. MelissaJune 29, 2020 at 5:51 PM

    Thanks for sharing your patio with us at Farm Fresh Tuesdays! Your colorful wonderland will be one of my features at this week's hop! See you there!

    ReplyDelete
  11. TeediddlydeeJuly 2, 2020 at 2:19 AM

    Hi Debbie,

    I just LOVE your fairy garden and all the cute little things you have in your patio/garden! You have made it look so inviting and fun! Hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July!

    Hugs,

    Tee

    ReplyDelete

I always love to read your comments and opinions!!
I will try to respond to your comment as quickly as I can either on your Blog, through an email address or here on the posts where you commented if I cannot find any other way to contact you!!
If you are a vendor and insist upon leaving a comment with a link back to a website, it will be deleted immediately as I check my comment several times a day!!

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