A lifetime ago, when the Hubby and I were just starting out, we lived in a small but lovely one-bedroom apartment that was on the ground level of a two-storey walk-up. The building was from the 1930's so it was a pretty tight fit. However, outside, there was a fabulous green courtyard that was ours for the using. So use it we did. Our second summer there, we set up a kiddie pool (ostensibly for Mojo) and a little table and chair set and we spent as much time out there as possible (which, as a teacher, was a lot for me!). We invited our friends over for drinks and toe dipping and called it Shangri-La. It was awesome. For a summer spent in a cramped, un-air conditioned apartment, it was maybe the best summer ever.
Now that we are homeowners, it seems to me that we have been trying to recreate our own little bit of Shangri-La once again. We have the freshly lined pool (somewhat larger than the original blow-up) and our recently repaired fence, which affords us considerably more privacy than we had at the apartment! (people had to walk by us going to and from their cars in the parking lot!) And of course, no backyard would be complete without the table and chairs (including a small one for the kids).
Our current project is working to replace the ugly and poorly placed (though admittedly very useful) green shed which houses the pool equipment with a nicer one at the back of the lot to make space in which we can once again, drink with our friends pool-side.
The re-creation of Shangri-La has been slow and laborious - finding extra money for these (luxury) items has been difficult. But I am determined. Little by little the transformation is taking place. We started small with the creation of the vegetable garden (free) which actually provides us with some edible fare each year, then the pool and fence repairs, now the shed. One day it will be the oasis that I've always dreamed it could be, until then, we'll simply have to continue enjoying what we've got!
