For me one of best parts of summer is the outdoor living. Sun rising early and sinking late giving so much day time to enjoy. The possibilities are endless.

Since we moved recently the outdoor time has increased dramatically. We now have a private back deck oasis. It’s perfect.

I should be clear about the outdoors. We are finicky. We aren’t gardeners and don’t get excited about landscaping and planting. Those days are gone. We aren’t big on sand. (I’m going to digress and tell you about a bbq we attended last weekend. Our friends hosted and they are babysitting their daughters dog. They live on the beach near us. Their backyard is entirely sand. When we got to their place I sat in a beach chaise and immediately the dog, a boxer of about 40 lbs, hopped onto my lap. I spent the rest of the event in a personal sandbox). We like low maintenance. Our new deck ticks all the boxes: spacious, sitting area, eating area, hot tub.

I used to love the sand. Beach trips were frequent as a teenager and for family outings. I lived in Virginia Beach for a year and loved it. Then started boating and spending summers in the Muskokas; no beaches there. Followed by boating in Lake Ontario for many fun years. Over time we realized that living in a lakefront home was the perfect combination of everything we enjoyed with none of the inconveniences. Home and vacation all in one!

At our farm we had outdoor space galore. But the bugs were intolerable. We ended up meshing in a tiny section of our covered wrap around porch so that we could enjoy the outdoors at dusk. It was a section built for two. Small. At the townhouse we had a small patio so we had to choose between sitting or eating. And the strip of grass between the patio and water was a walkway for our neighbours. No privacy. Now we have the ideal medium: space and privacy and no bugs.

This time of year is the best. Hot sunny days followed by crisper starry nights. You can practically live outside.

Meanwhile the CNE is on. That’s my signal that summer is waning. Days are slowly getting shorter. Outdoor time is even more precious as summer slips away. Funny how the flora changes (golden rod bursts into every area) and mums are a plenty in the stores. Back to school supplies are everywhere.

Another summer is winding down in the history books.