Dennis and I sat on the patio this late afternoon. We checked . . . neither one of us has any grass growing under our feet. I got rained out yesterday with my weed pulling agenda. That freaking rain lasted off and on until evening. This morning there was a bit of standing water in the far east portion of the backyard.
Dennis was determined to pick up the entire carpet in the patio porch. He did the sniff test and knew there needed to be a clear wood deck on the patio porch floor to assure everything would dry properly. Out came the little red pickup out of its shelter and in came everything that had once been the wonderful hide out of the patio porch. Not to worry. The flat screened television is putting out the wonderful choices that Dennis likes . . . just in a new location. Dennis has moved his chairs into the pickup area and all is well with the world. He was right. It is better to be safe than sorry with anything that can retain moisture.
The sun came out with a breeze. Scrub pail in hand with Dawn dishwashing liquid and the garden hose, I tackled scrubbing off the aggregate stone patio surface. Yes . . . the water went down. No . . . what remained was not nice. There was a scum on the patio. It took a bit of elbow grease but with coffee for encouragement the patio is in good shape. I made sure as I scrubbed and rinsed not to allow more water to be used than what the trench around the patio could absorb.
In hindsight . . . everything should have been built on stilts. Realistically . . . there are more wonderful days to be had with our yard and patio than not. We were not alone with challenges in our community. God works in mysterious ways and is not above using Mother Nature to drive home a point of humility. Being mindful of blessings and nurturing each other for strength to work together is priceless. Dennis and I make a fantastic team of “Us.”