Memorial Day weekend last year, I’m prepping for our first backyard barbecue of the season when I lift the lid on our grill and nearly lose my appetite. The grates look like they’ve been marinating in their own grease since the Clinton administration. Chunks of mystery meat welded to the surface, a layer of carbonized … Read more
Thursday afternoon last week, I’m in my kitchen when I spot my neighbor walking up our front walkway with what looks like a casserole dish. Sweet gesture, right? Except our front porch looked like a garage sale had exploded. Two pairs of muddy sneakers, a soccer ball, my daughter’s abandoned backpack, a watering can, and … Read more
Memorial Day weekend three years ago, I eagerly dragged our patio furniture out of winter storage, ready to finally enjoy some outdoor living after months of being cooped up inside. I pulled the covers off our cushions and nearly cried. What had been beautiful, expensive outdoor cushions last fall were now disgusting specimens of what … Read more
Last Tuesday morning, I walked out to water my wilted tomato plants and discovered our garden hose had apparently transformed overnight into some kind of modern art installation. It was twisted, kinked, and tangled around itself in ways that seemed to defy several laws of physics, sprawled across the patio like a giant green snake … Read more
Saturday evening last week, I’m finally settled on our back patio with a glass of wine and a book, ready to enjoy the first decent weather we’d had in months. Five minutes later, I looked like I was performing some kind of interpretive dance as I swatted at the cloud of mosquitoes that had apparently … Read more