The View From My Birthday Present

My birthday is in September and that's when we officially celebrate it. (It was yesterday.) Last year was a milestone for me, as well as our younger daughter and my dad. Mom had a big party to celebrate our 25th, 50th, and 75th birthdays.

Since it's Romie's mission in life to keep me happy, I usually announce what it is I want for my birthday well ahead of time so he can do what a good husband does - buy it. Okay, it's not really like that exactly, but almost. We don't make a big deal out of birthdays, so if there's something kind of big or special that we're wanting and a birthday, anniversary or Christmas is close, we get it and say it's for whatever one of those holidays we're celebrating next.

I've been wanting a willow chair for the garden for some time now, but any that I've found online are either too expensive or become that way once you add the shipping charges. It's not that they aren't worth the price they're asking, it's just that I keep hoping to find one that is a little more affordable. Well, one Monday back in July was my lucky day.

On the way to Hocking Hills, I was telling Mom how I wanted a willow chair and she said she'd seen a couple of them - get this - in Van Wert. One of the antique stores there had them. So the day after we returned from our trip, Romie and I stopped in to see them. Ah, yes, just what I wanted! And affordable. The tag said $159. We sat in them, we walked all around them, we compared the two.

We decided to browse the store for awhile before making a decision, and found something else we'd been looking for - an adze. We'd been using Dad's for removing sod, but we kept needing it at the same time Dad did, so we found one and bought it.

As we made our way back to the front of the store to the willow chairs, the sales clerk said she had just talked with the consignor who said she would take 15% off the cost. Well. That sealed the deal, even though we would have bought it at the original price. We chose which one we wanted, paid for it, and packed it in the back of the van.




Once we got it home, I ended up putting it in not quite the same spot I'd planned. Instead of placing it across from the pond, I put it beside the pond. It just looked better there. And the garden looks better from there, too.

Happy Birthday to me!

Note: These photos were taken in late July. I only wish my garden still looked like this in September!