You’ve seen “Christmas Vacation”, right? The one with Chevy Chase. Around my house it’s pretty much a holiday tradition to watch it at least once during the Christmas season.
In the movie Clark Griswold has a daydream about what he’ll do with his Christmas bonus. He looks out his frosty window and envisions his plain jane yard in an extravagant, ultra-improved way. It looks like this.
It’s a little blurry. This movie is from before the days of HD. And let’s not forget Cousin Eddie’s role in all of this.
This daydream plays out to the sweet sound of Bing Crosby singing his Christmas classic, “Mele Kalikimaka.”
I’ve been acting like Clark for months now. Staring out my window, longingly looking out at the snow/sleet/rain/mud covered yard. Anxiously waiting for the day when I could make my yard dreams come true.
I looked out and saw this:
For the average person, yard dreams may include a little landscaping. Some grass covering the spot where that shed came down. Come on. You guys know me better than that. I”m Amy Allender, for crying out loud. I looked out at that…and saw something like this:
A girl can dream, right? {Image from here.}
So it’s not going to be this extravagant. Not in the least. But I am putting in a patio. You see, our house is not huge and I love having people over. The summers in North Dakota are so very, very nice I figure I could add extra room and “rooms” by adding them outdoors. {We have a very nice yard.} So I said “Adios” to that ugly, rusty shed…and “Hello” to my Mele Kalikimaka moment.
I broke ground today. More later on what you can practically and rationally expect from this project. {And of course how I’m getting it done.} But for tonight I leave you with my vision. And a challenge to have your own Mele Kalikimaka moment. Have you been staring out your window? Take the plunge, make that daydream into more than a subscription to the “Jelly of the Month” club.
Amy
PS…watch my “Outdoor Living” board on Pinterest. It’s about to explode!!
