It only took three years to figure it out. Or at least partially, still working on the second part of the problem.
We have some patio furniture that I love. It is a sectional in five pieces. The true test of whether it was the right one was its napability. Just as with a sofa, I have to lie down on it to see if it is comfortable enough to take a nap on. At our old place, I would go out in the afternoon with our dog, and we’d take a nap listening to the birds and other sounds of nature. When it was chillier, we wrapped ourselves in a blanket and I’d take out a small portable heater (or a fan in the summer).
In our new place, it has taken on several different configurations as we figure out the best way to provide good conversation flow (once we can have company again). Right now some pieces are on the back patio with the rest on the front porch. It is great to go out and sit to read a good book, do some writing, or of course, to nap on. In fact, it appears Lowe’s has the same set; we are ordering it again to add more seating since we already know it works well.
The only con to the set has been the cushions. More specifically, keeping them from blowing away during a wind storm. The bottom cushions have some Velcro straps that are supposed to hold them in place. The operative words are “supposed to“ as they have been pretty much useless from the get go. Since we leave them out all seasons, as they do get used almost all the time, anytime there is a wind storm…well, let’s just say we’ve found them in the neighbors’ yards on more than one occasion.
I’ve tried the straps, which as I said didn’t work. I’ve tried gluing Velcro on the backs of the cushions to hold them in place, which also didn’t really work. So, I’ve been trying to find a solution, such as sewing the straps together, or sewing material on to them to be able to tie them together. Today, as I was working in the yard, I wondered about putting snaps on the straps.
This evening, I took a field trip over to Joanne’s Fabrics to see if they had snaps. Of course they did! I found some I thought would work, and the tool, another “of course,” that I had to purchase to install the snaps.
When I got home, I just had to give it a whirl to see one, if I could install them, and two, would they work. The answer to the first part is yes, I can install them. It took a couple of tries, but I figured it out. The jury is still out on whether they will work or not. I’m sure it won’t be too long before they get tested. We can some mean wind here (almost as bad as the canyon winds in Albuquerque). Now to figure out how to attach the back cushions to keep them from blowing away!
Another project I finished today was hanging a peg board. I’ve always wanted one to hang my garden tools on, as well as some of those odds and ins that would do well off a shelf. Finally, today installed a peg board and got a few things on it. It’s not exactly how I want it yet, but it is off to a great start.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 