A Table in the Shade

The shadiest part of my garden is the step down area behind the aspens at the far end of our back yard. I put a table and chairs there and it's a really nice place to sit.

The view from the chairs is back up the yard, past the deck and beyond. There is something lovely about sitting in deep shade looking out at a sunny vista.

It's an awkward space, though. It's my work area, at the other end of the long alley that runs along the side of the house. I showed you the little rose and clematis garden I made at one end down the alley. This is the opposite end. 

While it is still technically the employees only section of my garden, it is the nicest for shade, so the extra patio table and chairs I had been storing at one end of the alley got placed here for a sit on a warm day. I sit more than I work these days, so this is good.

The table and chairs are right up against the fence, and when my neighbor Xochitl is out in her little yard we are literally inches away from each other. We are friendly and have met in real life outside our fenced courtyards, but after a brief hi through the fence gaps it's weird to be so close. 

She's busy doing whatever in her space and I'm busy sitting in my space, and there we are virtually together, companionable but unseen to each other.

If you want to know how to pronounce Xochitl, it's So-Cheel or So-Cheetle. It's a Nahuatl (Aztec) name meaning flower and quite common here. Her husband is German, and so her Mexican first name, paired with her German last name makes a mouthful. They're really nice neighbors.

I'm going to spend some time down here in the shade of the employee alley this summer. It's nice to have the stored patio table and chairs now being used again. 

Just being near my potting bench and garden gear makes me feel like I'm getting something done, even as I do nothing more than sit in the shade and try not to startle Xochitl inches away over on her side. 

A glass of iced tea would go well.