Last night was one of those glorious northern Minnesota nights where you feel pulled to spend the night outdoors. 60 degrees plus. Sun bright in the cloudless, blue sky.
It was priceless.
And so after Sunday worship at the church, and a few chores after getting home, I set up shop outside on our campfire pit patio, which for a few months of the year is my favorite place in our entire home and yard.
Admittedly, the campfire pit could use some TLC. I haven't cared for it as of late like I originally did, but things really went off the rails last summer when our mom's cancer was worsening and I needed to spend a day or more per week on the road to help care for her and attend doctors meetings, etc. There was little time to take care of much during that period, least of all the backyard campfire patio.
As I sat in the sun last night, with a favorite can of IPA from a local brewery, I realized that I hadn't spent one single night out on the patio all of last year. Not one! ... When in summers previous, I was itching to spent almost every available night out there that I could!
The thought of the long absence away from my favorite place was disheartening, but thankfully this is a new summer with a fresh start, and my obligations should dwindle for the next few months. ... Time to reconnect with my ol' friend, the patio!
I did not light a fire last night, although the pull was strong. But, given it was a Sunday night and work beckoned today and the surrounding foliage was still a bit dry from winter, Shelley helped convince me it probably wasn't a great plan. ... This is why we marry people smarter than us! Otherwise I would have been dog tired today!
The couple hours I spent on the patio were extremely refreshing. I read, did a little writing, played with the naughty new puppy who is not used to having humans in the backyard hanging out. And I had time to think.
Time to think that the patio and surrounding rocks needs a tuneup! Check. Put that on the list for the weekend!
But also, it gave me time to think about how much can change in a year's time too.
Just since last summer, we lost our mom and the father of our soon-to-be daughter-in-law and our husky named Cody, who we had rescued 11 years ago.
This time last year, it had been a full year since Mom's cancer diagnosed, and I had spent an entire year running back and forth (three hours roundtrip) to our hometown once or more per week to help her, while trying to stay current at work, at the church and with my family.
And now it's all changed.
It's hard to believe that Cody is no longer out here on the patio to enjoy the sunsets and the campfires with me. He loved it out here, and loved curling up to folks who were chilling by the campfire.
It's hard to believe that we now have a third rescue pup, Howie the sometimes loco husky who thinks he's a ninja assassin and really annoys his older brother Gus Gus. ... And boy howdy, how Cody would have hated this new nuisance. Howard is just ... a lot. And Cody had low tolerance for anything or anyone who was ... a lot.
It's hard to believe that another baseball season has begun, and I can't talk about our sometimes brilliant, sometimes hapless Minnesota Twins with Mom, who was an ardent fan. You could bet that if the game was televised, she was glued to the set. And she would cheer every Twins run across the plate with the best of them! ... This summer I vow to make sure to listen to as many games as possible around the fire just for you Mom!
Hard to believe that Johnathan also won't be here in September to celebrate the wedding of our oldest son, Garrett, to his daughter, Anna. It won't be the same celebration without him. And my heart breaks for all of their family as this must seem like an impossibility that he would be there.
While the memories were sometimes wistful last night, overall it was a good night, full of heart warming nostalgia, for people and faithful pups who have departed us for now.
And maybe that is why the campfire patio is my favorite place out of all of our house and yard from the spring to fall months: It's a good place for memories, a good place to sort through life, a good place to ponder and to think, a good place to write, a good place to enjoy our current dogs and a current perch on which to keep pace with all of the neighborhood around us.
I am fairly certain that at some point last night, the patio whispered to me: "Welcome back, good sir! Good to have you around again! ... Now clean me up!"
I will campfire patio. I will. ... And yes you'll be seeing a lot more of me this summer. Thanks again for the reminder of what a perfect spot you are!