The Perfect Summer Day

I have a friend who loves being outdoors. He often works sitting on a bench near Lake Michigan. His favorite spot is barely a block from his house, which is also located near Lake Michigan’s shoreline. He is a pen and paper guy but just recently received a laptop as a gift so this has enhanced his ability to work outdoors. When planning activities together, I often fail to take into consideration this outdoors factor. It has surprised me to find my preferred location seems to be indoors.

I lived for 18 years in Colorado, an outdoors epicenter. I loved Colorado, and spent the last 9 years on a spectacular piece of land with a great house. Since I lived alone, I could craft my environment as I chose to and by the time I left, had remodeled the first and second floors and installed extensive gardens. Gardening found me outside every day and when the day ended, or more accurately when my energy waned, I was to be found on my back porch with its corresponding deck. This extended nearly the width of my house and I had furnished it with rugs and comfortable weather resistant furniture.

My favorite place was a garden bench that my grandmother had given me. With cushions and pillows, this was perfect to recline and read or merely zone out as I gazed at my gardens which were terraced up the back of my yard. Extensive and mature landscaping was provided by numerous tall aspens mixed with silvery Russian olive trees. What I remember most was the sound the large, flat aspen leaves made as the wind moved through them. Everyday, as the heated ground met with the cool air flowing down from the surrounding mountains, there would be late afternoon breezes.
I recently realized that almost by accident, I have been able to rather effectively recreate those conditions where I currently live. I reside on the second floor of an old house surrounded by mature trees. Old house means no central air because radiators provide the heat. And old house also means windows which are missing screens and sometimes, barely open more than a few inches. Because of this, every available window is always open. I do, additionally, have 2 porches and a sunroom with French doors. And because I must, by necessity, open as many windows and doors as possible, I find I can hear the trees’ leaves rustling and feel the cross breezes and I’m reminded of my favorite Colorado porch. However, the greatest value lies in replicating the porch’s serenity while sitting at a computer screen. I can work efficiently while in a formerly leisure related environment. I smile as a breeze moves across my keyboard and work to the calls of the birds that nest in the curve of the old rain gutters.

This integration of outdoors and indoors has minimized my need to maximize planned outdoor activities. I feel as if I have spent my entire day outdoors while my friend associates his office and house with closed windows which will contain the cool air generated by the central air system. When he says, “Wasn’t this perfect weather?” I can reply “Yes” because despite working a full day at my desk I was serenaded by the breezes and bird songs of my surrounding landscape. It was for me, too, a perfect day.