Well groomed would be a stretch...it was more like an English garden with abundant flowers and ground cover. Keeping the paths clean was an obsession because they were very visible from my view but not from the patio itself. There was a storm fence enclosing it but most of it was concealed. On the left side my neighbor had overgrown lilac bushes. On the right side the neighbor had grape vines that over the years had entwined themselves. On the uppermost level the fencing was covered with climbing ivy, the ground with pachysandra, a small tree with low hanging branches concealed most of it and the shed where I kept my gardening stuff, a shady spot to sit on a hot day.

I had a deck across the back of the house and I'd be more likely to sit up there than the patio unless I had company. (I still have the table chairs and cedar lounge from the patio.)

Another obsession was the infestation of slugs that shortened the life of the blooms. I became the big slug hunter. I knew the time when they would show themselves and I'd go out with a flashlight headband, tong tweezers and a coffee can filled with salt and every one I saw was toast. I only knew I was making headway when my victims became smaller and smaller.

At the time, my daughter who lived with me, was into singing and playing guitar. Sunday was garden day and she'd bring out her amps and serenade me while I puttered. When it became routine, neighbors would pull out their lawn chairs and sit to listen. I loved that yard.