I do not know how long wooden decks and porches can go without being stained or re-stained but I had the idea that seven years might be the magic number and asked Jim to put that on his to do list (along with sorting out National Geographics from 1950 onward). I had scant hope of either happening.

Lo and behold, I returned from the aforementioned trip to St. Louis to find the porch stripped of furniture, grill, carpet and potted plants. Everything had been moved to the yard (fortunate, I thought, that the porch was in the back of the house lest the neighbors think we were having a large yard sale).

Yesterday afternoon one of my husband's good buddies, the one with all kinds of tools which probably have one tiny usage, came over with his power washer. Notice the ownership. It was his. Not rented, leased or inherited but he had purchased it for his (and his friends') personal use.

Hours later with muscles sore but with a great deal of pride and satisfaction, the porch was washed. Also the pool deck and steps. The next step is to wait 48 hours for the wood to dry and then apply the stain. And wouldn't you know, as luck would have it, after a late summer and fall of drought, it rained. More is expected today. And tomorrow.

Ah, but two days after tomorrow, the wood will be dry and stain will be applied, then furniture returned to its place and early mornings and late afternoons will find me reading and drinking tea and enjoying the pleasures of outdoor living ala Martha Stewart.

And that's what I think about it.