Drop Cloth Curtain

It is May!  Can you believe it?   May is when our weather starts to get warm.  I have been enjoying the outdoors so much this past few weeks.  I spend a lot of time out back on our covered patio.  But it faces West, and in the afternoon it can be so hot!  We put sun shades up on the two outside ends.  Why we didn't put three up, I don't know.  Probably the cost.  In the past week or so, while out there in the late afternoon, I have been trying to figure out what to do to block the sun.  I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought a painters canvas drop cloth.  I went back and forth on whether or not to get the heavy duty one, or a lighter weight one.  In the end, I went with the lighter weight cloth, and I am so glad I did.  It is perfect.  I bought the 8 oz. canvas.  There is a  heavier one, that is 12 oz.  It is also a larger cloth.  The size I got turned out to be perfect.

I was going to buy a closet rod and hang the curtain on that.  But I wanted to do it as inexpensively as I could.  So this afternoon when I took it out, and began to play with it, it hit me.  Staple gun!  I began in the middle of of the top of post.  The seam was in the middle, so I started there, and worked towards the right and then the left.  Taking small pleats evenly along the way to distribute the fabric.  I stapled it at the very top of the ledge, along the entire length.

I stood on a step ladder and hung the fabric from the top so that the bottom was about an inch or so above the patio floor. I didn't want it to skim the ground to get dirty.  So going only a few inches at a time, making sure that it was even along the bottom, I stapled along the entire top, then when done going from end to end, I folded the excess fabric from the top over the stapled edge as a sort of valance. 
I needed a way to roll it up when I didn't want to use it as a sun block.  So I used a roll of burlap that I had to put the ties up on both sides.  It too is staple gunned to the top, and then I took some trim I had and covered the top where the staples were visible,  using my hot glue gun. 

I am going to get a piece of pvc and cut it to the width of the fabric, and adhere to bottom, making it easier to roll up when I want to let the sun in.  But for now, this works great, and using the three pieces of burlap I can tie it up out of the way when I want.

I guess I didn't take a picture of it rolled up.  But it was quick and easy to do.  Like a roman shade.

Recently our son moved back home.  I had to do some rearranging, and removing of furniture.  I had bought the tan chaise lounge you can see in above photo, on Craig's List for the guest/fitness room, but had to take it out when Drew moved back home.  I didn't have anywhere else in the house it could go, so I had it in the garage with a sheet covering it up.  Our cat Maui made herself very cozy on it, and thought what the heck, I love that chair, and I moved it from the garage to the patio the other day.  I have spent every afternoon sitting there, reading.  It is not meant to be outdoors, but the patio is fully covered.  I doubt a hutch is meant to be there either, but I have one out there too.

I have my OTT light next to it so I can read when it gets dark.  It is such a great space to be, and now the entire patio can be shaded when the afternoon sun gets hot.

Did you notice the Hen House sign?  My brother and sister in law got that for me.  I just love it, but   haven't decided where to put it  yet, so for now it is hung on the patio.

They also got me this beautiful green plate.  I guess everyone knows how much I love birds!

My friend and neighbor Jane came over yesterday with this gift for me.   She too knows  how much I love birds, and she found this beautiful hand crafted glass picture when she was in San Diego recently.  

It looks so pretty when the sun light hits it.

I have retired my old Wellies and they are now being used as planters here on the patio.

I have a Calla Lily in the other one.
I have moved the baby chicklets outside, but they are still separated from the big girls.  They are still in the pack n play with their heat lamp on at night time.  During the day, they are fine with just the screen on top.

At dusk, they get covered up with an old comforter.  This will give them additional warmth, and for extra protection,  I put the picnic bench on top just in case we get a curious coyote or raccoon.

Little Ella with the mohawk is beginning to make me think she is not a Lakenveldor at all!!

Tonight we BBQ'D hamburgers and I used lettuce from my garden.  I will be able to use yellow squash and zucchini very soon. 

I do a lot of snacking while I am out there to water in the evening.

I have to come up with creative ways to keep my chickens from sneaking into the garden through the fence slats to munch on my veggies.  I used an old sheet and wove it through the one side.  And then I took the feed saks from the chicken feed and clipped those to the bottom of the other area that they were slipping in through.  These saks are a sort of coated plastic, and very durable.  I have one attached to their coop by the laying box for privacy.  I think they are so pretty with such vivid colors.

Oh, and one last thing.  My friend Joyce gave me some dehydrated oranges today.  She made them from oranges I gave her last week.  They were amazing!!  Like candy!  I cannot wait to get a dehydrator now!!

That's about it for me.  Time to waddle off to bed after a long day.  

See you soon.

XO  Kris