This week the temperature is hovering in the nineties. It’s humid and oppressive. It makes everyone slow down and quite frankly, people are cranky. But we have loooong winters in the Ozarks and hiding out indoors during the summer won’t do. Enter the covered patio. It’s screened in, which is such a luxury because we have all manner of biting insects in the Ozarks and it provides shade from the scorching sun.

We bought our house in the dead of winter last year and one of the things we loved the most about it is the covered patio. We knew it would be one of our favorite places to spend time once things warmed up. The house we had moved from had a huge back deck but it had no shade and therefore we never really spent any time on it. A shame. So having a place to be outside in the fresh, albeit muggy air, that keeps us out of the direct sun is the absolute best! You will find me and the dogs sitting out there most afternoons after the house chores are done. We burn incense, read books and listen to the birds sing. If we are really lucky the wind blows and makes the tree leaves rustle and make ocean sounds.

Now don’t get me wrong; there is no way I could live in this part of the country without air conditioning! No way no how. But being in the cool indoor air all day just feels so unnatural. I think we are meant to experience the change of seasons, not just watch it from a window. And if you follow health influencers on socials, you know that getting sunlight in your eyes is important for regulating your circadian rhythm and regulating hormone function. Staring at screens all day and sitting under artificial light isn’t what God intended for us.

We are also truly blessed to have neighbors we consider friends! Sitting on the patio gives us a chance to say hello when a neighbor is outside too. Community IS what God intended for us and knowing your neighbor is the way it is meant to be. Would we like to live on a large plot of land with no neighbors in sight? Yes! That sounds amazing! But we live in the suburbs and are in close proximity to our neighbors so we want to be friendly and look out for one another.

I think the thing I love the most about the patio is that it gives us a comfortable place to host friends and family in the open air. I have held a girl’s night late into the evening and our son and his friends like to play on the patio when the sun is just too much to endure.

I hope you won’t let the heat keep you from spending time outside. Find yourself a patch of shade and get out in the fresh air. You know where I will be. Have a great week!