outside living, before

the baron and the husband live in what the baron would call a very small house - it's just around 950 sq. feet. when all the dogs and all the humans are indoors, things can start to feel a bit close, due mostly to the fact that tucker and baron need to shadow the humans from room to room. it's not the size of the house per se - the baron and the husband are accustomed to small spaces. for instance, in san francisco, their apartment was teeny, tiny - but perfect for the two of them and dexter. it seems, though, that as their family has grown by leaps and bounds (now four dogs, two humans, and one foster cat), their housing hasn't.

because of the size of their house, the baron and the husband - weather permitting - spend lots of time outside. they actually bought their current house based on the size of the yard and all the outside time a yard of that size would permit.


above and below are two photos of the same area - one the husband calls fern valley. a chaise lounge, two chairs and dogirondack sit on a thick pile of mulch. it's a shady spot, an ideal place to sit on hot days. but. the baron has two issues with fern valley. one, the mulch is not-so-slowly decomposing; the legs of the chairs sink into it. two, the entire sitting area is sloped.

the shade of fern valley is ideal for mosquitoes, those summertime pests. below, candles to keep them at bay.