Have you ever received something you didn’t even know you wanted until you had it?  Earlier this summer, that’s exactly what happened to me.  For nearly two weeks last month, both sons and my daughter-by-love were all home at the same time. It was like having Christmas in July!  

One morning they all offered to help me in the gardens. There were new flowers to plant and weeding is a constant chore.  Heading out the back door with gloves on and tools in hand, I assumed my workforce was following close behind. But when I turned around, they had stopped at the shed.

Now you know what a shed is. It is a structure meant to store gardening equipment, the lawn mower, and such. When it’s built you have every intention of keeping it clean and organized, but that doesn’t happen and before you know it, it’s so full of stuff you can’t even get the lawn mower in it.  Little did I know, that was about to change.

They stood there quietly commiserating and before I knew what was happening, they had pulled every single thing out in the yard. Armed with brooms and buckets of water, they stirred up a cloud of dirt the likes of which Pigpen would have marveled.  Bent on creating a country chic motif, they gathered up discarded posts from the old fence and haphazardly nailed them to three wall sections for effect.  Finding a gallon of white paint in the garage, they proceeded to paint the posts, the floor, the cabinet, and some of the trim for good measure.  It’s amazing what a little paint does to spruce up a place. 

Stored in the garage, Annabelle discovered the antique trunk Jerry’s father had used for storing tools. Determined to make a window seat, she cleaned it up and applied a scant layer of white paint for a rustic finish.  While the paint dried, she and Douglas draped muslin from the beams to hide the unfinished ceiling, giving the impression of gently billowing clouds overhead. 

Stepping back to appraise their efforts, the decision was made to add a rug, globe string lights, and give the outside a fresh coat of slate blue paint with white trim in the days to come.  

With all the aforementioned upgrades completed, it was time to furnish and decorate – my particular bailiwick.  A piece of foam covered with an extra long pillowcase made a cushion for the trunk.  Add a couple of old, but freshly washed, porch pillows with new covers and voila – a window seat.  Framed, floral, watercolor prints by my mother-by-love added a splash of color here and there and matched the overall tone.  Enter a freshly repainted, yellow kitchen chair as well as a few candles and some dried flowers in bottles from my collection.       

The final piece was a serendipitous find made during one of our morning walks.  Abandoned on the sidewalk in front of a house along our usual route sat a padded, wooden, glider rocker and ottoman in excellent condition.  Since it was not at the end of the driveway, it was unclear whether or not the owner was planning to discard them.  For four days, two of which it rained heavily, we walked past hoping someone would be outside so we could inquire about their intentions.  

On the fifth day, the morning for trash pickup, the chair, with the ottoman stacked on the seat, still sat in the same spot.  Disappointed but not deterred, I resigned myself to modifying the furnishing arrangement.  Proceeding on our walk, we planned trips to Goodwill and The Restore, since purchasing new items to put in an old shed was out of the question.

Deep in conversation as we made our way home, we looked ahead just in time to see the resident of the “glider rocker” house walk out the front door, heading toward his car.  Unabashed, I called out, “Excuse me, but are you planning to get rid of these?” gesturing to the chair and ottoman.  “I’m not sure,” he replied.  Smiling, he added, “Let me check with the boss.”  

While he was inside conferring with his wife, Jerry asked if I intended to offer to pay for the items.  Twenty dollars seemed fair to me.  Jerry thought ten was sufficient.  Just then, the fellow came out and stated, “She’ll take $10 for the set.”  “Sold,” Jerry declared, handing him the agreed upon price.  

Jerry picked up the chair and I the ottoman.  Thank goodness we’ve been working out all these years.  We still had over half a mile to go.  With another thank you, I told the young man, “Our kids are going to get a kick out of seeing us coming home lugging these.”  He laughed heartily as we set off.  Our kids weren’t the only ones who were amused.  The neighbors found our early morning shenanigans entertaining as well.  

With cushions washed, repaired, and reattached, the freshly polished glider rocker and ottoman were installed in their new location.  Satisfied that our vision had been realized, we stood admiring our handiwork.  The tool shed was unrecognizable.  It’s forlorn, neglected countenance had vanished.  Together we had transformed our tired old shed into a backyard oasis.  

A few days before we embarked upon this project, a new word was introduced to my vocabulary – snuggery.  A snuggery is defined as a cozy, comfortable place, especially someone’s private space.  A fitting name for our creation.  And so it was christened with a celebratory dinner and family picture.  

Nearly every day, I find some time to slip away to The Snuggery.  Whether it’s to read, write, or watch the birds, it has become a favored retreat.  Even though it’s only steps from the back door, it feels like being in an entirely different place.  When I’m here, no matter where my children are, I feel close to them – delighting in the gift I didn’t even know I wanted.