For years, I sold my rain gauges at a wholesale trade show. In the booth next to me, some friends carried beautiful copper tiki torches that sold like crazy. People were drawn to the promise of the Tiki-Torch Lifestyle...fabulous, flame-lit backyard parties with wine and jazz and sophisticated, witty friends. It was compelling. 

I fell for it. I bought a torch. I was on my way to fabulousness. 

I got home and scouted my yard for the perfect place. Bordering the hand-laid bluestone patio? Adjacent to the El Dorado stone fireplace? By the infinity-edge swimming pool? 

Oh wait. I don't have any of those.

In the end, I put it next to our little rock-lined fire pit. The one in front of the green resin adirondack chairs with the spiders living under the cheap, molded seats. And sitting there in our cheap chairs, surrounded by weedy grass, birds, bugs and well-fed deer, I realized that our backyard is fabulous. It's not jazz and tiki-torch fabulous...it's more cool rain gauge fabulous. It's practical and livable. So pretty much fabulous as far as I'm concerned. Hand me another beer.