‘My Pergola’ is not to be confused with My Sharona, a 1979 song by The Knack.
According to Wikipedia: “A pergola is an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woodyvines are trained.”
This is a story which will not make it into my epic new book, Live From Japan!, officially coming out Valentine’s Day 2021.
I’m merely posting here to “blow my own horn”, which according to the online Free Dictionary means: “To boast or brag about one’s own abilities, skills, success, achievements, etc.” I think that sums it up pretty well.
Last summer, I spent four weeks putting together a structure which provides in our very modest yard a pleasant place to relax, have fun, read a book, drink tea, eat lunch or barbecue.
Why did it take four weeks? Not making excuses, I improvised this the whole way. I had no blueprints, never even stopped to make any drawings myself . . . just made it up as I went.
This was actually fun! Seeing what I was imagining in my head gradually materialize was a real hoot. The downside was my having to make probably 40 or 50 trips to our three local home supply center/hardware stores — many on my bicycle — as I discovered along the way I needed some new bracket, set of screws, bolts, braces, tool, etc.
Since all the wood I bought was raw lumber, probably the most tedious chore was applying two coats of weatherproofing stain to every surface before assembling this monster. I call it a monster, because just the floor — as pictured at the beginning of this article — weighed in at 104 kg (229 lbs) and I had to get a muscular friend to help me move it to the spot in the garden where I would assemble the pergola, piece by piece.
Anyway, here’s what it looks like. Now we just have to see if it survives winter and typhoon season. Stay tuned!
