Inside Inside, Outside Outside

View from the living room looking out

There are a lot of things about my tiny house I really like.  This year in the course of imagining my garden as I would like it to be (for that dang garden walk), I realized I would really like to interact in some way with my garden when I am in my home.  If I want to do that I have to physically go outside and be outside.  There are no outside views, no catching sight of a bird at a bird feeder while eating, I can't even catch glimpse of what gets my dog so all fired up excited unless I go to the window and peer out.  When I am in my home, I am hunkered down, waiting for the end of the ice age, whatever.  My dining room, which is street side, doesn't even have a window facing the street!

I think my house was designed to be easy to defend.  After all, it has an Indian hidey-hole, like open the door in the dining room floor, jump in and pull the door  down, and throw the rug on top sort of space.  It was built when Indians roamed through seasonally hunting wild game and to partake in the water from the artesian spring north of town. 

My house dates from before the Victorians got their fancy ideas about being able to view their gardens from their houses, with long allees placed to view from a dining room or doors places on porches from sitting and dining rooms for after dinner conclaves.  With the pace of modern life, after dinner walks, conclaves, and even dinner conversation are rare beasts indeed. 

My living room faces the street and a narrow yard just eleven feet from my neighbor's porch.  Fence, arborvitae, and thug of the world akebia quinata, which we know has not been playing nice with the arborvitae for years now, all help screen the view, but a view of what?  Generally the view has the gauzy curtain adding another layer of protection from the neighbors there.

These are only a couple of the obstacles I need to find a solution to more outside inside.  Do I change out windows, window coverings, furniture arrangements, rethink what is happening in areas where I could possibly look out.  I am unsure.  Finding ways to bring my yard into my home is my next big challenge. 

Have any of you come up with easy solutions this problem?