Outdoor Comfort - Part 1 - Getting Ready For Spring
In this series of articles, we will cover a number or ways to increase your enjoyment of the great outdoors this spring and summer season.
As spring approaches, everyone is anxious to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air, flowers and feeling of sunlight on their faces.
Winter has been harsh on everyone this year.
What can I say...
I am really ready for spring this year.
More to the point, I am ready to feel some warm temperatures and welcome the dryer weather.
I have had it with the cold temperature and the unrelenting rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow and all the variations in between.
What I have that isn't frozen is soaked to the bone! I am not sure if my 'sick-of-the-@!#$%-cold-weather' attitude is because of the severity of weather from which we suffered this winter or it is just a matter of how early it got cold last fall and how long the cold temperatures have lasted! Maybe I am just getting older and each year the discomfort of winter worsens.
Nah...
So, in this series of "Getting ready for Spring" articles, we are going to see what we need to do to get ready for the great weather and how we can make the most of it.
We will turn out attention to getting out our outdoor comfort items ready for the season.
I will try and make do with what we already have.
I think there are a lot of folks that have adopted a "less spent is more" due to lessons learned during this recent economic downturn.
My first priority will be to assess the condition of our outdoor comfort items.
We will discuss how to clean, repair and upgrade those items that can be re-used.
Those items that need replacing will be replaced.
We will talk about the best ways to replace these items with three things in mind:
Some will immediately think of the delicious outdoor prepared foods that spring and summer allow and their thoughts turn to getting their grills, smokers, Bar-B-Q's and other outdoor cookery out of storage and getting them prepared for the upcoming grilling season.
Others think about simple relaxation.
Modern families seem to spend less and less time relaxing, especially outdoors.
To get the most out of outdoor relaxation, we need to actually remove, asses the condition and clean all of our outdoor furniture - remove and store their covers, dust, clean off the cob-webs, wash off the dirt and grime from their outdoor chairs and tables and clean them for the upcoming season.
Outdoor recreation is another essential discussion when it comes to the enjoyment of being outdoors.
We will discuss what you can do to enjoy the outdoors in your backyard, on you patio or even your small apartment balcony.
There is no reason that you can't make your little part of the great outdoors your very own.
Lastly, no discussion of having fun outdoors would be complete without paying attention to the subject of insect, pest and critter-control.
We will discuss a number of ways you can keep the bugs away with a number of methods that are earth, kid and pet friendly.
As spring approaches, everyone is anxious to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air, flowers and feeling of sunlight on their faces.
Winter has been harsh on everyone this year.
What can I say...
I am really ready for spring this year.
More to the point, I am ready to feel some warm temperatures and welcome the dryer weather.
I have had it with the cold temperature and the unrelenting rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow and all the variations in between.
What I have that isn't frozen is soaked to the bone! I am not sure if my 'sick-of-the-@!#$%-cold-weather' attitude is because of the severity of weather from which we suffered this winter or it is just a matter of how early it got cold last fall and how long the cold temperatures have lasted! Maybe I am just getting older and each year the discomfort of winter worsens.
Nah...
So, in this series of "Getting ready for Spring" articles, we are going to see what we need to do to get ready for the great weather and how we can make the most of it.
We will turn out attention to getting out our outdoor comfort items ready for the season.
I will try and make do with what we already have.
I think there are a lot of folks that have adopted a "less spent is more" due to lessons learned during this recent economic downturn.
My first priority will be to assess the condition of our outdoor comfort items.
We will discuss how to clean, repair and upgrade those items that can be re-used.
Those items that need replacing will be replaced.
We will talk about the best ways to replace these items with three things in mind:
- Thrift - Where can we find bargains, sales and best buys
- Multi-Tasking - We will try and not buy any 'one-use' items and can play the role of several items
- Environment - What items are made from recycled goods and what items can be 100% recycled.
Some will immediately think of the delicious outdoor prepared foods that spring and summer allow and their thoughts turn to getting their grills, smokers, Bar-B-Q's and other outdoor cookery out of storage and getting them prepared for the upcoming grilling season.
Others think about simple relaxation.
Modern families seem to spend less and less time relaxing, especially outdoors.
To get the most out of outdoor relaxation, we need to actually remove, asses the condition and clean all of our outdoor furniture - remove and store their covers, dust, clean off the cob-webs, wash off the dirt and grime from their outdoor chairs and tables and clean them for the upcoming season.
Outdoor recreation is another essential discussion when it comes to the enjoyment of being outdoors.
We will discuss what you can do to enjoy the outdoors in your backyard, on you patio or even your small apartment balcony.
There is no reason that you can't make your little part of the great outdoors your very own.
Lastly, no discussion of having fun outdoors would be complete without paying attention to the subject of insect, pest and critter-control.
We will discuss a number of ways you can keep the bugs away with a number of methods that are earth, kid and pet friendly.
