Children are not inclined to go outdoors and play. Why would they when the TV, video games, and the home computer as entertainment all call them to stay indoors and “play”? This is a shame because with the denial of the outdoors, the environment becomes more and more disconnected. The kids today will one day grow up to be the voting adults of tomorrow and why would they vote for public funding of National Parks and for legislation to protect the environment. And why would they care when the environment has always been climate controlled and defined by four walls and a roof.

How can we encourage our children to play outdoors like we did if we are so afraid of the outdoors. The media has made us all so painfully aware of the multitudes of dangers to our children what with child molesters and child murderers to bird-flu carrying birds to West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes. We all need to revisit the concept of outdoors and we need to start with our own backyards, in our own patios and gardens. First steps are always the closest to home and then we can venture forth to explore the great big world outdoors.

Two years ago my husband and I thought we were doing the right thing when we put in a raised garden bed to grow organically grown herbs and vegetables.  We did so much research on the plants, the soil and the pesticides/herbicides we should stay away from as well as water runoff.  We thought we had done everything right including stopping using fertilizers on our lawn.  Then we found out that by using treated timber to build the beds we were introducing the toxic chemicals into the bed.  Last fall we replaced everything with real organic raised bed kits made of cedar.

Now that the beds have been replaced we are again planting and making sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we have good clean, natural food to eat. Though I know it’s not as important to everyone to go to the trouble we have, it is important to have good food to eat at your disposal.  Whether they are organic or not, I highly recommend the raised garden kits for the ease they bring when planting, watering and caring for your plants.  There is no better way to garden!

One of the things we don’t consider when we think about storage is the convenience of having that storage available 24/7, 365 days a year and the only way you can have this is having a storage shed on your property. Most people have one shed and while that works really well, having a shed that is dedicated to you backyard work and activities can make your life incredibly easy especially if you also garden.

Having your tools and equipment at your fingertips and always in their place when you are looking for them makes life easy and that is always a good thing. Don’t you think it’s time to get serious about your backyard shed? Make your gardening more fum with good, organized storage!

I live in the South and in the South you seldom get the “Winter Wonderland” that you hear about in the Christmas songs and see on so many postcards. However, it looks like we are in for a blast of old man winter in the next few days. When that blast comes you will find a lot of crazy people on the roads down here! Most have never lived in a Northern state so they have never driven with snow tires or had a lesson for how to steer in a slide when driving in the snow as it’s totally opposite of how you would think it was to steer.

I suggest, as well as I will be doing, to go get enough groceries to last you until temperatures get above the freezing mark and make sure you have a full tank of gas just in case you have an emergency and have to get out. You don’t want to get caught in a traffic situation and run out of gas. If you have to travel for work, please give the guy in front of you four to five times more space than you normally do as this is a major contributor to accidents in ice and snow. Other than that, dress warm and keep your walks and driveway as clear as you can (A broom works wonders in powdered snow) and good luck!