The Garden Shedde

There is something about a dog that no human can on earth, not even your spouse or children, can compare with.  Dogs no how to hang out and wait until you are ready to play or go or sleep; whatever it is you want to do is cool!  They just want to hang with you like a good old friend but they don’t eat your food or drink your beer!  They are the ultimate in a companion.

Now specifically, I have a dog who reads my moods better than anyone I know.  When I walk out of my home office he knows how I am feeling and he responds accordingly.  Most times he is right there wagging his tail and ready for a little “me” time.  However, on those occasions when I am not ready to give him his time; the little guy knows.  The other thing that amazes me is how he is always in the right place to receive love.  I don’t even think about it but I’ll be petting him without paying attention and then realize he is always at the right place at the right time and this amazes me!  Now I know he will never be able to replace my kids or my wife; but they can’t replace him either.

Almost everyone knows the value of Extra Virgin Olive Oil when it comes to your health; is low in ‘bad’ saturated fats, and is high in the antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids that our bodies need.  What you may not know is while Extra Virgin Olive Oil is wonderful when used for things such as salad dressings and toppings that are not heated beyond its smoke point; it’s not the best oil for cooking and sautéing.  Fortunately, there is a great healthy oil that fits this need so you can continue to cook those things you love.  It is grapeseed oil.

Grapeseed oil is a very heart healthy oil in that it has a higher concentration of antioxidants, omega-6 fatty acids, and vitamin E as well as lower levels of saturated fat, and has even been known to raise HDL and lower LDL cholesterol levels!  When cooking with this oil you will note that it has a higher smoke point so you can cook away!  The taste is a little bit different but that’s not to say that it is not good.  Most people describe the taste as “nutty and mild”.  You can also use grapeseed oil for salad dressings as well.  Stock up and enjoy!

If you’ve been looking around at your local hardware stores for inexpensive sheds you have had a hard time finding one.  I know because that’s exactly where I started.  The optimum for me was a wood shed but once I saw how much they cost, I had to be a little more reasonable and look at other options.  What I found that fit my budget was a metal shed by Duramax and the best deal I found was online.

I have really enjoyed having some outdoor storage to utilize for all my garden needs as well as to store some of the seasonal items from the house and garage. I never knew that having a garden shed would free up so much space!  It was very easy to put together though I did get my brother to help me.  I believe it took about 4 hours or so and it has held up now for three years.  I had heard not to get a metal shed but I have nothing but great things to say about this wonderful shed.

Not everyone has the money to spend on getting laborers out in the yard to dig, tear out, rebuild and modify the landscaping, flowerbeds and patio areas even though most of us would love to do that.  The truth is that, right now, many families are hurting for money and do not need to go into anymore debt.  For those families there are alternatives that can get you through until you can do some of the major things to your yard.

Many people want a pool.  This may sound lame but get a small baby pool so the kids can play in and around it and you have a place to soak your tired feet and sip a beer or glass of wine in the evening.  Make some planters out of things around the house that you don’t need anymore.  For example; five gallon bucket make great patio tomato planters or you can turn an old fishing tackle box into a delightful planter of petunias!  This is a great way to be creative without feeling like you have to spend a lot of money or get left out this year on having a beautiful garden.

Everyone knows that dogs love you no matter what.  They come (most of the time) when you call them, are easily trained, seem to know when you are blue and will bark if they feel you need to know about something.  Dogs are smarter than most humans, more compassionate than most humans, don’t judge you because of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or for any other reason.  Most would never bite even if they had good reason and the ones that do have good reason to bite most of the time.

Most “bad” dogs have either been taught to be that way or are protecting themselves from what they perceive as potential harm so it’s hard to blame them.  But as wonderful as all these reasons are to love dogs the reason I love dogs is the fact that they don’t talk.  That’s right.  Dogs will sit and listen to you for hours without giving you their opinion, or how they feel about what you just said or how what you just said has hurt their feelings. I have learned I can live without a lot; but not a dog.

If you have ever watched someone eat food made with fresh ingredients for the first time you would know how special it is to cook with these ingredients. I realize recently that I have always taken the way I was taught to cook for granted by watching a young man who had been brought up on canned and/or fast foods sit and eat a freshly cooked meal with ingredients right out of an organic garden, accompanied by a simple salad made with freshly picked lettuces and assorted greens.  This young man savored every bite as if he had just tasted heaven.

Here is someone that has lived in the US all of his life and is just now tasting real food for the first time and all I could think of is what a shame it has taken us so long to realize the value in providing good fresh foods to everyone in our country. Maybe now that our first lady has made a commitment to an organic garden on the White House lawn we will have others follow her lead and start community gardens all over America in and out of urban areas to bring really good foods to the tables of all who want it.  Now that is a dream!