Well, Thanksgiving is only two weeks away; and those who are hosting large get-togethers already have their hands full with preparations for the big day.  Certainly, there are tons of details to be taken care of, from grocery shopping, to house cleaning, to figuring out where to seat everyone.  In order to accommodate all of their guests, people everywhere will be dragging folding tables, folding chairs, picnic table benches, patio chairs, and even outdoor dining tables and kids’ picnic tables, out of their storage sheds.

Of course, these won’t be the only things that will be pulled out of storage in the coming weeks, as decorations will be brought down from attics, and holiday tablecloths will be taken out of cedar chests.

Then, there’s the good silverware, which is essential to elegant holiday table settings, and must be at its brilliant, beaming best.  However, because the services often emerge from their silverware boxes looking less than radiant, many people will have to add “polish the silver” to their to-do lists.  What’s worse is that, sometimes, in trying to make their silverware sparkle, they can, inadvertently, cause damage to it.

That’s why it’s best to know something about silver before you attempt to polish it.  For example, sterling silver is an alloy, comprised of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.  Over time, with use and exposure to air, it can develop a patina, which, in some people’s opinions, makes it more attractive.  Obviously, oxidation also causes the silver to tarnish; and, under very humid conditions, this can happen quickly.

While this is natural, and inevitable, fortunately, the tarnish can be removed, and your silverware can be restored to its original beauty.  That is, as long as you don’t wear rubber gloves while you’re polishing it, as that could cause serious damage.  In fact, rubber can corrode silver badly enough to leave deep etchings, and even wear away intricate, raised designs.  Surely, sometimes, it can scar silver so severely that a skilled silversmith will be its sole salvation.  Never use rubber bands on silver, either, or store it in cabinets or chests that have rubber seals or coverings.

Because acidic foods can also mar silver, be careful about using it to hold, handle, or serve salad dressings, vinegar, olives, eggs, salt, fruit, and fruit juices.  The longer it is exposed to these substances, the more damaged it will become; therefore, if you want to put fruit in a silver bowl, either line it with plastic, or set a glass bowl inside of it.  When you’re not using it, the best place to store your service is in a solid wood silverware box that’s lined with cloth.

So, while the bad news may be that you’ll have to polish the silver in advance of your Thanksgiving dinner, the good news is that it won’t have time to tarnish again before the next special occasion.  Remember, there’s another big celebration just around the corner.  Yep.  This is just a dress rehearsal; or, for those who are going to be cooking another holiday dinner next month, perhaps I should say, dressing rehearsal.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

There are tons of projects for us to do, in and around our homes; but, at least, we get to work with houses that already exist.  Imagine the monumental challenges that our earliest ancestors faced, when, surrounded by wilderness, they had to construct various forms of shelter from whatever was at hand.

Many of those who weren’t lucky enough to find caves to live in (the “high society” crowd), made huts from wood and branches, while others draped animal skins over wooden frameworks, or used the bones of mammoths for the skeletal (literally!) structures, then covered them with the skins.  In any case, it took a lot of effort to build even the most makeshift abode.

Even so, it wasn’t long before people began adding on rooms to these modest dwellings, and furnishing them with chairs and tables that had been crudely fashioned from rocks, wood, and branches.  Outdoor furniture, I guess, was anything that was found lying around on the ground.  Perhaps a felled tree could have been used as a lounge chair, a smooth rock, as a garden bench (or, if it teetered on an uneven surface, a rocker), and an animal pelt tied between two trees, as a hammock, a hammock chair, or even a porch swing.

Naturally, people quickly began accumulating more possessions, in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses – or, the Oggs, as the case may have been.  Then, because of the apparently innate compulsion of the human race to hoard things, even when there’s no place to put them, the first storage sheds were created; and, like many homes, and some inhabitants thereof, they were nothing but skin and bones.

Throughout the ages, they have really fleshed out, appearing in many forms and materials, in virtually every culture, evolving into the good old backyard structures that we’ve all come to know.  In the 21^st century, however, apparently unsatisfied with being used only for storage, the shed has once again changed the way it is perceived in society.

Today, there are several styles of sheds, made from vinyl, cedar, and pine, available with features that include skylights, insulation, window boxes, and dozens of colors of siding and roofing.  Along with their impressive, new looks, garden sheds are taking on daring new roles, as home offices and gyms, studios, playhouses, guest rooms, and hobby rooms.  In fact, because they have proven that they can successfully serve all of these purposes, and many more, sheds have become almost as popular as gazebos.

It just goes to show that great things can happen when you’re courageous enough to shed your old image.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Here we go again.  Another winter storm is coming, and the snow, which has been getting heavier all day, is predicted to accumulate to about four inches.  Now, I truly enjoy the snow, and, being from Buffalo, I consider this to be a mere dusting.

Here, in my adopted hometown of Pittsburgh, however, people are rushing to grocery stores and stocking up on milk, bread, certain paper goods, and other necessities, as if they’re going to be snowed in for a week.  Naturally, they’ll be out and about as usual tomorrow; but, no doubt, they’ll be dreaming of the day when they can take the outdoor furniture from their storage sheds, eat at their picnic tables, nap in their hammocks, and relax on their porch swings.

That’s too bad, because there’s a lot to love about snow, including its ability to help us to burn some of those holiday calories.  I look forward to heavy snows, because I can replace some indoor workouts with snow-shoveling sessions.  These can go on for hours, too, because, the more I do, the less I notice the cold.  As long as you don’t have any health problems, shoveling snow can be a great activity.

If you don’t want to do anything that strenuous, get a broom and sweep the snow off your car, porch, gazebo, mailbox, doghouse, birdfeeder, birdhouse, and anything else that’s covered.

Of course, you don’t have to be doing chores to get some exercise in the snow.  No-o!  In fact, just walking through it gives you a workout that’s much better than you get when you’re on a smooth surface, because snow can provide the same kind of resistance that you feel when walking in sand or water.

Playing in it is beneficial as well.  You can work off a lot of calories by building a snowperson or a fort, having a snowball battle, or making angels in the snow.

So, if you’re lucky enough to live in a place that gets a considerable amount of snow, use it to your advantage.  Go out and have some fun in it.  You may as well.  After all, ‘snow’ use in complaining!  (Yeah, I know!)

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy