If your outdoor table is down to three, two or fewer legs; is rusting or is missing a table top, it may be the season to step up for a new one, or two. If you have outdoor seating, a patio side or coffee table is a necessity. Where will that plate, drink or your feet go?
While there isn't anything glaringly different from one year to the next, a few new surprises turn up each year -- colors, materials, form, and sometimes prices (as in, "Wow, that's really a good deal!")
Peruse our selections, get ready to shop or order online, because Memorial Day is less than two weeks away.
Photo of the Jubilee all-weather wicker table courtesy of PriceGrabber
Depending on the weather forecast, you might want to honor mum with an outdoor feast this Sunday. Just make sure she sits back, relaxes, and has absolutely nothing to do with the preparations or cleanup -- just eating the savory meal you have planned and made for her.
Photo © Stephanie Gallagher
We've come up with a list of favorite grill and barbecue recipes from About.com's many chefs and culinary experts. Whether the queen for the day is a vegetarian, seafood lover or a traditional burger gal, there are new recipes and side dishes for a complete feast that will make her proud. And of course she deserves to be pampered and treated with kindness.
One of the reasons I love this time of year is the abundance of garden tours, especially in Southern California. In one direction is Los Angeles, in the other is San Diego, and yet other directions are great tours in historic Riverside or Pasadena.
Where else but a garden tour can you go for inspiration, ideas, light exercise and a general sense of well-being? Throw in a neck and foot massage and a bottomless glass of iced tea (served by George Clooney, natch), and I'd be a happy camper, but that's probably a tad too much to expect from the nice folks who host garden tours. Directions to the nearest non-portable bathroom is usually considered a major coup.
As a Mother's Day weekend present (why celebrate a mere day when you can stretch it into a whole weekend?), why not buy tickets for Mum to see lovely gardens? Better yet, why don't you spend some time with her and accompany her on the tour?
My recommendation is, if you've left it to the last minute, track down a local garden tour near you. Take Mom, your wife, sister, aunt, BFF, companion, SIL, MIL, grandmother, godmother, neighbor, dog shampooer, etc. Buy tickets for this weekend or a future weekend and make plans.
And who knows? George Clooney might be there to serve your lady a tall, cool beverage. In her dreams.
Happy Mother's Day!
Check out our list of Mother's Day gift ideas for outdoor lovin' and livin' gals
Garden photo: Lisa Hallett Taylor
Like anything, people have something to say about swimming pools and swimming. Quotations about swimming pools. But not about the price of building a swimming pool, which most people are interested in.
Still, the list of famous folks who have used swimming and swimming pools as a metaphor for life, Hollywood, challenges or pretty much anything is varied, to say the least. What would you say?
