Category Archive

The Great Offbeat Outdoors

The “outdoors” might be a 24’x36′ garden or a clutch of terracotta pots in a window box, but these posts cover all things gardening, landscaping and even farming. This category also includes stuff about the outside of your house — doors & roofs! — as well as vehicles like cars & RVs.

This fall foliage map will tell you when fall will be in full swing in your area

This fall foliage map will tell you when fall will be in full swing in your area

It’s early September which, for me, means it’s Halloween. Yep, full-on Halloween month number one has begun! I kid (kinda), but really, now is the time for apple picking, pumpkin patches, costume making, cider drinking, bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, and above all, enjoying the leaves change color — FALL. Don’t know when and where to head to capture the best photo ops for Instagram? This fall foliage map will help.

Find out how much of the eclipse you'll see from your ZIP code

Find out how much of the eclipse you’ll see from your ZIP code

You know about the big upcoming solar eclipse happening on Monday, August 21 (dubbed “the Great American Eclipse”) that will span the US? Everyone across the United States will be able to see the sun disappear behind the moon in some form. This time around, only those within the epically-named “path of totality,” from Oregon to South Carolina, will be able to witness the eclipse in full. But most of us will be able to see some part of it. That’s where this tool comes in…

No gnomes or buddhas: Garden art for atheist adults

It’s a bit difficult to find garden statues that don’t sway religious or kitschy-as-hell! One my first try, I found that dinosaur-eating-gnomes garden statue. I worked hard, tried to stay away from all things “zen” and “gnome,” and rounded up some garden art that adult atheists might actually like…

Why I send my kid outside to a kindergarten in the forest

It’s winter in Georgia. The children waddle into the woods in layers of warm and waterproof clothes, awkward and round. The teachers’ hats are pulled down over their ears and when they stomp their feet and clap their hands along with the songs and poems at morning circle time, they do so with extra motivation.

This is the hardest time of year to send our children outside to kindergarten for the day, and the most important…

I have Katniss scratch fever: How do I learn to shoot stuff?

Homies, I’d like to learn to shoot stuff. Targets, mostly. Maybe with guns, maybe with arrows — honestly, I’m flexible, and I don’t have any solid goals for these skills — it just looks like fun and seems like a good thing to know how to do (in case, you know, zombies). But I have no idea where to start.

The 8 awesome advantages of having a tandem bike

My husband is the kind of person who, when faced with an escalator and a set of steps that both stretch as far as the eye can see, will ALWAYS choose to run up the stairs. I have been known to get out of breath walking up the few flights of steps to our flat. I wanted to get more active with him, but when it came to ways of spending time together that satisfied my husband’s love of endorphins, we were a little bit stymied. A few years ago we found the solution — a tandem bike that we’ve name Daisy.

The 12 bad-ass stand-up coolers that’ll make your outdoor parties “chill”

I was at a small house party recently where the owners of said small house had the coolest freaking party accessory ever — a counter-top-height cooler on wheels. It was compact, it was brightly colored, it had a bottle opener built in, and it was full of booze… it was beautiful and I want one. So now I’m on the hunt for a best outdoor party accessory ever. Grab a cold on and join me?

13 awesome hammocks that are just begging for the best nap ever

Just in time to ride out the hot summer in swinging style. I thought I’d share these awesome hammocks with all y’all. So take a deep breath and lose yourself in the all these nap-ready, gentle-swaying, beauties…