A place to get away that doesn’t require a hotel reservation, a passport, not even travel plans? Paradise might be located across an ocean blue, but sometimes, paradise is just a few feet away, tucked into a corner of your backyard, looking very much like a shed. How is this possible, you ask? Well, if you haven’t yet experienced a state of euphoric relaxation whenever you step into your shed, paradise obviously isn’t there; but there might be a way to fix that.
Although the focus of this week’s book favors the female gender, please guys: don’t let this deter you from checking out “A Woman’s Shed” — or from lending a hand if your significant other determines that a separate space is just what she needs.
Sheds have long been the designated shelter area for lawn mowers, leaf blowers, hoes and spades. Everyone needs a space for tools, yard-related or otherwise. But the fact of the matter is this: sheds tend to become less female-friendly the longer a couple stay together. (All right, that’s an opinion, not a fact. But still …)
For example, my husband and I have two sheds on our property; they’re old, somewhat dilapidated, filled with yard equipment and spiders. I avoid them as much as possible. This is not the fault of my husband; I’m just saying that over the years the words “garage,” “shed,” and “outbuilding” have all pretty much come to mean one thing: spider-happy man caves. Keep in mind, though, that I’m pretty girly, and if you, dear reader, are female and enjoy power tools — and spiders — your outdoor structures might be happy places, one and all.
