Fishing Does Not Have to Be a Sport

Fishing Does Not Have to be a Sport

There are all kinds of fishing tournaments and fishing contests you can enter. There are fishing channels on cable television. I wonder if it's an Olympic event yet? Anyway, I say that fishing is not a sport.

When you think of a sport, you think of sweating and rushing and pulling muscles and stuff. Well, when I think of fishing I think of quiet summer afternoons by myself on the lake. I think of relaxing in my little one man pontoon boat and letting my mind drift as my fishing lure bobs on the surface of the water. There's nothing else as relaxing as this.

Now, true, you can have sweating and rushing and pulling muscles when you fish, but why would you want to? I mean, just the pure solitude while you're out on the water can quiet your mind and replenish your energy. If you're doing it as a competition sport you lose all those relaxing qualities.

When I was little, my Daddy used to take me to the same lake in the woods behind our cabin that I go to now. He would show me how to dig deep to get the best worms and how to put them on my hook so they'd stay. Then we'd hit the water in our little fishing boat wearing those bright orange life jackets that always smelled a little funny when you put them on. Sometimes it would be an hour or more before either of us spoke. It was our way of relaxing and just enjoying being together.

Now as a grown up, I'm still drawn to that solitude of the lake. After a week of work and bills and schedules, I get so stressed out. But just a few minutes of fishing can take my mind to that place of peace and contentment.

The little fishing boat fell apart years ago, so now I have a one man boat. When I have a son, I want to show him the joys of being alone with just the water and the fish. I guess I'll need to get a bigger boat.

Check out our One Man Boats.

Needlepoint Pillows

Needlepoint has been around since the 16th and 17th centuries. Early needlepoint pieces often were blessings for homes and those who entered. Some of these pieces contained letters and numbers. This type of pattern today is called a sampler. Young girls would learn needlepoint to show their skill in sewing and their literacy.

Sometimes needlepoint is referred to as tapestry. While they do kind of look similar, they are actually different in the way they are created. A tapestry is created on a loom. Needlepoint is done by hand stitches.

Needlepoint embroidery has changed since its early days. New stitches are continually being added as the craft grows in popularity. Some stitches are larger and are meant to fill in large areas of the cloth. Other stitches are very small and are used to add very small, intricate details.

Even the thread used can very. Wool is the traditional thread used, but silk and cotton can also be used. New metallic threads are even being used today. Single or multiple strands of thread can be stitched at the same time, depending on the effect desired.

All of our needlepoint pillows are stitched by hand. Most of them take anywhere from three days to fifteen days to complete, depending on the size of the pillow and the stitch used.

These pillows are beautifully and meticulously done by hand. They will add that nice finishing touch to any room. We have just the right one to fit your décor and compliment your color scheme. Go to http://tinyurl.com/b3dfyd to see our selection of almost 200 needlepoint pillows for your home.

Tired of Dogs in Your Bed?

Do you have a problem sharing your bed with your dogs or cats? While some people find this strangely comforting, most of us do not like to share our bed with our pets- particularly if they are large or if there's more than one of them. I have the answer to your problems: a pet bed.

The competition for bed space can be brutal. If you've ever tried to scooch over a 100 pound dog, you know it's almost impossible. Especially if he's already reached that snoring, drooling state of REM sleep. You might have better luck trying to just ask him politely to please move over. Yeah, right! Old Brutus has claimed his spot, and there's not much you can do about it.

But what if Brutus had his own special bed? Placed in a nice spot on the floor- not on your bed. If you get a pet bed the right size, old Brutus might be just as happy not having to share space with you, especially when you reach that snoring, drooling state of REM sleep.

Most dogs and cats feel very secure if they have their own space. Pets who sleep in crates every night actually find it comforting, believe it or not, to have a place of their own. This is especially true in cases of multiple pets that each have their own crates. But I'm a huge dog lover, and I just can't get past the fact that crates are cages. I wouldn't put my kids in a cage (well, ok, sometimes maybe I would), so why should I put sweet Brutus in one? A dog bed or cat bed, if that be the case, could be the answer you didn't even know you were looking for. It's worth a try. After all, what do you have to lose…sleep?

Check out our large supply of in stock or custom made pet beds. http://tinyurl.com/9rsh34

I sleep better now that I have a dog bed.

Does your dog sleep on the floor or on a dog bed? Research shows that dogs are more comfortable sleeping on some type of cushion than on the hard cold floor. This is particularly true if your dog is older or arthritic. Sleeping on the floor can be uncomfortable for dogs and make it hard for them to sleep. Usually, this means that you don't sleep well either.

My dog, Duke, is a ten-year old 110 pound hound mix. Before I got him a pet bed, his groaning at night when he turned over sometimes woke me up. Then, if he realized I was awake, he would come over to my bed and try to get me to play. Now, I love my dog, but I do NOT want all 110 pounds of him trying to get me to play ball at 2 am. Then I inevitably felt guilty for not playing with him more during the day. By now my mind would be racing, and sleep was just not an option for a while. Might as well play some fetch.

But that all changed when I got him his own pet bed. Since he's a large dog, his bed was not cheap, but it has given us both a better night's sleep. He sleeps better, so he doesn't keep me up anymore, which means I don't have any more 2am fetch games going on. He doesn't seem to be quite so slow in the morning getting up, either. Large dogs in particular often have a lot of joint problems when they get older. If you've never seen it, there's not much more pitiful than seeing a large dog trying to stretch out old aching joints before he can walk.

If Duke sleeps better at night, it stands to reason that he is going to be a happier pet during the day. I know that I feel better if I can sleep without him lumbering over to see if I'm awake just because he is. With his new dog bed, Duke is sleeping better, and getting around better in the morning. I wish I had figured this out years ago! Check out our selection of pet beds at http://tinyurl.com/9rsh34 .

Wind Resistant Umbrellas

Patio umbrellas can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Picking the right color combination can really add a splash of color to your outdoor space. Whether it's on a patio, a deck, or by a pool, and umbrella can provide beauty and comfort. Most people think about the size, shape, and color when they look for outdoor umbrellas, but what about the style of the frame?

Traditional frames are made of aluminum or wood. Aluminum umbrella frames are very light weight and resistant to corrosion. Wooden umbrella frames are very beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. But one of the biggest problems with both of these umbrellas is the threat of wind damage.

But there is an alternative. One of the most durable types of frames for outdoor umbrellas is a fiberglass frame. Fiberglass is a very flexible and versatile non-corrosive material commonly used in fishing poles and boats. The fiberglass spokes in the umbrella frame makes the umbrella incredibly wind resistant. When the wind blows very hard in a traditional umbrella, the spines are bent and mangled by the wind. Sometimes this causes damage to the fabric as well. But with fiberglass umbrellas, the spines actually bend in the wind. The umbrella can take a lot of abuse from the wind and still go back to its original shape with no resulting damage to the spines.

As for the cost, aluminum umbrellas are the least expensive, with wooden umbrellas costing about 10- 15% more than that. Fiberglass umbrellas will cost you about 10%- 15% on average more than the wooden ones.

So when you're shopping for an outdoor umbrella, make sure you choose the color that looks the best with your surroundings, the size that best fits your space, and the style that will last the longest in your climate.