Some of the best times, I have had as far as parties and fun go, have been outside on my patio. True enough, I do have other rooms in my house, but I spend as much time as I can outside on my patio.

I have a nice roof overhead on the patio and sidewalls to block the wind and a fabulously comfortable chaise lounge. My wife accuses me of spending more time reclining in my chaise than doing maintenance on the house.

Well, yeah.

Truthfully, though, no messing around, we live in a great part of the world if you love the outdoors as much as we do. In the desert part of southern California, it is practically summer most of the year, and Susan and I take advantage of that.

We put a lot of thought into our patio when we first decided to make ours an integral part of our home. And one of the things that she insisted on was an outdoor area rug.

At first, I though she was meaning one of those indoor outdoor carpet things like the ones that people had in their garages and patios when I was growing up. But it turns out she had her eye on a lovely hunter green and brown outdoor braided rug that she had seen online.

If you are going to have a great outdoor area rug for your patio, then you need to do a couple of things like Susan did. First of all, you have to decide what kind of mood your patio is going to be done in as far as furniture design goes.

Now, where we live, many of the homes are kind of southwestern looking with those tiles on the roof that look like red clay. Most are not, because they break so easy, but I digress. Anyway, our house is kind of southwestern looking with stucco walls and such, but we have it decorated in a back East kind of style, because that is where we are both from originally.

And the entrance to our patio is so integrated with our great room, that it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to completely change styles in the patio area. So, for patio furniture we went with teak, and for the patio floor itself, she chose a nice braided rug. That style looks like one of those homemade rugs the way they used to make them, but this one is machine woven and is made out of great long lasting material to stand up to the weather here.

Its polypropylene, flat braided, and air entangled which is a way of producing the thread they weave the rug out of. It sure looks nice, which is why I like it. I do find lots of things interesting in the world and that is ne reason why I like the internet, but with this outdoor patio rug, I pretty much like the way it feels on my bare feet when I have coffee on the patio in the morning.

And the color is stunning.

There are a lot of various shapes and styles of outdoor patio rugs you can choose from, if a braided one is not the style for you. Many come with low pile and backing on them so they are real easy to clean. Ours, we just use the house vacuum on. But there are some you can sweep with a push broom and then drag out on the lawn to wash them down with soap and water and a hose.

Real easy maintenance and very sharp looking. If you have the kind of patio where it looks like an extension of your house, then consider getting a nice looking outdoor area rug for your self. The internet is a great place to find bargains and discounts on these rugs and sometimes, you can even find an outdoor rug clearance sale. Even better. Good looking and affordable as well. They add a perfect touch of class to your patio.

One of the cool things about the Internet is the amount of great news you can find out about if you just know where to look.

I have one of those very cool alerts from Gmail set up on my account which lets me know when there is interesting stuff in the news about particular items. you set it up by putting in the words you want to hear news about.

Like for me, I have mine set up so I can  learn about news related to patio stuff. And today when  I was looking through the news items, I found this cool item from the Sunbrella website.

Sunbrella Article

It is a great little article about the world’s oldest living man and the place where he lives in Montana, USA.

His name is Walter Breuning and he lives in a retirement home there. The home was recently outfitted with brand new Sunbrella awnings just in time for the gentleman’s birthday.

Sunbrella  is absolutely the best kind of fabric for any of your outside umbrellas or awnings. it lasts a really long time and still stays bright and colorful. Maybe not as long as Mr. Breuning has been alive, which is 114 years and counting, but anything made with this fabric will last a very long time.

Check the article out on theSunbrella site, it is pretty cool

One of the best things about the end of the patio season is that there all sorts of discount sales online.

I used to think that the end of patio season was one of the worst times of the year, but I have since changed my mind on that.

Check out section on

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Patio Furniture Clearance

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My wife was always telling me, “Michael, it’s time to put away your patio toys now”, and I would just stand there like a little lost puppy.

It’s a lot better now, since we live in the desert southwest and patio season really never ends, so I don’t have to put anything away.

Now, though, I do have to clean my patio set, and this time of year is perfect for doing that. This year I will have to do a bit of sanding on my chaise lounge, and maybe a bit of refinishing, but not too much, so that’s good.

But if you are in the market for something new for your patio, then this is one of the best times of the year to get it. Doesn’t matter really what style of furniture you are looking for, most of the major patio furniture retailers online have got really good deals going on.

Click the link to check it out.

Patio Furniture Clearance

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I was looking around on the internet the other day and I came across some photos of a family sitting out on their patio enjoying a picnic. That was a real nice scene but what really caught my eye was that they were all dressed in modern clothes, not antiquey or anything, but the furniture they were sitting on was all wrought iron.

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See the discounts on wrought iron garden furniture

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Wrought Iron Garden Furniture

It looked really sharp and I spent quite a bit of time looking at it and trying to imagine what wrought iron would look like on my patio.

I am not quite ready to trade in my teak lounge and chairs that took me so long to find, but if I ever do, I will seriously think about getting a set of wrought iron patio furniture.

The chairs in the photo were black, that really classic and classy color finish, but I have seen this furniture on lots of websites in white, and that looks pretty nice too.

If you have an inclination to get some new furniture for your deck or garden or patio, this is a good time to do it, lots of sites are offering deals right now, and they are really good ones. I was just browsing through some the other day and I saw discounts of up to 75 percent off. Pretty cool

Cedar is truly one of the great woods of all time. Now I am really partial to teak in my own patio furniture, but if I couldn’t have my chaise in teak, I would immediately switch over to cedar.

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Click for clearance cedar garden furniture prices

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Not only does cedar smell great, especially in the desert sunshine, but it lasts and lasts because of the natural oils in the wood itself. Teak has a lot oils in its fibers, but cedar also has plenty to keep the wood of your chairs or tables lasting and looking great for a long time.

Cedar furniture is easy enough to find online that pretty much all you have to do is a search or two and you will find a great big list of folks who are willing to give you a hefty discount just to get your business.

Even better – because cedar is kind of hard to sit on all by its lonesome, there are often excellent deals on cushions and pillows designed to go perfectly with  the wooden patio furniture you are contemplating on getting.

Cushions make a world of difference in the way your patio looks, and it doesn; take much to completely change your style and design by simply getting some new cushions. My wife really likes that idea.

Some of the nicest pieces of patio furniture available anywhere on the internet are made from cast aluminum. Its not that they are necessarily the end all and be all of patio furniture but this kind of furniture has come a long way from cheap aluminum tubing strung together with criss cross webbing.

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Click for discounts on aluminum garden furniture

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My Dad had a couple of those chairs when I was a kid and every year it was the same thing, drag ourselves on down to the hardware store to see if we could find a roll of replacement webbing that looked at least a little bit like the stuff we already had.

Nowadays, though, the furniture that is made from aluminum is great looking and very sturdy. Not at all like the kind I grew up with. You can get yourself great deals on chaise lounges, and chairs, bar tables and even benches to put in your garden.

They look great, stand up to the elements excellently and will last for years with just some simple maintenance like cleaning them with a bit of aluminum cleaner once in a while.

And how much better when you can find them online for a great deal on top of that.

It’s that time of year again, my favorite patio time – end of season sale time. Every year it seems to get longer and longer – Oh Darn.

There are great deals right now online for all kinds of patio gear and one of the best deals around is on a Sunsetter retractable patio awning. Many internet patio retailers carry this very famous and well respected brand and the Sunsetter Company is offering internet coupons for folks who want to pick up a great deal on a retractable awning.

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Retractable Patio Awnings Sale Discounts

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Actually Sunsetter makes a number of different models, including a sweet looking free standing model that could be perfect for folks who live in areas where the wind does not kick up so strongly. Now there is nothing wrong with these models, and for many people they are exactly what is needed.

But I live in the desert where there are strong winds almost every evening and if I had a freestanding patio awning it would soon become my neighbor’s freestanding patio awning. So that is why I need mine attached to my house.

But no matter what your particular situation with your patio a patio awning can increase the amount of time you spend on your outdoor patio. And if you are looking for the ease and comfort that a retractable patio awning can give, now is a super time to pick up a great deal.

Hard to believe the the summer is just about over . . . but it is.

My wife is already getting on my case to wash down the patio doors and clean off the porch. Ahh mee. But the fact is that this time of year brings with it , its own special sweetness.

Bargains and discounts and deals. Oh my. 

Click for big discounts on outdoor patio swings and porch swings

And one of the patio items I am on the lookout for this year is an outdoor patio swing. Now these come in a lot of different styles and materials, but my favorite (of course) is teak.

Other folks though, will be watching for where they can find great discounts on wicker porch swings, wooden porch swings or one of those cool glider swings that sit right on your patio deck suspended inside their own frame. I do like those especially because they come in a large variety of materials. Wrought iron, teak, cypress, maple and even cedar.

You can pretty much get whatever you are looking for in the way of porch swings online. And with the deals the way they are popping up right now, nothing could be easier than saving some money on a great swing by getting it online.

Really needing some outdoor furniture cushions

The sales are everywhere online. It seems like every time you turn around there is something new that you could be buying for your patio.

And that is my favorite time of year.

Well, with new outdoor furniture cushions looking like a smart purchase right now, I think there might not be any reasons why I can’t go online and pick up a few bargains.

Check out the discounts on Outdoor Furniture Cushions

There are a lot of websites offering excellent deals on that perennial favorite, the Umbrella line of patio furniture cushions. This is one tough fabric that is made to last and to provide excellent comfort.

And the truth of the matter is, that I enjoy being comfortable. I spent a lot of my life trying to sit on hard wooden patio chairs without the benefit of a nice cushion, but now I see no reason at all why I should continue that way.

Its not like I am a wimp, so to speak, it’s just that I like spending time on my patio so much that the hours pass by without me noticing and there comes a point in the day when my chair sitting in parts get a little stiff and sore.

So you know what, outdoor furniture cushions sound like a pretty good deal to me. And fortunately when we have the internet to help us find bargains, it is so easy to save big money.

Oh man, it is that time of year again. 

Time to start cleaning off the patio in preparation for those months when it is not patio time so much. I pretty much divide the year into two parts:

• Patio Time
• Not Patio Time

Now where I live in the desert area of Southern California, my patio time of the year is a lot bigger than my and that is one of the reasons I love it here.

But what I do take advantage of when it comes to this time of year are the clearance sales. And one of my favorite items to look for is a nice sale on patio umbrellas.

Its not that I can't get a good deal on a patio umbrella other times of the year, with the internet I can. It's just that I do love a great bargain.

Check the discounts on the patio umbrella clearance page

A lot of folks like to look for a clearance sale on an offset patio umbrella.

One of those kinds that is square or rectangular or even round sometimes and is cantilevered so that the sidepost that holds up the umbrella is off to one side.

This allows you to put your chair or lounge right underneath the shade of the umbrella without that post sticking up right in your way all the time.

My next door neighbor,  John has one of those special patio tables with a hole in the middle of it where he can put his special tilting patio umbrella. There is a crank on the sidepost of his so that it can tilt over to the side and keep the sun from frying his brain and boiling his beer.

This season I know he is on the lookout for a replacement patio umbrella because his is worn from the sun. Sunbrella makes great sun-resistant fabrics that are used to make patio and market umbrellas. It comes in a variety of colors and designs. John is looking to match the coverings he has for his patio furniture, so he is looking specifically for an umbrella that has those green and white stripes on it. The ones that look like those old time market umbrellas.

I now he will be able to find it online, no problem.

So this is the right time for a deal online at a patio umbrella clearance sale. So might as well stop reading about it and start searching.