Presto the Dog

Within weeks of being brought home, Presto’s owner had originally given him the name Rover. The young Border collie’s fearless dawn-to-dusk strays far from the house and barn on that remote and massive Saskatchewan farm made it a fitting choice, and in the sweltering heat of that summer “Rover” got to know every inch of the place like the back of his paw.

It wasn’t until fall passed into the brutal prairie winter that he earned his new moniker. Each day, as the deadly cold night bullied the sun over the horizon, the farmer and his wife would each bring in an armload from the woodpile and build a heartily warm fire in their fireplace.

Somewhat to their surprise, the change of seasons hadn’t changed Rover’s routine one bit. Indifferent to the snow and howling wind, Rover would foray out into the endless stretch of white each morning with a fresh set of paw tracks for any who might be so hardy as to follow him.

One night, only minutes after the flames had fully taken hold of the stack and the couple had taken their seats, there came a scratch at the door. Rover accompanied the gust of frigid air that invaded the room as the farmer opened the door but for a second. At first he seemed apprehensive to approach the strange light, but as the ice beads around his snout melted with each tentative step, Rover was utterly hooked on the nightly fire.

The next day, the fact that Rover disappeared into the frozen expanse came as no surprise. The fact that his arrival that evening came only shortly after the flames had again filled the windows with an azure glow was determined to be a “coincidence.” Some five days to a week later, there was no way his clockwork arrival could be seen as a coincidence any longer.

The flames began to light the room and the heavenly warmth reclaimed the air of the home. As the farmer sank into his recliner with a contented smile, the wife chose to break from the norm and moved to the door instead. Peering through the glass, it was only minutes before a familiar shape came labouring through the snow banks. She opened the door just as he drew near and jokingly said “Presto!” as is she had conjured a chilly pooch from the night.

Needless to say, it stuck.

The routine was played out nearly every night between early November and March for years and years. I say nearly because as Presto grew older there was the occasional time he’d skip his daily jaunt and stay in, particularly if the grandkids were up from Regina for a stay. Most nights, however, the tiny orange-ish glow on the horizon meant it was time for him to hurry back across the wasteland to enjoy his beloved fire-time.

Eventually, the time came that the old man’s age necessitated an end to their farming days and, at 13, Presto was getting on in years as well. The couple sold the farm and moved into a Regina town home to be near the family. With all the time in the world, they had plenty of it to invest in new hobbies; one of which was figuring out how to use the home computer their son-in law had bequeathed to them. The Mrs. developed a fondness for online shopping.

The transition to “city life” wasn’t a smooth one for old Presto. As much as he enjoyed the walks to the store or to the lake with the old man, they just didn’t have the same sense of the rural unknown to them. And of course, the fact the town home didn’t have a fireplace meant there was something missing each time they arrived home on a winter evening. Presto wasn’t much for central heating, however adequate it might have been. Furthermore, the Mrs. was always on that computer when he got home, perusing something called cymaxstores.com. Presto preferred her knitting with a mug of tea and a lap-blanket, much more classic as far as he was concerned.

One night, as Presto and his beloved owner returned from a suitably sub-zero ice fishing trip, a forgotten yet familiar sight greeted Presto as they came through the door. Could it be, he thought, wondering if his failing eyes might have been deceiving him? The Mrs. was eagerly observing him as a he slowly and apprehensively moved across the room, much the same as he had so many years ago, toward the flames. Her new Classic Flame Electric Fireplace wouldn’t be popping the embers that would grab Presto’s attention like the old farm one did, but it did have the same visual appeal and radiating warmth for the old boy, and she could almost sense his joy as he plunked himself down in front of it. In fact, the kids and the grandchildren became so enamoured with it that they too chose a Real Flame Heritage Fireplace from the expansive selection of fireplaces at Cymax Stores Online.

This of course meant that Presto could enjoy his winter evening fire even on the nights when the grandparents traveled cross-town to see the grandkids, including his favourite, Christmas Eve. Long after everyone had retired, they’d leave the fireplace switch on and Presto would lie there as content as could be.

Just like old times.

Ideal Summer Settings for the Home

While all of us are now looking forward to and gearing up for the upcoming holiday, the focus is on summer, backyards, family get-togethers and outdoor fun. But what if it rains? Or even if the weather is nice, people seem to also want to gather indoors to take a break from the heat, whether or not that was part of the original party plan.

Creating overflow areas in your home for guests to sit and chat can make entertaining that much easier. And even if you’re not in the habit of entertaining, having an additional place, apart from where you dine on a regular basis, to sit and have a morning cup of coffee while doing the crossword puzzle will make your living space more versatile and functional.

Often in our homes—even for condo and apartment dwellers—there are “dead” spaces that can be easily converted into multi-purpose dining/entertaining/informal gathering areas. Having an impromptu place for friends and family to perch when eating or having a drink can be as simple as adding two or three counter-height stools and placing them in front of a kitchen island or an under-utilized portion of a counter. If you already have a built-in breakfast bar, you might consider purchasing extra counter stools and keeping them on hand for when you plan on hosting an event.

When creating a breakfast nook, it doesn’t have to mean a major woodworking project or hiring a professional. Some manufacturers of kitchen and dining furniture offer freestanding versions that can be easily incorporated into a corner of a room. They have the look and feel of the traditional built-ins but have the added convenience of only looking permanent, giving you the option to move it somewhere else. Freestanding breakfast bars can also have the same appeal, while generally being more compact in size. Many manufacturers offer them with casters, which makes them conveniently mobile, perfect when entertaining.

Finding a place in a family room for a pub table and a set of matching stools is a great way to create a comfortable area for friends to gather. Pub table sets come in a wide range of styles and materials, from ultra-modern to trendy to traditional. They generally seat two or four people. Usually round or square, they have the advantage of using the space vertically rather than horizontally, allowing you to add seating to a room without eating up valuable “real estate.”

Since space is at a premium, even in new homes, gathering tables are gaining in popularity. Like pub tables, they utilize floor space up instead of out, giving you the benefit of formal dining furniture, but in a more casual environment. Gathering tables can be counter height or pub height and will seat up to eight people. Many different styles of gathering tables also include leaves, making them an even more practical choice when entertaining.

Turning an unused counter or corner of your home into a place to gather with family and friends is a practical way to increase the versatility and functionality of your living space. It’s as easy as choosing a pub table or the perfect counter stool or barstool to make an area more usable and guest friendly.

Rapier Cherries: Memories of the old Brice bar

It was being in search of plastic rapier garnish skewers that first piqued our interest and brought us behind Mike’s Dad’s bar on that rainy Saturday afternoon. Despite their being hopelessly oversized in the hands of our action figures, there was something about the three we had manage to procure from empty cocktail glasses the night before that led us to desire acquiring more.

The carved wooden figurine of the ample-bellied, frothy stein-toting Toby man never changed his drunkenly vivacious demeanour, and the stale odours that wafted from any number of spill spots and emptied yet unwashed ashtrays along the table top in front of him suggested Mr. Brice and his guests had felt similarly Dionysian the evening previous.

A large neon green CASTLE sign gave emphasis to the three decks of glass shelving, and the weathered wood dartboard cabinet doors emblazoned with Beefeater’s gin logo was an equally memorable distinction for us. The musty dark wood and leather characterization of the place paired with a sort of forbidden fruit mystique in being the source of all the boisterous late-night activity heard after the children has been sent to bed.

Strangely, what these next-day forays into the most intriguing fixture of the house left me with was an association for buttoned leather upholstery. The bar featured prominent buttoned black leather panel detailing and table top edging that had an inherently dapper suggestion to it - an almost “rat pack” suave character on account of the libational exuberance that radiated from the adults that lingered about it. As a result, buttoned leather upholstery has always had a very brandy-and-cigars stateliness for me.

My own interpretations aside, like-detailed furniture does add a measure of refinement to any space, and club chairs are the most common example. A tufted Chesterfield Chair or Conquest Chair visibly hints at being worthy of occupation by an individual recently removed from his banker’s desk and is removing his gold cufflinks before enjoying an aged scotch. Even in more modern takes, like a Kubus Chair or an Ezio Leather Chair, there is something about tufted / buttoned upholstery that kicks the sophistication level up more than a few notches, irregardless of style, design and even the advent of Technicolor.

Even at 33, I feel too young and presence-less to do a Brentwood Club Chair justice, and I’d need to at least grow a moustache and be able to drink cognac after cognac without flinching to be worthy of being reposed in an Englewood Club Chair. For those considerably more Dean Martin-like than myself, the large selection of similarly-themed club chairs at cymaxstores.com is an easy way to add a splash of the decidedly debonair to your entertaining area by means of the wonder of online shopping.

If only I had a chance to slide up to the old Brice bar one more time, tie loosened and tall enough now to rest my elbows next to the Toby man, exchanging all manner of sports and political banter amidst a cloud of second-hand smoke and the clanging of ice cubes.

I might even take home one last rapier as a memento.

Keeping Footprints in the Home

As fuel prices continue to soar, we are quickly approaching the July 1^st implementation of the Provincial carbon tax which will see an additional 4 cent per liter increase at the pumps. In an effort to “soothe” the sting, tax-filing residents will find a $100 rebate cheque in the mail this week. Considering the insistence of many to continuing driving Navigators, Expeditions, Escalades and all manner of wholly-inefficient vehicles, that bonus won’t get much past a second fill for most.

Accordingly, there may be some sense in allocating those funds towards an incentive to leave the eyesore in the driveway on the weekends. Some new fixture or complement to your home that just might sway individuals to stay in and enjoy the comforts of home.

For those who are similarly inclined, may I suggest an e-stop at cymaxstores.com, an ideal online shopping resource for adding such an addition to your home without having to leave it. My wife and I are considering a new living room piece, and a most stylish Winsome Antique Walnut Coffee Table would fit both our decor and budget. For couples with children and the to-be-expected strew of toys in the living room, a pair of Panagea Natural Storage Baskets would be a welcome depository that could be easily and stylishly tucked into a corner.

Who doesn’t enjoy watching a flick on rainy Saturday afternoon? Your hundred-buck panacea could be just as easily directed towards an RCA Progressive Scan DVD player or Audiovox 300W DVD Home Theatre System. Maybe one or both of you aim to be a Noraebahng champion, and if so bring the singing experience home with a Jwin 5.1 channel Karaoke unit.

While we’re on the topic (barely) of reducing our carbon footprints, how about keeping the more generic ones off of your foyer floor with a Venture Horizon Double Shoe Cabinet? Ample footwear storage for the whole family and a top drawer to boot for out-the-door necessities like umbrellas, scarves or even DVDs to pacify the kids in your perennially-thirsty minivan.

With economists projecting the price of oil to rise to 200 dollars a barrel in the near future, there will likely need to be more of a means for fuming motorists to vent their disdain for OPEC in a responsible manner. Home shopping might seem like an odd suggestion, but unless you’re willing to part ways with the V8 Range Rover, it’s humbly all I have to offer at this time.

Enjoy!

Bedroom Furniture on a Budget

Furnishing a bedroom can be a pricey adventure. It can also be time consuming; going from one retail store to another to match the pieces you want, while searching for the best price can sometimes seem like it's more trouble than it's worth. Considering that, for many of us, the bedroom is not only a place to sleep, but a sanctuary as well, you want to get it right the first time, without breaking the bank.

It might not seem like much of an issue if your nightstand doesn't match the headboard, but the mood of a room is largely determined by the color, material and style of furniture selected, and how each of these elements work together. To ensure that your bedroom will be comfortable, harmonious and inviting, maintaining the consistency of your decor is an important consideration when decorating your room.

Purchasing bedroom furniture in a set online at Cymax Stores offers a number of neat solutions. First, it eliminates the necessity of matching pieces to each other, especially if not all the items you have selected are made by the same manufacturer. Second, a bedroom set is generally cheaper than buying the pieces individually. Third, shopping online allows you to browse and compare products from trusted manufacturers all under one roof-in the comfort of your own home.

Bedroom sets are an economical way to decorate a room because they include basic bedroom furniture pieces in one convenient grouping. A bedroom set may include a number of different pieces such as the bed or a headboard, a dresser, one or two nightstands and an armoire. Most furniture manufacturers will specifically design a number of collections, in a variety of styles and configurations, so that customers can customize a particular bedroom collection to their specific needs.

But even a bedroom set isn't much of a bargain if it turns out not be exactly what you wanted or if not all of the pieces will fit into the intended space. To ensure that your bedroom set will be the perfect fit, here are some things to consider before making the purchase final.

• Take measurements - knowing the dimensions of your bedroom will give a clearer picture of just how many pieces will comfortably fit

• Set a budget - knowing exactly how much you have to spend can inspire you to come in under budget (and maybe have a little extra left over for that must-have impulse item you can't imagine living without)

• Size of the mattress - choosing the size of mattress you want to sleep on before purchasing a bedroom set is important for two reasons: mattress size determines the size of bed you will be buying and some manufacturers will offer certain collections in limited sizes, for example, only in twin and full but not queen or king

• Overall style that you want to achieve - you might fall absolutely in love with a particular bedroom collection but it's just too ultra-modern or traditional to comfortably fit with the existing decor in your home

• What is it made of? - a bedroom set made of solid hardwood will be more expensive than one constructed of engineered woods like laminated particle board or medium density fiber board (MDF)

At Cymax Stores, customers can choose from a wide range of reliable bedroom furniture manufacturers for a comfortable and personalized online shopping experience. Taking time to choose the right dresser, a pair of nightstands and a bed will be time well-spent when you come home after a busy day to the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Outdoor Living Spaces Take the Indoors Outside

Creating an outdoor living room is becoming more and more popular. Furnishing a patio, balcony or backyard area with the comforts and styles of indoor furniture not only creates an aesthetic space for entertaining family and friends, it also allows you to make the most of the good-weather seasons. Using the same principles for decorating a backyard space as you would a living room or bedroom simplifies the process and lets you focus on the end result. As with any decorating project, it’s always good to start with a plan and a budget. Start by asking all the basic redecorating questions—who will be using this space (just adults or children too); how much room do you have to work with (a backyard may seem huge but you don’t want your new patio furniture blocking traffic flow to the garage or the recycling bins); what will you need (somewhere to sit, someplace to put things on)

It doesn’t have to be labor-intensive or expensive—turning a patio or an area of your backyard into a place to relax after a hectic day can be as easy as buying a few choice items and reusing and recycling those abandoned items hidden down in the basement or out in the garage. Or maybe you have always wanted to build a multi-level deck that would have it all—a place to prepare and cook food, a place to eat and a place to sit back and enjoy the view—but you just need a little motivation. Jotting down ideas will make it easier for you visualize the end result, in addition to helping you decide exactly what you will need.

Because it is a growing tend, manufacturers are stepping up and offering more variety and a wider range of products, everything from patio furniture to outdoor lighting There are also many types of fabrics that can be used both indoors and out, making it easy to reuse older indoor furniture in your outside space. Many manufacturers also offer complete “rooms,” collections of outdoor furniture groupings that are style and color coordinated and come in a number of different size options. Just like decorating an indoor room, when designing an outdoor living space, accessorizing is important. Spending time on adding those little touches will be worth it in the end, and will make the area a comfortable and inviting place to gather with family and friends. Water fountains, wind chimes and decorative planters will increase the aesthetics of you outdoor room. Placing candles or lanterns on a table not only will provide light, it will also help create ambiance.

Putting an outdoor floor lamp on your deck or patio is also another option. Throw cushions, pillows and seat cushions in outdoor fabrics can add color and visual interest to your outdoor living space. In addition to your basic furniture grouping, you can use a bakers rack or kitchen cart to make the area even more functional. When creating an outdoor living space, you may want to think beyond the borders of the “room.” An outdoor garden bench under a tree or by a flower bed will create a focal point. A bird bath or a bird feeder will also make the area beyond your seating group visually interesting. Anything that will add to the aesthetics of your backyard will reflect well on your outdoor room, making it more welcoming and inviting. Accent pieces and accessory furniture, like an oversized planter or an outdoor bakers rack, increases the functionality of your outdoor living space, while improving its design and appeal. No matter how simple or complex your outdoor living room plan is, creating the perfect place to unwind after a busy can be fun and very rewarding.

Elevator Chargers: Where Lay the Roots of Impatience?

Since relocating to the big city, a predominant trend has become increasingly bothersome to me – elevator chargers. I’m totally at a loss as to why waiting for the elevator to clear before entering seems to be conceptual thinking for a great many people in this city. I realize we live in a “go go” world, but to me this is a little bit much. I firmly believe it’s only a matter of time before I get a torso full of hot coffee as a result of simply vacating the elevator in an orderly, logical manner.

I have to say this tendency annoys me to no end. The very second the door opens it’s head down and forward, full bore. What gives? Are you really in that much of a hurry to get to the office? The two-to-three second delay you’ll give up to allow the passengers to exit is going to inconvenience you that much? Sometimes I think these are the same people who’d pull a Costanza when a “fire” breaks out at a child’s birthday party...

What is at the root of such disdainful behavior? I’ve given it some thought and I’m at something of a loss. As a result, I’m going to speculate that some of them may have experienced a painfully-recent home furnishings shortcoming, and if so I recommend online shopping at cymaxstores.com as a means of developing necessary social graces.

Perhaps he or she is running late due to their being unable to find the car keys that morning. Could it be that a Home Star Nesting Table, perfectly situated next to the door with those elusive keys and a comforting photo of the family, is a suitably stylish solution? Very reasonably priced for a pair in a fine hardwood finish, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more affordable means of adding quality-made character to the common areas of your home. A Home Star Corner Curio would serve the same purpose with similarly excellent value.

Maybe it’s an inclement weather day and one of the cattle is in a bit of a foul mood from being unable to find their raincoat in a cluttered foyer closet. Wouldn’t be enough to drive me to abandon all manner of civility, but I’ll refrain from ranting. An inexpensive Home Star Coat Rack would likely have meant a quick and easy procurement of the necessary garment and an umbrella to boot. Enough to prevent bowling over the elderly to get a seat on the Skytrain? Don’t know about that, but it’s worth a try.

The incomparable value of a Nexeria Allegria Mirror would allow any of the stampeders to take stock of their impeccable appearance each morning, and might inspire a little more relaxed strutting across the lobby so that others may admire the view; not to mention some of that coffee will likely end up on you as well. Perhaps Mr. or Mrs. Self-Absorbed were at a loss to find the right necktie or accessory belt that A.M. The value of a visibly attractive South Shore Drawer Chest in allowing you to be a more well-mannered member of society would be so much more than its clear dollars-and-cents appeal.

Pure speculation I admit – But what’s a guy to do when he’s at a loss to find any explanation for such reproachable behavior.

Slow down folks

Inflexible Walls

There is something of basic human nature in the need for many of us to make use of every last piece of space available to us, just the same way as it is for others to discern the value of openness in relation to optimum efficiency and general well-being. For business owners in today’s increasingly-impinged office spaces, finding a happy medium between the two is a challenging necessity.

I’m reminded of an ongoing issue in my own family, and likely many others. My mother is more of a pack rat while my father is every bit a ruthless purger. Her solution to any and all items that do not fit into being located somewhere specific in the home is that they be placed in the garage, with the logic “that’s what the garage is for.” This is decidedly to the chagrin of my father, who sees it as his automotive / yard works sanctum with an ordered chaos to it that needs be understood by he and he alone.

Similarly, it is quite likely that the interests of productivity and work climate in the office may come to be at odds with each other as concerns space management; particularly as a host of factors make the modern office smaller and smaller all the time. Add to the conflict the fact that employees are more frequently wearing more than one hat and need greater technology-thus-space at their disposal, and owners or managers are obligated to give more thought to office layout than they likely ever have before.

In much the same way Rubbermaid (tm) tubs and stackable plastic shelving have created harmony between Ma and Pa, modular office desks and workstations from Cymax Stores are an ideal means to ensure finding that balance. Further, the convenience of online shopping at Cymax means you can re-coordinate your office without leaving it should you so choose.

Impressive advances in modular design mean it is easier than ever to combine office desks with a Bush hutch and / or a peninsula desk or return bridge to accommodate employees’ ever-growing need for more work surface space. Built to be sturdy, durable and a quality hybrid of function, style and ergonomics, Bush office products are sure to meet your every criterion.

Similarly, a corner desk or corner office suite is an optimum means of utilizing space in a most efficient manor. Adding a corner hutch adds vertical storage / filing capacities, and although most offices today are striving for at least some semblance of the open office concept, cubicle panels are another office staple to be found at Cymax Stores.

As much as the Christmas decorations will be a fixture of my father’s garage for 55 weeks of the year, an

ever-increasing quantity of office workstations and related items are sure to be an inevitability of your office. As your business grows, so will your office. However, your office space will most certainly not and the inflexibility of those walls will dictate you either move to one more spacious or make the best of what you’ve got.

For those who would choose the latter, a visit to cymaxstores.com may well be in your future.

Cymax Hits the Great Outdoors

Summer is finally showing face around here. My flip-flops are out of storage, I’ve switched out my sweaters for tank tops and my pants for shorts in my dresser, and I’ve come to the conclusion that slowly, and not too surely, I am turning into my mother.

My mother’s garden is spectacular. She’s got everything from roses to irises to gladioli and about a hundred more flowers with names that I can’t pronounce. In the summer, she lives in the garden, watering each morning, pulling weeds, and trimming plants. When I still lived at home, I’d watch from inside, with my morning coffee, wanting none of it. When my parents went away when I was a teenager, I was put in charge of the plants, but the only thing I was good at was eating her cherry tomatoes off the vine. On her return, my mother toured her garden with a frown, assessing the damage. Remarkably, she had a knack for bringing back to life the plants I thought I’d slain for good. But regardless of my mother’s healing touch, I was the black thumb of the family.

Over a decade has passed since I’ve lived at my parents’ house, but this is the first summer I will be spending in a new home that I’ve only been living in since the fall. Impressed by the size of the deck, my mother called a few months ago to say she had a “few pots” for the new place. A few pots turned out to be about twenty five, and now the deck looks nothing short of a forest. A forest, full of annuals and perennials (I had to look up the difference between the two), that I have to keep alive.

So far, so good, I’m pleased to say. With the exception of a few snap dragons that are not living up to their strong, fierce name, and blue violets that have chosen to turn black, I’ve done pretty well. Well enough to show them off, even. But the plastic pots looked cheap and all the plants were positioned on the same level, so before I invited over any company, I gave my deck a make-over.

Cymax has brand new products for the outdoors, which suited my deck to a tee. With the convenience of online shopping, I was able to bring even more life to my patio. Without killing a thing, I uprooted and replanted my forest into quality H Potter Sonoma Planters, which are made of stunning stainless steel with a rustic copper finish that highlights my plants beautifully. Now, my flowers are displayed using different levels on artistic Alfresco Home Round Mosaic Plant Stands, which come in sets of two or three, and also on a multi-level Pangaea Victorian Iron Plant Stand. I even bought a garden wall trellis by Rustic Natural Cedar Co. for my honeysuckle, and to add that last touch of blissful summery ambience to my now favorite place in my home, I have a ceramic glazed water fountain.

My plants are thriving and I am very proud to say that I haven’t used an ounce of chemical fertilizer in my soil, but I have added 100% organic and biodegradable CocoLite Bricks, which are a natural alternative to peat moss. Although not a fertilizer, these bricks can be added to any potting soil to help retain moisture and nutrients in plants. I’d like to think the healthy state of my plants is solely a result of my newly obtained green thumb, but I know the soil has every bit as much to do with their success as I do.

So, the ambience of the deck is taken care of on a botanical level. It’s the rest of the deck that now needs work. In order to show off my floral successes, my next purchases will be more new products from Cymax, like a Pangaea Garden Torch to light up the deck for dinner parties, and patio furniture so that my guests can eat, drink, and relax in style. And because summer weather around here can be temperamental, and the evenings still get chilly, maybe even a patio heater.

But the most important part of a garden party? Food and drinks, of course. Cymax now sells outdoor grills, like the Napoleon Grills Prestige, that make summer cooking fun and easy, as you can spend your time with guests instead of running back and forth from the kitchen to your outdoor space. To complete your garden of bliss by keeping those summer ales cold, add the finishing touch of a beverage cooler, and I assure you, your guests will be satiated and delighted.

I am going away on vacation in a few days and have asked my mother to care for my plants while I’m gone. After her initial shock that my plants are still alive, she agreed. I wish I could be there to see her expression when she walks out on the deck. I have a feeling that she will be very, very pleased with me.

Miscellaneous Musings about Backyards, Hammocks and Dads

Now that my father is in his ninth decade, my sister and I try to show a little more attentiveness (translation: respect) whenever my Dad mentions his Father’s Day hammock, but in the past, since we have heard the story so many times, we have fallen into the bad habit of rolling our eyes, scrunching up our noses or crinkling our eyes in a gentle form of silent ribbing. Our father, as he likes to remind us, has never ever not once ever lain in the hammock that we gave him one Father’s Day many years ago.

I remember when my dad assembled the infamous hammock in the back yard, perfectly centered in the shade of our tallest crabapple tree. It came with an optional frame so that it could be hung in the traditional manner between two objects or on the frame itself so that it could be moved around like a lawn chair. And afterwards I remember spending many lazy summer days of book reading or cloud shape guessing in the hammock. My sister would take tanning breaks, lying in its comforting folds, swinging gently from side to side. Even mother would take a break—albeit a quick one as though she didn’t want to be caught slacking—from hanging the wash or weeding her favorite flower bed. What I don’t remember is my dad ever taking the hammock for a spin.

I must confess though, I do find it hard to believe that after he had spent the time putting it together, that he didn’t sit in it, lie back, test it out, just once to make sure that it wouldn’t collapse in a spectacular heap when one of his precious daughters was using it. But knowing my dad, the claim that he never used the hammock could be entirely true.

There’s a good reason that I am unable to visualize our dad in the hammock. For my father, the backyard was not a place to relax; for it to be the haven it was for the rest of us, for my dad it was a place of work. When he wasn’t mowing the lawn, he was trimming trees or planting flowers or working on some current project, like the summer he repainted the patio furniture. It seemed that he was always busy doing something: potting plants in the garage at his workbench, fixing something (toasters, bikes, the family car) or painting—indoor and out. Even when we were relaxing on the patio as a family, it was dad who fired up the barbecue, dad who cooked the burgers and dad who cleaned the grill.

My sister and I have heard my father tell the story of how he received a hammock for a present one Father’s Day that he never got to use so many times that I think we missed the point. We made funny faces while he told the story because we thought he was guilt-tripping us. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe he was bragging—the beautiful place my sister and I grew up and felt safe in was the direct result of his constant planning, vigilance and effort.

There is a saying that “A woman’s work is never done.” But I don’t think a dad’s is ever done either.

Happy Father’s Day from all of us at Cymax Stores.

Kitchen Furniture and the Human Heart

E.B. White, author of Charlotte’s Web, once said that “on days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it.”

Kitchens are the hub of the home, the place where families and friends get together not only to eat, but to create meals and memories together. Kitchens are where ingredients are turned into nourishment for the belly, the heart, and the soul. Kitchens are where sense memories start: the smell of rhubarb and strawberries cooking in the pie my mother made on special occasions will always stay with me. I agree with E.B. White: Kitchens really do warm the human heart.

Unfortunately, kitchens can also be expensive to furnish and decorate. It is perhaps one of the most costly rooms in the house, especially for people who live in the kitchen, endlessly cooking and baking and nourishing their loved ones. But it doesn’t have to be that way. At Cymax, our online shopping makes shopping easy and inexpensive. In fact, keeping all the essentials in mind, we have ideas for your kitchen budget.

No matter how big your kitchen is, it always seems as though you need more space. If you are going for a natural, down-to-earth look, Cymax has a deal for you. These following three products are essentials and will make cooking all the more fun and accessible. With so many features, your kitchen will have everything you need… all for $690.97.

• The Home Styles Natural Wood Cart with Stainless Steel Top: $194.99 (save $105.01 from original price)
• The Home Styles Corner Buffet and Hutch with Plexiglass Doors in Natural: $295.99 (save $142.68 from original price)
• The Home Styles Baker’s Rack with Solid Wood Top in Natural: $199.99 (save $118.01 from original price)

With a cumulative saving of $365.70, Cymax offers you the kitchen of your dreams at almost half the cost of what you would pay on the original price – and definitely cheaper than shopping elsewhere! Add free ground shipping to that deal, and you will have a kitchen that is sure to warm your heart... and all of the hearts that you cook for.

What Lies Beneath

At the age of seven, my younger sister and I joined my parents in moving from our old townhouse to our first house. This was Suburbia at its finest, a cul-de-sac even. No more co-operative housing for our flock, we were a single family dwelling family (?) now. Cue the Jeffersons theme music ... movin’ on up...

I remember becoming quite enamored with the thick brown shag carpeting of our living room – quite par for a house built in the late ‘1970s. To me it was “shaggily” inviting and had a texture that pleased my bare feet very much. Had I been more discerning for my age, I might have thought it went well with Mom and Dad’s floral print sofa set, but I digress.

Accordingly, you can imagine my dismay when after only a few short months I became aware of their intention to do away with the “floor fur”, as my sister similarly endearingly referred to it, and replace it with parquet flooring. What on earth were they thinking? Where was the appeal in spending next Christmas morning pajama-bottomed on imitation wood squares rather than all that fluffy brown carpet goodness?

Their reasoning was equal parts completely logical and utterly nonsensical to a seven-year-old. Keeping this carpet clean was quite an ordeal, and Mom spoke of “ickies” (direct quote) that lodged themselves deep in the roots of the shag fibers and out of the reach of our 10-kilo green tank of an Electrolux vacuum. Protests were futile and a short time later the floor fur was torn out and discarded – the first of many home improvement projects Dad would embark on over the course of the next 5 years or so.

Today, I’d be embarrassed to admit I had a fondness for shag carpet at one time. However, I am aware of there being individuals who have a deeply-seated enthusiasm for recreating all things 1970s. I couldn’t help but think of them when I recently came across the selection of new home vacuums from Cymax Stores Online. It’s quite likely the appeal of shag carpet will not be as easily overruled by the “icky” factor considering the deep-cleaning suction power of a Dirt Devil vacuum or Kalorik vacuum.

In addition, the vacuums of today make the “tank” I referred to earlier seem even more onerous than it did those twenty-some years ago. Handheld vacuums and rechargeable vacuums make carpet and / or upholstery cleaning a lightweight breeze, and are just as easily perused at cymaxstores.com with the wondrous convenience of online shopping.

Heck, if I could have sat my Mom down in front of a PC way back then and sold her on the merits of a steamer vacuum, I might just have had more time to relish that floor fur my sister and I liked so much.

At the least the floral print couch lasted until the late ‘80s

Office Waiting Rooms and Ice Cream Cravings

I absolutely hate the dentist. Like would-rather-scrape-my-eyes out hate. Like would-choose-to-stick-my-hand-in-a-tank-of-scorpions hate. But after avoiding the dentist for five years, it came to a point where it was too painful to eat ice cream, so I finally decided I had to go. Because really, who can live a happy life without ice cream?

So with a referral from a friend, I had an appointment. From outside the office, I peeked through the windows to search for torture devices (the windows were tinted, so I was unsuccessful and I’m sure my face, cupped in my hands and pressed against the glass was a treat for everyone inside). The receptionist had asked me to arrive early to fill out some forms, so with twenty minutes until my date with the devil, I anxiously entered the office.

I walked into bliss. I kid you not. This waiting room was incredible. I checked again to see if I had the right address, but was soon greeted by name and asked to take a seat. And what a seat! A wrap around black leather sectional sofa opened up the whole room; it gleamed at me and invited me to fall back into it. With plenty of room to spread out, relax, and convince myself that only a successful (and therefore good) dentist could have a couch like this in his waiting room, I felt better already. In front of me, a modern styled table that would emphasize any room made me feel as comfortable as I would be in my own home. After filling out my papers, I picked up a Time Magazine from a very chic contemporary magazine rack. And then my mantra started: This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad.

Although a nice enough guy, with his mask on, the dentist bore an uncanny resemblance to the infamous cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. But as he came at me with drills and picks and all things horrible, I didn’t care. I didn’t care because I had a pair of headphones on, watching the comedy network on a TV, fixed above me on the ceiling by a TV mount. Escapism by means of Seinfeld… a perfect way to transform a dental-phobic into one of the easiest patients in the world. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad.

I left with a follow-up appointment to fill my (seven) cavities and a new appreciation for office waiting rooms. It got me thinking about other waiting rooms or lobbies that I’ve spent some time in: Doctors offices, real estate offices, my friends’ offices where I wait for them to get off work for coffee or dinner dates. Office waiting rooms should be inviting, comfortable, and relaxing; after all, people spend a lot of time in waiting rooms over the course of their life.

Deck out your office waiting room in furniture that makes your customers, clients, potential future employees, and anyone else who makes a visit feel at ease. At Cymax, shop online for chairs and sofas, tables and magazine racks, lighting, coat racks, and accessories that will make any office guest feel as serene as they would in their own living room. If they are comfortable in the waiting room, they will be easier to please once they pass through your office door. A happy guest equals happy business.

So is it the prospect of being able to eat ice cream again or the TV and couch combo that is making me return to have my cavities filled? I think it is a combination of both. My only suggestion to improve the dentist’s office: Free ice cream on the way out. That isn’t so bad. That isn’t so bad. That isn’t so bad at all.