Interpreting Tarot -- Reading the Book of Life
By
Rebecca Brents

The Circle of Life -- The Zodiac Signs and the New Moon's Journey
By
Rebecca Brents

Sometimes getting the right answer means asking the right question.

Life is full of hints, signs, and advice ... if you know where to look and what you're looking for.

Astrology and Tarot are tools that blend free will and useful information into new dimensions of thought ... so you can discover your best options. But the choice to act is always yours.

Work with all your possibilities.

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The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Mid-Life And Beyond
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Pamela D. Blair

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	Put a Lid on It Roofs for Patios & Decks by Debbie Rodgers
Astrology, Tarot, and Self Improvement for the New Age.

Put a Lid on It
Roofs for Patios & Decks
by Debbie Rodgers

If you have an open patio or deck, you've doubtless enjoyed many sunny days in your outside space. But you've also likely wished at some point for some shelter from the sun's rays -- or raindrops. What are your roofing options?

Umbrellas

One of the fastest and easiest ways to provide outdoor shelter from sun and rain is with a market umbrella. These are sold in sizes that range from 6 feet to 12 feet across (1.8 to 3.6 metres). Think beyond the obvious picnic set with umbrella and create a shady nook with your favorite lounge chair and side table, or provide your outdoor chef with protection from the elements.

Market umbrellas are not designed to withstand extremely high winds and should be anchored in a cast iron stand, in a metal deck mount, directly in the ground or in a large bucket of rocks. You should also leave the umbrella closed in the event of strong wind or if you are not home.

Giant umbrellas, often used in commercial establishments, are also available for home use. Although they are pricey, they form part of a permanent outdoor installation (most being sunk into a ground socket). Ranging in size from 12' to 26' (about 3.5m to 8m), certain models can withstand winds up to 45 mph (70 kph).

Similar to umbrellas, polyethylene canvas garden pavilions with open sides are a quick and easy solution to providing needed shade.

Awnings and Sunshades

Awnings, a slightly more fixed solution than a market umbrella, come in a variety of styles and materials. They are generally installed on a wooden or steel tubing frame. Many are retractable so that winter snow weight need not be a worry, and so that they can be rolled up during especially strong winds.

Awning fabrics have been greatly improved over the last few decades and now stand up well to rain and sun. If you are constructing your own awning, look for Army duck -- a specially woven canvas that is chemically treated to resist mildew and fungus -- or a vinyl-coated canvas. Plain canvas is relatively inexpensive and also wears fairly well, and polyester and acrylic-based fabrics resist mildew.

Choose from a variety of colors and thicknesses (determined by weight) and be certain to stretch the fabric tightly over your frame to avoid wind damage.

New windshades or windsails anchor securely for resistance to breezes. Or for easy temporary shelters, attach Indian saris or even sheets to walls, trees, or frames.

Pergolas

Perhaps the most popular style of roof deck is the pergola -- an open roof of cross rafters supported on posts or columns. When they are covered with vines (such as grapes, silver lace, trumpet and so on), they can provide a great deal of cool shade, especially since the greenery itself helps lower temperatures. Most pergolas, however, offer only limited protection from the rain.

Although pergolas are most often attached to a ledger on the side of your house, you can be innovative and make freestanding pergolas. For example, anchor two arbors six or eight feet from each other and attach beams to the tops of them to form a tunnel. Then close in one or both sides with lattice and you have a small and charming free standing structure over a patio or portable decking to relax in.

I'll discuss pergolas in more detail in a future issue of Tales from the Porch Swing.

Closed Roofs

The variety of roofing materials available for decks is dizzying. Depending on your climate, you can choose reed or bamboo rolled roofing material, corrugated plastic, corrugated polycarbonate or tinted fiberglass sheets, clay tiles, wood shakes, or several types of shingles.

Again, I'll cover more details of roofing materials and how to build a deck roof in a future issue, so stay tuned!

Shelter is a basic need for outdoor spaces, increasing the pleasure you can derive from outdoor living. Today, there are countless options available -- so, go on, put a lid on it!

(c) 2004 Debbie Rodgers, All rights reserved.

Note: This author's website is closed.

Debbie Rodgers owns and operates Paradise Porch, and is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture and enrich them. Visit her on the web at http://www.paradiseporch.com

Are you looking for more information on Home, Family, Emotional Security, and Feelings?

Cancer is the astrology sign that deals specifically with Home, Family, Emotional Security, and Feelings. Learn more about Cancer.
The information here tells all about Cancer Astrology.

Cancer Horoscope

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.
~ George Moore ~
Born February 24, 1952

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Last updated July 19th, 2006

How to Read Your Natal Chart
By
Rebecca Brents

Astrology is for Believers.

With Real Astrology as your compass, you can recognize what's right for you, work with your natural gifts and rhythms, understand the dynamics of your relationships, and take your place more easily in Life's natural flow.

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their lives seriously.

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Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance
By
Daniel G. Amen