So along with getting a pedicure today, I purchased a bunch of window boxes at Lowes. I’m running 2×4’s to the 4×4 beams holding up my fence, and I am putting up window boxes on the interior of the fence to hold herbs, flowers, lettuce when in season, as well as a few other things.
At the same time, I am planning the raised garden, and am just appalled at the price of cedar. I could make a raised garden out of crack and it would be cheaper.
Also in the preliminary stages of deck planning, but just can not figure out what I want to do. As a side note, does anyone have any experience with Teak furniture like this? I love the simplicity and look, but what are we looking at in terms of longevity? How often does it need to be oiled? Obviously, it will go in the basement in the winter.
I happen to think it is very comfortable, too, but I really just love the look. It’s expensive, though.
*** Update ***
I’ll never understand why taking care of your feet is somehow effeminate, but for the assorted jackasses making remarks about males getting pedicures, I’ll just post this from James Harrison’s FB feed, which I saw a couple hours after I got my very own pedicure:
All you guys who think this is somehow wimpy or uncool are just tools. There’s a reason so many women flock to get manicures and pedicures- it feels good. Really good. I’ll take a good pedicure over a massage any day of the week.
sfinny
I’ve been looking at a teak chair for my patio. They are expensive, but the two swing chairs that I purchased broke after a couple of years. So a longer lasting option looks more favorable.
Abstruse
Cedar Lumber or Cedar Mulch?
Scout211
I purchased my raised beds from Frame-it-all. They sell kits with either cedar or composite lumber. I have the composite, made from mostly recycled plastics. The kits are great, easy to install and you can choose many different sizes. They also have screening that you can purchase that fits right into the walls of the bed and is supposed to prevent “small animals” from getting into your veggies.
The recycled composite is a bit cheaper than the cedar and is supposed to be more durable.
Mark van Roojen
Look for a local sawmill. Bodark aka Osage orange, white oak (I know it is a waste of nice wood)or Eastern Red Cedar, or some other species might be available custom sawn. I had some 3 x 6 full dimension boards cut for the ends of my beds to which I then lag bolt (or better yet captured-nut bed bolt) 2 x 8 commercial cedar sides.
FWIW . . .
Matthew Reid Krell
When they built ships out of teak, cannonballs bounced off them. Just sayin’.
andy
Do what everybody else does- swipe pallets, bust ’em up, and assemble/finish them how you like.
andy
And plywood, as long as it’s not actually standing in water and has a little air circulation underneath, should last several seasons.
In any case, DO avoid treated timber like the plague unless you only plant ornamental flowers in them.
andy
My own gardening merely consisted of replanting some chives in a bigger container and starting some radishes in another. I think once the nights are reliably in the upper 30’s I can plant some fennel outside, but the tomatoes will have to wait ’till mid may at least (this still being Minnesota, though climate change seems to have tacked a couple weeks on the front and back of our growing season.
Made a quick ragu with pappardelle for dinner since it was getting late.
sfinny
Pedicure? What exactly is done in a pedicure. Generally I don’t like people touching my feet, and specifically ask during a massage that the feet are left alone. Is there something I am missing?
kdaug
You definitely don’t live in Central Texas, Cole.
I have many friends who would pay you to come take as much cedar as you can off their property.
They’d even help you cut it down and haul it to the truck.
Probably throw in some cold beer, too.
Punchy
Pedicure, eh?
Clime Acts
Pressure treated lumber works great for raised beds.
Bnut
I feel like such a gardening noob with some of these threads. I just tilled up a 4×4 plot in the back in anticipation of my tomatoes and beans blooming out of the easy start cups I got. My father is a total green thumb, but I think doing all the shitty yard work as a kid has turned me off from the hardcore gardening scene. I have some boxes built into the front of my house, but the most I’m willing to deal with are some wildflowers and poppys.
Martin
I’ve got a teak patio table and chairs like that. It weathers pretty well. The biggest challenge is that teak has an open grain like oak (basically part of the wood is hollow) so that just accumulates dirt and you get a black tone to he furniture which you can bleach or just scrub out. I just scrub mine out.
Each year I clean it and use this stuff. It’s 10 years old, out in the sun/rain 24/7 and looks brand new.
suzanne
Why not something more modern, a la something from Design (Out Of) Reach.
Or Ikea, if it’s more your speed. They have some nice outdoor stuff this year.
John Cole
@sfinny: They cut my toenails, shave off the callouses, make my feet nice and tidy, and it is wonderful.
And I’ll take no shit for it. I do it once a month, no I am not gay, but I totally ruined my feet with decades of soccer and lacrosse with the final killing stroke being the years in combat boots. I get horrible callouses if I do not do this, and this just makes walking and my feet feel so much better.
While I was there today, this 6’3-4″ biker dude with a Harley leather jacket came in and got a pedicure. I remarked to him “It’s nice to see another guy in here” and he told me he started getting pedicures about 4 years ago because his girlfriend (now his wife) told him he either does that or wears socks to bed. So he did this, and said “now I can’t go a month without one or my dogs hurt too bad.”
I laughed. Any guy who doesn’t go for a pedicure at least once is an idiot, and anyone who goes for one will be hooked for life.
Martin
@kdaug: Yeah, I know a few woodworkers (with more space than I) that will every few years rent a small moving van, drive to places like Texas and come back with 1000 bf or so of whatever the local nuisance is. Way cheaper than buying it locally.
jnfr
What happened to the garden threads we used to have? I loved those.
I ended up making beds from 2×6 cedar, because pine just didn’t last. The cedar was way expensive, but I think it costs less over the long run, and it’s definitely less expensive.
We love these raised bed corners from Lee Valley. They will last forever, and they stack if you want more depth. Here in Colorado, with full sun and the US Strategic Wind Reserve flowing through my back yard, a taller bed just dries out faster, so I stick to my lower ones.
the Reverend Lowdown
I used to run a lumber dept in one of the large home improvement chains. Cedar is ridiculously pricey. It does give some natural protections against insects and mold but other than that, it’s just a regular piece of wood out in the elements. For that reason, people usually opt for the less expensive pine. If you are just looking to make some planters, then perhaps talk to the fella in your local large home improvement chain. I used to have to discount tons of cedar because of warping, splitting, etc. You just cut the bad off and are left with a decent board for somewhere around 50 cents. Other than that, I second the comment up thread about checking out a local lumber mill. I always find good deals there.
Martin
@suzanne: The teak will last a lifetime if well cared for. No way anything from Ikea would, and even the high end metal patio stuff often looks like shit after 10 years.
Johnk
Your link points to eucalyptus wood rather than teak. I have two eucalyptus chairs on their second season. Just pulled them out of winter storage today and gave them a coat of sealant. They look like they will last a long time if I take care of them.
Johnk
Your link points to eucalyptus wood rather than teak. I have two eucalyptus chairs on their second season. Just pulled them out of winter storage today and gave them a coat of sealant. They look like they will last a long time if I take care of them.
SarahT
Manicures, pedicures : Some love ’em, some don’t. But no question your hands & feet will look like a million bucks when you’re done. This makes some people incredibly happy, & I am one of those people. Just make sure you go to a salon that properly sterilizes their nail files, etc., & NEVER let them cut your cuticles, just push them back !
John Cole
@jnfr:
Winter happened. It’s like every year, things get cold and you can’t grow shit.
David Koch
How much does it cost to get a happy ending?
Martin
@the Reverend Lowdown: Cedar lasts fucking forever – generally 4-5x longer than untreated pine. Anyone sticking wood near the ground should keep this document handy. Redwood is a reasonable alternative if you can get it inexpensively. Out west here it’s pretty damn cheap.
Labor costs (even just your time) is significant relative to the cost of the wood. There’s a huge difference between having to replace something every 5 years and every 20.
sfinny
@John Cole: Hey I was not making a snarky comment on pedicures. Honestly I have not ever had one and was curious as to the appeal. As said, I have a personal aversion to the whole foot touching thing. But I totally get the callous issue and spend a certain amount of time using the pedi-egg to get my feet soft and happy.
suzanne
@Martin:
Depends on the climate. Out here in AZ, the extreme dryness destroys wood quickly. Splitting and dry rot take their toll. As a result, the metal stuff tends to work better (we don’t have problems with rust), as long as you don’t sear your ass. Personally, I’m not one for the traditional stuff, anyway. I don’t know why I would buy something made in the year 2012 that’s trying to look like it was made in 1870.
MTmofo
Teak is great. Oil it once a year. Or spar varnish it once a year, but that adds the need to strip the varnish or sand it down a few layers every few years. YMMV.
Anne Laurie
@jnfr:
The person putting them up — that would be me — ran out of material, temporarily I hope. It was an abnormally warm winter here in New England, but not warm enough for gardening outdoors.
I’m looking forward to re-starting the “Sunday Morning Garden Chats”, but unless y’all want to read me whining that I should’ve done better maintenance last fall, there won’t be much to write about before Memorial Day.
Send me pictures / stories and you’ll get garden posts.
(Goes for you, too, Cole.)
eemom
Cole. You totally stuck that pedicure thing in there to provoke that response. You KNOW you did.
And the more you keep saying “couple” without “of,” the more you will eternally suck, no matter how many macho man pedicures you get.
Uncle Cosmo
@Old King Cole: So you honestly think that the behavior of an idiot thug like Harrison justifies your own? SMH. Not that I care whether you pay someone to baby your tootsies or not–I just find your choice of an example to support your action to be utterly ludicrous.
FTR, Cole, you’d probably be the ruler of the universe by now if you hadn’t dropped 50 IQ points as a necessary condition to joining Squealers fandumb (even in utero).
(Again, not that I much care, but just out of curiosity, what the hell do you do for a living? I have yet to see you even allude to any form of gainful employment in this blog or anywhere I’ve turned up with Google.)
MikeJ
@eemom: Couple without of is perfectly acceptable colloquial english. Ain’t a damn thing wrong with it.
mujituve
Pedicure!?! Welcome to the 1% buddy!! I’m dying to know what fashion line Ivanka Trump is sporting… Did you see her at the spa? Could you ask her for me? Live it up! Let them eat cake!!
Larkspur
I would love to get a pedicure. I try to take care of my feet, but my feet have some major mileage on ’em, plus the years of running left me with some persistent toenail issues, and thus I think that before I could get a pedicure, I would have to get some kind of EPA impact report, and I would have to spend some money on them orange cones to set around the pedicure site, and then I get all light-headed and want to take a nap. Should I feel more capable soon, I intend to possibly investigate home remedies for foot-related hyperkeratosis. If this grosses you out sufficiently, send money and I will outsource the damn pedicure.
But I am truly thankful that I have feet. And shoes. Et cetera.
Also? Today I saw two goldendoodles, apricot miniature poodles plus golden retrievers, and OMG I fell in love. Their paws were adorable, and their toenails were to die for.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
If you want teak to last forever, you have to talk to the guys at a marine store.
__
Deks Olje is a good choice. I use it for the spruce mast and teak floorboards on my (mostly garaged) daysailer.
David Koch
There are pedicures and then there are pedicures
scav
Once a year sounds a little on the low side for oiling, but my main experience with teak was on a boat (+salt water), which clearly changes things. Glorious wood though, although in all fairness, I’m a bit of a slut for anything with a grain in it.
Maude
@SarahT:
The thought of a salon doing my feet gives me the whim whams. I can do my own because I don’t have problem feet. If I had to get them done, I’d go to a foot doctor.
SG
I have a teak bench bought more than ten years ago at Costco. It was $200 back then but as heavy as a $600 model from the fancy catalogues. It’s been sitting at the outside corner of my porch year-round and never been oiled. I decided to go straight to the silver-gray weathering and not fret over oiling the thing annually. It’s as solid as the day I put it together. If you can afford to pay a little more, you might think about a bench with heavier legs and arms.
clayton
You all make too much money for me to even comment.
Oh wait, commenting is almost free.
It still amazes me that some podunk like Cole in WV can get better access to the internet than I can living in the innermost of the third largest city in the USA.
Larkspur
@SG: I love the silver-gray weathering. Honest. It is excellent for teak and I’m liking it for my feet as well.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@MikeJ: I say, blog posts about TV shows require The Queen’s English, old chap.
PeakVT
Since wood has been mentioned: has anyone ever used aspen for any projects around the home? It’s basically the same price as select pine right now at Lowes, and I was thinking of using it to make new baseboard radiator covers.
SarahT
@sfinny : Salons use a ped-eggish kind of pumice stone for callouses, but first they soak your feet awhile, then trim or file your nails, then put cuticle oil on & push your cuticles back, then your nails get buffed or polished. Most salons include a short foot rub or leg massage, w/the option of paying for 10 extra minutes.
Sorry, @ David Koch, no happy endings – at least not at my local salon; But then my idea of a happy ending @ a nail salon is nice nails, so I never asked…
Martin
@scav: I can get by with once a year since we go 6-8 months with basically no rain, and we usually wipe it down daily to at least weekly since we’ll eat a meal out there usually every day from now until October or so.
Bruuuuce
Hey if Timmeh can get a mani-pedi, how unmanly can they be? :-p
danielx
Re: deck planning
Whatever plan you use….don’t use treated lumber. Use Trex or one of the other products that does not have to be stripped every three years or so. It’s a pain in the ass and hard on plants next to the deck, and if you strip it yourself it will be hard on you, since the active ingredient in a lot of strippers is sodium hydroxide, aka lye. Low maintenance is good and, in this case, green as well.
Martin
@PeakVT: Never used aspen and don’t know anyone who has ever used aspen. Can’t say I’ve ever seen it in a store before – even the specialty hardwood stores.
davidnc
pedicures are gay, but i admire your refusing to acknowledge it.
Larkspur
@clayton: And yet, your comment has been read by moi, who knows not the experience of wealth, but who is grateful for a modest, slightly shabby First World existence. If you are not in a position to feel similarly grateful, then I apologize, and offer such help as I might could give.
Omnes Omnibus
Dude, I am too fucking tickish to let anyone mess with my feet.
suzanne
@Larkspur: You can usually get an additional callus treatment for $5-7 that is TOTALLY worth it. They put some softening gel on the hard spots, wrap your feet in plastic, and then file with the thing that looks like a cheese grater. I do it at home in between pedicures, and it’s taken my feet from literally bleeding through the soles of my shoes to semi-respectable-looking. Haven’t had my heels crack in over a year. WOOT!
kdaug
@Uncle Cosmo:
You haven’t been paying attention.
SarahT
@ Larkspur : Honestly, you may think your feet are beyond help, but I bet the salon staff have seen far worse (like, human hoof-type worse !) You could also take @ Maude’s route & go to a podiatrist, if the idea of a mani-pedi gives you the whim whams. And sorry, @ DavidNC, mani-pedis for men are only considered gay by men who use Old Spice : Talk about whim wham-inducing…
Amanda in the South Bay
I think the last time I got a pedicure was when I was in the Army Reserve, during a weekend drill at Ft. Lewis.
I try to keep my toe nails trimmed, but I get really squeamish about toenails in general. *shudders*
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
Not uncool because a Steeler does it.
Hmmm…Didn’t Lynn Swann run for the governorship of PA as a Republican?
darms
Penofin is your friend.
I don’t get pedicures as my feet are hideous (according to my significant other)…
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@kdaug:
How very adult of you.
@Uncle Cosmo:
When Cole is recovering from his duties as a stuntman, he works as a transvestite prostitute.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): Why yes, he did, and lost to Ed Rendell.
Larkspur
@SarahT: Yes, you and Suzanne give me hope. Honestly, I do my best with my feet, and I do not consider them to be hazardous to me or others. They are just well-used and kind of homely. I have shoe orthotics, and I apply tea-tree oil faithfully. But applying polish to the toenails continues to be a ridiculous proposition, and I am settling for clean, neat, and functional. I don’t wear girl-shoes, either. I think I am basically a very privileged peasant.
kdaug
@clayton:
What is this “make money” thing you speak of?
eemom
@MikeJ:
Ain’t a damn thing wrong with it if you are referring to a couple as in a pair, i.e., “Cole and Mike are a couple.”
Otherwise, there ain’t shit that says it’s “perfectly acceptable colloquial English,” and you suck even worse than Cole does.
eemom
@Omnes Omnibus:
hmm. [contemplating possibilities]
Jennifer
JC, I’ve been researching the same thing since I want to re-establish a garden. I’m so broke at the current time that I can’t afford ANY materials, so for this year, anyway, it’s just going to be a few tomato & basil plants in a spot dug up in the yard. But I found this site, which offers full kits at a pretty reasonable price, all things considered – you more or less just snap it together – and I’ll end up either going with one of these or a recycled composite kit when I can (BTW, Gardener’s Supply Company has a good selection of these – you can probably find any of their kits at better prices somewhere else.)
Also, too all you gardeners – if you’ve never had a Purple Cherokee heirloom tomato, you owe it to yourself to grow a couple of them this year. They aren’t beautiful tomatoes, but they’re the tastiest I’ve ever had.
davidnc
SarahT, i’m not whim whamed by teh ghey. i’m just expressing my instinctive repulsion to the notion of men having their feet serviced for money. men are extremely gross. all men know this already. men know they don’t deserve to have their feet touched. john knows it too, deep down. that’s why he dishonestly makes it an issue of gayness. alas, the problem is that male feet are fucking gross and should be shamed when encountered. paying people to touch gross things isn’t a progressive value! and that’s too quotable to not be true.
davidnc
and speaking of old spice, the tim and eric commercials are fucking awesome.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@John Cole: Please, please use the phrasing “a couple (whatever)” as many times as possible over the next week or two.
FlipYrWhig
What about feet needs treatment like this? They’re feet, and I put shoes and socks on them, and occasionally trim the nails. They don’t hurt and they don’t seem to smell unduly. I don’t know what I could possibly pay for in the way of foot improvement. It’s not a body part that needs caring for, in my experience. Am I just lucky?
And, as far as massages go, I have never had one and would never want one. I guess I don’t want strangers touching me unless I’m in incapacitating pain. Which, luckily, is just about never.
Larkspur
@davidnc: OMG. I am a man. I swear I did not know that until this moment. Oh, the horror – wait, hold on. If I am a man, I do not fucking care, do I? W00T!
Omnes Omnibus
@eemom: Don’t. Just don’t.
Jennifer
@FlipYrWhig: I’m guessing you also don’t go in for anal bleaching.
davidnc
@Larkspur: yeah, well, you did say w00t.
suzanne
@Jennifer:
Is this one of those things that all the cool kids are doing these days and I don’t know, because I am just not cool enough? I would really like to know why someone would do this, and yes I am terrified to Google it.
Jennifer
@suzanne: I also do not go in for the latest in pornstar grooming trends, but unlike you, I am unafraid to google anything.
Jennifer
Also, too: I’d go in for a pedicure if they had some of those dead-skin nibbling fish.
the Reverend Lowdown
@Martin, Are you talking just regular cedar or sealed boards, something like that? I did work in an indoor lumber yard, so there was some wicked dryness to contend with. My observation, over years working there, is that regular untreated pine and cedar basically warped and cracked(split) at the same rate. Even the treated stuff got pretty awful. About the only thing I can say that differentiated cedar is that I never found mold on it. I didn’t get to see a lot of the products outside, over any amount of time, so that’s the blind spot in my opinion
suzanne
@FlipYrWhig: Well, due to the dryness of the air here in the desert southwest, the skin on my feet gets dry to the point of cracking and bleeding. I have had to throw away shoes in which the insoles got saturated with blood. Regular callus removal, moisturizing, and keeping my feet fanatically clean to prevent infection should I get a skin fissure or tear keep me from being in pain with every step. And since I go every month or so, and try to maintain my pedicure at home, I’ve had far fewer problems.
JenJen
I appreciate a man who takes care of his feet. It’s a long-running pet peeve of mine, once good weather hits, to see hobbit-like sandaled men-feet. Blech.
Also, guys… ladies don’t much care for rough scratchy feet in the bed. True story.
mattH
@Martin: “Fence posts constitute an important but unobtrusive component of our
rural infrastructure.”
LOL, unobtrusive my ass. As someone who’s put in a few fences, who are they kidding? Thanks though, needed the laugh.
kdaug
@the Reverend Lowdown:
MDF, FTW.
SarahT
Whim Whams, anal bleaching, gnarly man-feets, & skin-nibbling fish : Reminds me of my misspent youth… ‘Nite, all – sweet dreams !
billgerat
@FlipYrWhig:
Being that I’m diabetic, foot care is very important. I get a pedicure about every 3 months. The hot water foot soak is great when you’ve been on your feet all the time, the foot massage is relaxing, and getting the calluses buffed down is important for diabetes health. i also have an ingrown nail on one big toe, and they have all the special tools to cut and trim it with. I can do without the foot lotion they use, but by the time they are done, my feet feel great. Until you have one, you don’t know what you’re missing.
I’d never get a manicure though – that’s just so metrosexual.
FlipYrWhig
@Jennifer: I don’t even go in for tooth bleaching.
I feel about the same way about eyelash related products. I have never noticed anyone’s eyelashes. The difference between the most beautiful eyelashes in the world and the ugliest cannot possibly be worth money. I’ve seen commercials for products that moisturize your elbows and armpits. Um, OK. Maybe I have an ugly underside of my tongue, too. Call the tongue salon!
Foot beauty is lost on me. Foot _health_ I can understand. But it seems like a very thin line between pathology and ugliness.
sydney
Pedicure- the epitome of self indulgence.
Really.
FlipYrWhig
@billgerat: I am wicked metrosexual about my eyebrows. Stupid buggers want to grow all kinds of random places, and they must go. But feet? The most sensual indulgence they’re getting is sock removal.
BethanyAnne
I sold teak furniture for a few years. It can last forever, but I would really look into applying tung oil once or twice a year. The folk that owned my shop flew to Thailand every year on a buying trip, and got their teak there. We had some really beautiful pieces.
Jeffraham Prestonian
I’m just a ticklish tool. :)
.
Petorado
@PeakVT: Aspen’s not that great a wood to work with. It’s very soft, is easily damaged, and likes to break. I found the dust from milling and sanding has a very annoying fibrous quality that messes with me more than many other woods. You can paint it but it doesn’t look that good with oil or clear coat finishes. Poplar might be a better alternative at close to the same price point, even though it’s from the same family of trees.
Yutsano
@JenJen:
Some of us gents don’t care for it either.
Nicole
if you have your heart set on teak, just make sure it’s FSC certified.
http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/woodguide.asp
Arclite
Pedicures: As a man, I can see the appeal, especially after a long hike or something, of having someone take care of your feet. However, this:
shows that you’ve never had a good, professional massage in your entire life. And, no, I’m not talking about the kind can get in Thailand with the happy ending. I’m talking about a massage done by a trained and licensed professional.
Keith
James Harrison isn’t getting a pedicure; he’s having small fish eat the dead skin from his feet.
Susan
My boat had teak decks and toe-rail and they were very easy to care for. You can get a 2-part cleaner from any marine store that is amazing for cleaning once a year. We oiled the decks and toe-rail once a year when it was up north here and 2-3 times a year when we lived in the south and the tropics. Teak is very durable and looks brand new and beautiful for years. If you choose not to oil, it will turn a silvery grey colour that can be cleaned once a year, depends on your preference.
And…. I love pedicures, they make your feet feel amazing, everyone should try them.
the fugitive uterus
damn i’d love to get manicures and pedicures but that requires disposable income! especially women who get pedicures, you have to keep those things maintained, you have to go back once a week. who do you think you are, Ann Romney?
that’s why i find guys getting pedicures funny. people don’t expect YOUR feet to look good. as a matter of fact, people actually expect your feet to look like crap cuz your a man! ;p
(PS, i know, i know, it feels great)
oh, as for me, i use cheap lotion (i reserve the good stuff for the rest of me, clippers, slap on some polish and hope nobody notices that scary left pinky toe)
Betty Cracker
I’ve never had a pedicure in my entire life and never plan to. Not because I think there’s anything wrong with other people having them — male or female. It’s just that I am The Most Ticklish Person in the World.
the fugitive uterus
Betty, I HATE those french pedicures. is it just me? i hope i don’t offend anyone here who might have them, but i have this thing about long toenails. i knew a lady who loved her french pedicure so much that her toenails looked like claws.
and around here, EVERYBODY has french pedicures, except me and dead people. conversely, i have always thought french manicures are beautiful, just not the feets, please.
the fugitive uterus
funny, this thread seems to alternate between pedicures and wood products.
the fugitive uterus
@SarahT: dammit, i would LOOOOVE to go to spa, i would trade a pedicure for a facial treatment any day, but then that requires a lot more money than you need for pedicures.
all these older, awesome looking ladies (like Ann Romney) have limitless funds to go to spa every day of the week, if not more. my face it getting old and saggy and i need all the help i can get. anyway, even if they haven’t had cosmetic surgery, their skin just glows like that of a much younger women.
can you tell i’m insecure about aging?
Mino
That bench is not teak. And eucalyptus barely qualifies as hardwood–too fast growing. Plus a bench that size that weighs only 37 pounds is pretty flimsy.
I make decorative planters for a living. Double thickness plywood and fiberglassed on the inside. Cap the raw top edge and paint them and they’ll last a long, long time. Now mine usually have metalwork on the sides, but the basic pattern is one I’ve found to be just about perfect.
the fugitive uterus
the guy who tweeted his pre-pedicured foot has pretty decent looking feet to start with by the way
Tom
Teak is beautiful wood. But I second Nicole. Please, if you want teak, make sure it’s certified and even then try to avoid buying anything processed in China or originating in Burma. Teak harvesting has contributed to the ravaging of old-growth forests in SE Asia. Sustainable teak harvesting – the certified teak – comes mainly from teak plantations.
geg6
I, too, indulged in a pedicure yesterday and my feet still feel wonderful 24 hours later. I get a pedi two or three times a year. I, too, would take a pedi over a massage any day. I do not like massages (and, yes, I’ve them done by professional masseuses…still hated every minute of it). But a pedi is sooooo relaxing and have the bonus of making my feet look pretty. Don’t do manicures either but that’s because I don’t really need them. I don’t polish my nails but I do take very good care of my hands myself. I’m very vain about my hands because they are wrinkled like some women my age and that is because I pamper them so. I always wear gloves to clean or garden and I go through moisturizer like water.
Nancy
@John Cole:
I personally enjoy living with a man who takes care of his feet. The biker’s partner was correct, men can have lethal, sharp toenails and getting scratched does not enhance the mood.
When you find the woman of your dreams, John, she will appreciate your nice feet. And you are supporting the local economy by getting a pedicure. And most people are happier when their feet don’t hurt.
Anyone who gives you grief about your pedicure may just have sore feet.
gravie
I’ve been trying for years to get my husband to go for a pedicure. He has toenails like a rhino horn. So far, no go.
NancyDarling
Was this your first pedicure, John? If so, did your pedicurist have to bring out the Black and Decker tools?
It is also a health issue for many elderly people. I don’t consider myself elderly yet, but I just can’t do an adequate job myself these days. In California, I see more and more men getting them when I am there. So far, no men have been sighted in Arkansas.
I can’t believe how cheap it is. I always get the works which includes some sort of sea salt concoction with hot towel wraps up to my knees.
geg6,Are you using Atlas Glove, Nitrile Touch? They are like a second skin. I discovered them through a local organic farmer. I now keep all my green thumb family members supplied. I understand that “horse people” use them, too.
Jay C
I’ll second everyones’ reccs about teak furniture: I have a couple of teak benches that have sat outdoors on my terrace – in Manhattan – for 25+ years, and while they are getting a bit rough by now (lazy-ass that I am, I have never done anything to them); they’re still basically sound. If, unlike yrs. truly, you sand/seal/oil it once every couple of years, a good teak piece should probably last for many decades.
General Stuck
I suppose there’s nothing that un manly about getting a pedicure, long as no nail polish is involved. I have troubled feet myself with some arthritis and nerve pain, sometimes a lot of nerve pain, and do take care of them myself. Which includes daily soakings with epson salt, steroid cream, and some really cool foot softener stuff called Blue Goo, some kind of oil from emu’s, that is near magical of how good it makes your feets feel. Being a tight wad, I just won’t pay for others to do something I can do for myself. And after years of trial and error, have come up with a very good do it yerself foot maintenance program.
mai naem
Who is James Harrison?
General Stuck
@mai naem:
Pretty boy Steeler, not right in his head.
FlipYrWhig
@mai naem: Football player who’s been fined numerous times for dangerous hits.
Bo Alawine
ROFLMAO! Tell me about it!
I’ve been growing strawberries in raised beds for a couple of years. I used untreated lumber, knowing that sooner or later I’d have to do something more permanent. Well, that time has come.
Perhaps I should consider crack.
v/r
Bo
Gail
Check out http://tidewaterworkshop.net/. Their classic 4′ bench can’t be beat! Mine has been outside for about a dozen years and is still wearing well. It’s on sale today, too!
The Other Bob
I may try building boxes out of Trex or other compostite lumber. It will require greater supports, such as additional 2×4 or 4×4 stakes to deal with the material flex and the fact it is only 5/4 thick, but it may be worth the investment.
The Other Bob
I may try building boxes out of Trex or other compostite lumber. It will require greater supports, such as additional 2×4 or 4×4 stakes to deal with the material flex and the fact it is only 5/4 thick, but it may be worth the investment.
muddy
I gave away my pool last year, and then built a big raised bed with the deck wood. It was PT, but was over 15 years old, and I lined the sides with plastic to keep the chemicals out of the wood. The bottom is open to the sand that had been under the pool. It’s about knee high, so I can sit on the edge to weed etc.
I saw on This Old House a couple a years ago that there was a new kind of of preserved wood without the chemicals. They infused the wood with silica and baked it, then the interior of the wood is glassy I guess. They said tests showed it lasted longer, was cheaper, was non-toxic. I only ever saw it on the show, I don’t know where you’d get it.
CatHairEverywhere
After much trial and error with other raised beds ideas, I have used these very successfully for a few years now.
http://www.gardeners.com/Raised-Bed-Corners/36-643VS,default,pd.html?start=1&q=raised%20bed%20corner
I just use pine 2x10s- it’s cheaper and easier to replace. Mine looks very good after 3 years.
sam
I didn’t take care of my feet when I deployed and then ended up looking like I’d deployed to Valley Forge. Hobbling, bleeding mess. Anyone who walks enough has to take care of their feet.
Gex
The thing is, the delicate male psyche needs to have things labeled as macho. Burger King will sell quadruple stackers as manly. There will be man caves and mancations. Coke and Pepsi each had to have a new diet brand aimed a manly men using more black in the packaging.
With women being able to vote, work, own things, decide when to have babies, etc. Many men have decided that they need to find some extra super duper macho definition of manliness. Having a pen is isn’t enough.
Frankly, I prefer it coming out in mocking other men for pedicures than to try to chain women in the house for the purposes of spitting out babies like right wing assholes do.
ellie
I love getting manicures and pedicures. I recommend them to everyone.
Cacti
If ever I was pedi-curious, the stories of nail salons as breeding grounds for MRSA slammed that door shut for me.
I do enjoy me a good massage though. Sister in law is a licensed massage therapist.
Liberty60
Didn’t Jesus get a pedicure?
muddy
I thought he gave them.
PeakVT
@Petorado: Thanks.
Liberty60
@Gex:
How true- us men tend to be amazingly brittle and uncertain of our self image.
Most men now carry bags- for our laptops, our papers, and whatnot.
But don’t call them purses, goddammit!
Sure, sometimes I don’t have a computer and Very Important Papers in mine; sure, sometimes it only has my lunch, some bills, couple pens, sunglasses, ticket stub, and a flosspick- but it is a MANLY MAN BEIFCASE I tell ya!
Because we are MEN! In the Pride of our MANHOOD!
taylormattd
This right here is why I love this blog. How can you beat a blogmaster arguing with his readers about the relative masculinity of a pedicure? Fucking awesome.
kdaug
@Gex:
You keep your man in a pen?
Hillary Rettig
@SarahT: by men who use Old Spice
Was that supposed to be an insult? :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE
greenergood
Late in the thread, but my yoga teacher’s told us: you die from the feet up. In other words, if you don’t work on your feet – on the joints, on balance so that you stand on all ‘four corners’ of the feet, etc. – then the rest of your body is affected. Feet problems travel up the body; that funny pain in your knee, or your hip, or your lower back, or your shoulders, may have come from a bad alignment in your feet.
NobodySpecial
Hey, pedicures are fine, but don’t sell me a cheap shot artist as a symbol of manhood.
maurinsky
@John Cole:
I told my boyfriend that same thing – that if he went and got a pedicure, he would want it done regularly.
RedKitten
A good pedicure, by someone who knows what they’re doing, is just amazing. I’ve fallen asleep during pedicures on more than one occasion. Plus, I have pretty toes afterwards! (I’m currently sporting “Lollipop” by Essie.)
The Stonecutter had a pedicure once and really enjoyed it, but his feet don’t build up callous like mine do, so he can self-maintain pretty easily. Mine? I slather on a bunch of Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Cream on my feet in the morning before putting on my socks, and use a professional foot file in the shower, and STILL have cracked, calloused feet.
So John, enjoy your pedicures. Good on you!
Oh, and I’m another one who loathes French pedicures — they just make you look like you haven’t trimmed your toenails in a month.
JWL
You’re surprised at the price of cedar? It’s fuckin’ CEDAR, man.
SarahT
@ The Fugitive Uterus : OH yeah, facials are my idea of heaven too, but mani-pedis are all the glamour my budget can handle, because getting your nails done is one of the only bargains left in NYC. So while my face is going the the Dorian Gray portrait route, at least my hands & feet will be forever young(ish). Yeah, being insecure about aging sucks almost as much aging does. Sigh…
@ Hillary Rettig :
Didn’t mean to offend ! Just that in my experience, Old Spice users aren’t exactly the hot guy from those ads : More like the old gents who used to frequent the local OTB, which is great if you’re turned on by cigarillos & pinky rings – not that there’s anything wrong with that either, ok ?