Everyone Should Have His or Her Own Personal Lawn Swing

Last year, when Spring rolled around, I decided that this was the year I would become the proud owner of my own personal lawn swing. Well, actually a balcony swing, but you get the idea.

I had wanted a lawn swing for about 5 years, but the first couple of years I looked for one, they were all far beyond what I was willing to pay. Then, for several more years, I didn't like the swings I saw being offered for sale. I wanted one that didn't have a divider in the middle, that had washable fabric, and that had an adjustable canopy to keep the sun off on hot days.

I checked every store in town, the classified ads, and was finally reduced to wasting a tank of gas every weekend checking out the local yard sales in hopes of finding just the right lawn swing to meet my needs. August rolled around and I had exhausted every possibility that I knew about when my daughter called to ask if I had seen the big sale going on at Home Depot in a town just a few miles from my home. They had a few lawn swings, she said. I wasn't aware of the sale, and didn't have much hope of finding what I wanted there, but I went anyway.

It was a huge clearance sale on summer merchandise. We walked around and around in the hot August sun and wondered why we were wasting time there when we could have been back in our nice, cool house, sipping soda, and reading the afternoon away.

Then, suddenly, there it was. The lawn swing of my dreams. It wasn't too small or too large, It didn't have a bunch of fancy gadgets added to it. The upholstery material on it looked and felt like fabric, but it was of some kind of water-repellent material. And, would you believe it, the sale price was only $49.95? I had seen swings like this selling for nearly $200 all summer; there must be some mistake. I hurriedly sought out the salesman and asked, but the price was correct. They wanted to dispose of all their summer merchandise to get ready for the Fall season.

I assigned my husband to guard MY lawn swing against other bargain seekers while I went to pay for our purchase, and within the hour, that gorgeous swing was on my balcony. You will notice I didn't say assembled on my balcony. That took a bit longer, but it did get assembled in time for me to enjoy many days of getting acquainted with it before the rains came.

After that, I spent a minimum of two to three hours a day swinging away with a pillow at my back, my laptop on my lap, and a diet soda close at hand. The day we decided to cover it with a tarp for the winter was a sad day for me, and I am now, in early April, looking forward to a great summer of swinging away while I write the Great American Novel. In fact, just the other day, I lifted the tarp off the front of the swing and took a trial run. No one, I think, has ever received so much value for a mere $49.99.