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HOME & GARDEN CONSUMER GUIDE

Dad’s Sunday Delight

(ARA) - What did you get Dad last year for Father’s Day? Can you even remember or is it buried in a drawer somewhere between the tie that lights up and the gag golf ball? If you’re looking for a memorable gift for Dad this year, start by looking to your family’s lawn or garden. After all, football season is over and the weekend warrior has shed his team colors in favor of anything green. In fact, his green thumbs are pointing you toward “Dad-worthy” gifts in the lawn and garden section.

Tools that have been around forever will pass their prime long before Dad passes his -- like the trowel with the bent blade or the rake with most of the prongs missing. Consider some new tools fit to keep up with Dad. Hand tool and power equipment designs are continually improving. They are now more efficient, easier to use and even more environmentally safe.
Make Dad’s work easier by upgrading to a power tool -- a garden tiller, backpack blower or even a new string trimmer will give Dad something to brag about to the neighbors.
So many tools Dad doesn’t know what to do with them all? Consider some storage and transportation solutions. For hauling his tools, compost or supplies around the yard, a utility cart that attaches to the lawn tractor could be the perfect gift. Or take a hard look at the storage shed or garage and consider new racks, shelves, hooks or even a new shed altogether!
Has Dad been so focused on the grass he forgets to see the yard? Replace cracking flower pots or rotting fence. And don’t forget about work accessories -- replace worn-out garden gloves, and make sure his gasoline can is the sturdy plastic type that won’t rust or build up a charge of static electricity.
Have Dad and his mower started to seem similar? Cranky or hard to start? Consider a tune-up kit, including oil, an oil filter, a new spark plug and a new air filter. Or have a trained technician perform routine service -- many John Deere dealerships now offer Ready-To-Mow, a 12-point maintenance service that comes to your house to maintain your mower, letting Dad spend his time working on the lawn rather than the mower.

All Dads like having a project to tinker around with outside. So let Dad’s desire add a little dimension to your yard:

Try lawn ornaments or yard art -- or suggest Dad make his own.
Consider a pond or water garden kit. A water garden is an ongoing project that Dad can continue to improve after he’s finished the basic installation. But getting him to read the directions may be a bigger project!
Or if you just can’t decide, give Dad a gift certificate and let him go home with that one tool he’s always wanted but didn’t think he needed -- and watch him transform the yard.

So this year give a gift that Dad will remember -- and actually use -- all year long. After all, it’s not that Dad won’t love the socks or another tie, but a nice lawn and garden will actually be appreciated by other people too.