one of my DH's stolen denim shirts that I tore nicely on the side of a fence (oh that holey fray tear is soo cool looking), a pair of old denim jeans that the crotch is almost completely ripped through and has a hole on the butt....oh but wait... and for the final piece my extra big and long old Russell Sage tshirt saying women do it better --on the backside....long enough to cover the holes in pants don't worry.... the denim shirt gets tied around my waist as soon as the day's chill wears off...which last month was sooner than this month's--what's up with that?! And of course my old butt merrels as described in the shoe thread above...and on top of my head goes a lovely holey and crumpled looking straw hat that keeps the dreaded deer flies and horse flies off of my head! My DH says "going to town again?" whenever he sees me dressed ....smartie

I love scarves for dressing up an outfit. I wore them a lot in Europe as they are an extra layer...over the shoulders for the cathedral, over the head for a drizzle, around the neck if it's chilly, around the purse if it's hot... Below is a nice video for ideas about how to tie a scarf. However, I too am in the camp of no more turtlenecks...when I have a hot flash, it feels like strangulation. Scarves I can take off, but turtlenecks, I'm stuck. Such a shame as I have a zillion of them...I lived in them all winter when I was working...they look so great under a jacket, with or without a scarf, necklace or lapel pin... I have a couple of white shirts, but I have trouble finding them opaque enough, I never have them ironed so when I'm rushing to get dressed, I by pass them for something that doesn't need ironing, and with my coloring, the white is a washout on me so I have to add color besides. I also have to worry about length as I'm short...tunic shapes just cut me off. Then there's the boobage issue...button fronts can gape on me which also isn't fun. (I remember giving a talk one time, and the fellow in the front row was staring at my belly. I realized my shirt had gaped and he was seeing skin. At least it wasn't in the boob arena. Last time I did that! After that it was pullovers, button in the back, long scarves in front or camis underneath!) So for me, it's not a go to item, though I can see how it could be for someone else. Also, these days, I'm so into comfort that knits are by far my favorites...they move and stretch with me. When I wear wovens without any lycra in them, I feel like I'm fighting my clothes. I didn't try them, but was tempted....I was in walmart and see that Lee is making a super comfortable jean now out of very stretchy, very soft denim with almost a flannel like feel...a real cross between a legging and a jean...but they also had them boot cut. Next time I'm at the VF outlet, I'll have to take a look. Here is a link that might be useful: how to tie a scarf

Johnliu, bread really is easy to make. Try Julia Child's French Bread recipe. It is one of the best. And if you make the dough up a couple of days in advance and leave it in the fridge for a long cold fermentation it will develop even more flavour and texture. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table French Baguette =============== Julia Child 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 3-1/2 cups unbleached flour (bread flour) (NOTE: I use 4 cups) 2-1/4 teaspoons salt 1-1/3 cups cold water plus 1/3 or so additional water Place the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of the food process. Pulse to mix. Add 1 1/3 cups of water and process until the dough comes together. If the dough doesn't form a ball, add a little of the extra water. Process for about 60 seconds, turn off machine and let dough rest for 5 minutes. Turn on the machine again and rotate the dough about 30 times under the cover, and then remove it to a lightly floured work surface. it should be fairly smooth and quite firm. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes and then knead roughly and vigorously. The final dough should not stick to your hands as you knead (although it will stick if you pinch and hold a piece); it should be smooth and elastic and, when you hold it up between your hands and stretch it down, it should hold together smoothly. Preliminary rise - 40 to 60 minutes at around 75°F. Place the dough into a clean dry bowl, (do not grease the bowl), cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place free from drafts. (note the French do not grease the bowl because they believe the dough needs a seat to push up from). This first rise is sufficient when the dough has definitely started to rise and is about 1 1/2 times its original volume. Deflating: Turn the dough onto your lightly floured work surface roughly and firmly pat and push it out into a 14 inch rectangle. Fold one of the long sides over toward the middle, and the other long side over to cover it, making a 3 layer cushion. Repeat the operation. This important step redistributes the yeast throughout the dough, for a strong second rise. Return the dough smooth side up the bowl; cover with plastic wrap and again set to rise. Final rise in the bowl - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer. The bread should be 2 1/2 to 3 times its original bulk. It is the amount of rise that is important here, not the timing. To Shape, Cut the dough in half. Set one piece aside and cover with a towel. On a lightly floured work surface pat the dough into a 14 inch rectangle, squaring it up as evenly as you can. Fold the rectangle of dough in half lengthwise and using the heel of your hand, firmly press the edges together whether they meet. Seat well. Pound the dough flat. Now repeat - patting the dough out again and folding it over and sealing the edges. Pinch the edges well and Rotate the dough so that the sealed edge in on the bottom. Repeat with second piece of dough. Cover with plastic wrap or loosely with a towel and let rise to more than double again at about 75°f. Place stone in oven and Preheat oven to 450°F. Slash three long cuts into the loaves and place on the hot stone. Immediately toss a number of ice cubes on to the bottom on the oven to create steam. Bake until bread is golden and has an interior temp of 200°F. Takes about 30 minutes. Making Dough in a Mixer or by Hand When you are making dough in an electric mixer with a dough hook, proceed in the same general way with the rests indicated, and finish by hand. or mix the dough by hand in a bowl, turn out on a work surface, and start the kneading by lifing it up with a sraper and slapping it down roughly for several minutes until it has body. Let it rest several minutes and then proceed to knead. . This is the recipe I use as a basic outline. I use it more as a guideline. I have a Magic Mill that I use to do most of the kneading. I still like to finish kneading by hand. Today's bread was a sour dough based. I fed my sour dough starter before going to bed on Sunday night. I had four ounces of starter leftover so I it was used to make a biga and then left it to develop overnight. The biga was added to about four cups of flour along with about 3/4 teaspoon of yeast. (I measure yeast in the palm of my hand) and enough water added to make the dough. Once the water was added I left the mixture to rest for about 20 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the water and makes kneading easier. This step is more important when working with a wet dough. Like a Ciabatta. At the end of 20 minutes I added the salt. Again measured in the palm of my hand.

Are you talking about covers to protect the furniture over winter or something softer like you'd have on indoor furniture? I use Veranda covers (by Classic Accessories) all year round because it keeps the chairs and cushions dirt/dust free so when we do want to sit outside we don't have to go through the ordeal of wiping things down first. Just throw the cover off and you're good to go. Here's a link to the chair cover, they have many options to chose from depending on the size/style of the furniture. Another idea is to buy oversized terry cloth beach towels and drape them across each piece of furniture. When they collect too much dirt they go into the wash not the cushions. I do that with the chaise lounge. Sometimes the wind kicks up and blows the towel off the lounge. So now I attache metal chip/bread bag clips to each end and they help weigh the towel down and keep it in place. I'd like to have slipcovers for my patio furniture too but I think the only way I'll get them is to sew them myself, haven't seen anything like that in stores. In the meantime I'll leave the heavier covers on. Anything to keep from having to constantly clean the furniture! Here is a link that might be useful: Veranda covers