Along the Garden Path: She said, ‘She Shed!’

0

Men have their man caves and now women are getting their own special spot: “She Sheds.”

The idea is that women transform backyard sheds into a hideaway where they can escape the daily grind.

This allows somewhere to retreat for some solitude, to create or grow, to write, reading, crafting, or indulging in a favorite hobby, like gardening, or just to enjoy the view.

Caution: if you live in the city, before anything, check to see if you need a building permit.

Brenda Grant has always wanted her own She Shed and stated so for several years. She wanted a place to have all of her tools and supplies in one area. Her husband, Robert (Bobby) Grant, built just what she wanted and she loves every square inch of it.

Bobby built the 8×10 shed this past winter in his work area in the heated garage, section by section. In the spring, he brought the sections to the location Brenda chose and put it all together. Windows are on each side giving a view all around her and closer to her garden. Each of the side walls has numerous shelves, allowing Brenda to display her collections of miniature baskets, ceramic shoes, jade cups and saucers of her mother’s and a button display on foam boards. Daughter of Paul and Betty Rike, she enjoys looking at a few of her Dad’s walking stick collection as well as favorite stand her mother had as a child.

The deck flooring holds a large bench built in the late 1800s by her great-grandfather, which allows seating for several to sit plus a storage area for Brenda’s gardening supplies. With all the windows, it still allows for a good breeze on a hot day. A large indoor-outdoor chair allows for more seating.

When the Grants’ granddaughter Adalyn first saw the shed, she thought she could take it over as a playhouse but quickly found out, it’s grandma’s She Shed.

Outside the shed, Bobby built a potting bench from skids to hold a lot of Brenda’s annual containers. The many succulents add a welcome to the front area along with a bottle tree of all blue bottles Brenda has gathered. She asked for a ‘She Shed’ and she got it!

https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_She-shed-WEB.jpg

https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_Charlene-Thornhill-WEB-1-5.jpg

By Charlene Thornhill

Along the Garden Path

Charlene Thornhill is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with her community column Along the Garden Path. She can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

No posts to display