September 18, 2005
AND THE AWARD FOR BLINKERED ROMANTIC NOSTALGIA GOES TO...
Men find solace in backyard shed (Greg Roberts, The Australian, September 17, 2005)
The backyard shed, it seems, means a lot more to men than somewhere to get away from the missus and practise the creative arts of the home handyman.The separation of men from sheds has been identified as a factor in the depression many experience when they move into aged accommodation.
"They do a lot of thinking in their shed; it's their retreat from the world as well as a learning centre," gerontologist Leon Earle said.
"It gives them a sense of purpose. Most men have a personal quest to be creative and resourceful in their shed for as long as possible."When it's time to move into aged accommodation, the loss of the shed is a blow to many men.
Especially the ones who never had one.
My former academic colleague in Alabama had little shed in the corner of the back yard where he could retreat with his friends to drink, watch football, and discuss politics free from the interference of women.
He called it his "poutin' house" which remains the perfect name for this building.
Posted by: H.D. Miller at September 18, 2005 10:33 AMfunny; but I gotta agree with this article; put me in my garage with a radio tuned to a Tigers game -- brutal as that is, and give me something to do: weight lifting, sweeping the floor, stapling insulation to the walls -- hell, staring at the walls, doesn't matter, and I'm good, better than good; it's a vacation from my wonderful wife, from my wonderful kids, from my wonderful debt, from the idea that my stupid ugly lawn matters in the grand scheme of things; I'm a shed kinda guy and I'll shrivel up and die when I'm carted off to a home without such a refuge
Posted by: Palmcroft at September 18, 2005 10:37 AMI like the Aussie term "aged accomodation" for the nursing home. Sorta like the garbage man is the environmental sanitation worker.
Maybe the nursing home of the future will have individual sheds for those of the male persuasion.
Posted by: John J. Coupal at September 18, 2005 10:43 AMJohn:
And in the interest of gender equality, kitchens for the little women.
Palmcroft:
Apologies to all genuine, committed, internally-motivated handymen, who I marvel at but who are much fewer in number than is suggested here. You may be one, but I confess to tembling at the thought of a seniority where I will be surrounded by a bunch of droolers running around looking for walls to staple.
I'm sensing a marketing opportunity here:
Columbia View Manor. . . We've got SHEDS!
Posted by: John Resnick at September 18, 2005 11:11 AMMy dad's got a shed with all his radio equipment. He seems to like it.
Also, are we sure shed isn't an Aussie term for bathroom?
Posted by: RC at September 18, 2005 11:26 AMGarage = Men's Resource Center.
Posted by: AllenS at September 18, 2005 11:35 AMThe TV remote control is the modern man's equivalent of a shed.
Posted by: erp at September 18, 2005 12:20 PMAll garages should have cable TV connections (this actually works better for football than baseball, because women for some reason don't particularly care to sit out in an unheated garage on a Sunday afternoon in December watching Fox or CBS).
Posted by: John at September 18, 2005 12:30 PM
Here's a guy with an even better idea:
http://www.brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/1457/
Posted by: oj at September 18, 2005 1:55 PMPeter;
Don't you realize that this is OJ's shed?
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at September 18, 2005 10:19 PM