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© St. Petersburg Times, published June 8, 2002
From the "Wish I'd thought of that' file
In the category of "It's about time" or "Why didn't they do this years ago?" meet the Twist & Pour paint can from Dutch Boy (below). It's a lightweight plastic gallon can with twist-off lid, side handle and pour spout. No need to pry open a lid with a screwdriver or a key; no need for a rubber mallet to pound a lid on tight. No can rim clogged with gunky paint. No rusting, no denting. From a retailer's viewpoint, the cans stack in less space than round containers. Dutch Boy's "Dirt Fighter" interior and exterior paints will be the first to be marketed in these new containers (others to follow), which should soon be on the shelves of retailers if they're not already there.
If you're reading this early, there's still time to get over to the Largo Cultural Center at 105 Central Park Drive in Largo to attend today's free Home Ownership for People Everywhere (HOPE) Expo. The expo hall's booths and displays from three-dozen businesses and nonprofit organizations involved in home buying are open from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Take the homeowner class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn how to buy a home and earn the certificate many lenders require for participation in programs that provide down-payment and closing-cost assistance.
Here's a comfortable variation on the classic Adirondack chair: the reclining Adirondack. The back adjusts to three positions, so you're comfortable for anything from reading to relaxing to reclining for a nap. The chair comes in maple in cobalt, green, white and red, or in oak with a natural finish. It folds for storage. The chair is $179 from L.L. Bean; call toll-free 1-800-809-7057 or visit www.llbean.com.
Here's a friendly elbow in the ribs to remind everyone that June 16 is Father's Day. Time for ties and tools, cookouts and cigars for the Big Guy. The idea of setting aside a special day to honor dads was first suggested in 1909 by a woman who wanted to honor her widowed father, who raised six children alone. The holiday gradually grew in popularity, according to www.thefamilycorner.com, but it became an official holiday by presidential proclamation only in 1966.