Zen and the Art of Patio Mechanics

Have you the good fortune to own (or rent) a little slice of the great outdoors? If so, you can make yourself your own little zen retreat, a restful hideaway from parking problems, folks driving hummers while talking on cell phones... you know, the simple yet bothersome troubles of the day. I know what you're asking...but how, girlbybay, how can I achieve this paradise? Simple (yet, genius, of course). You measure your little oasis...then head on over to your local Cost Plus World Market and seek out the sea grass flooring that can be custom cut for you. It comes in 9' strips of 11" squares @ $10/strip, so do a little math and figure out how many strips you need to cover your area. Then, while you're there, check out the floor pillows they have in stock. Very often they're on sale. I got the six of these big 47" in diameter, 4" deep throw pillows for a mere $9.99. each. I piled 'em up on the sea grass, hung a bamboo blind (also from Cost Plus) to block some of the famous San Francisco wind and to add a little privacy, hung some twinkley lights and threw in some potted plants and a small flea-market-find bamboo table and various accouterments. Lovely...I nap here often. Naturally, so does Coop.