It`s too gorgeous outside to be sunk down in the LazyBoy, so you venture into that wild, primitive jungle called the backyard.
Okay, so you`re no Davy Crockett. Well, there are plenty of new electronic gadgets to help you touch up the lawn and keep up with the Joneses. A few years ago, the hot sellers were solar lights. These outdoor units soak up sun rays during the day to charge a storage battery, which turns on at night when the sun goes to bed.
But according to several hardware managers, sales have sharply decreased because of poor results.
”Chicago is not sunny enough,” said Steve DeKlerk, a manager at The Great Ace at Webster Place, which has stopped selling the items. ”In California and the Southwest they work great. Around here, maybe you get enough sun in June and July, but what do you do the rest of the year?”
The most popular item in the lighting department this year are Malibu Lights, little lanterns that brighten up the walkway. These low-profile lights, about four inches in diameter, are connected to plastic stakes that stand about a foot off the ground.
One of the big attractions is a special coating on the cable wire that allows one to lay it on top of the ground instead of having to dig beneath the frost line.
The bulbs come in boxes of six in a variety of colors (Intermatic Inc., $46.99 for box of six).
After Hour Lights are like fancy versions of the Malibus, but without the special wire coating. These units come with copper and cast aluminum stakes and the lanterns tend to have fancier designs, such as a copper bell and a copper lily. These lights are sold separately (Hinkley, $73.50-$74.50).
A new state law has boosted sales for one lawn item. Effective July 1, grass clippings will not be allowed in regular trash bags. They must decompose in compost piles or be stuffed in special sacks.
The Toro Recycler has another solution. This lawn mower uses deflectors that forces the mowed grass back into the blade, creating an extremely fine cut. The remains are so short that they simply decompose into the ground.
However, the product can`t produce that sharp cut if the grass is wet or too long. In those cases, the Recycler comes with an attached bag that catches the grass (Toro, $495.99-$395.99).
Another lawn-care luxury is an electronic timer for sprinklers and hoses, small, water-proof units that hook onto the faucet. You set it digitally, and when it`s time, the gadget opens a valve, which shuts again after its ”shift” ends (Gardena, $89.99).
When you`re done with the yardwork and sipping lemonade on the porch you don`t want to share the straw with the neighborhood bugs.
There`s a variety of electronic bug killers on the market, but most work the same way. A fluorescent bulb attracts the insects and a grill fries them. For pests of a more serious nature, there are electronic items available for outdoor security. One of the most popular devices is the motion sensor. These put out an infra-red beam triggered by motion.
When the neighborhood kids slip over the back fence for a midnight dip in your pool, a spotlight (or any kind of light you choose) will click on to catch them in the act. These lights are usually placed in backyards and alleyways (Intelectron, $39.99).
