Dating ideas for Brent

This morning my little brother Brent stopped by my office and asked if we had a croquet set he could borrow.

What, you ask, was my little brother doing at my office? Well, he actually is a student at my university. Really weird, eh? Anyway, he was trying to find a croquet set for a dating activity.

Alas, I had to tell Brent that we did not own a croquet set. However, I did think of some other fun outdoor equipment that we do own, and I've come up with all sorts of really great dating ideas using our other outdoor gear. So here's a list for my single bro, or any of you who are in the neighborhood and would like some good old fashioned outdoor couple fun.

1. Bikes. We own bikes. Nothing like biking for a date. Of course, both our bikes have flat tires, as we haven't used them since California, three moves ago. But that's where the fun dating activity comes in. Here it is: Fix our flat bike tires. Changing bike tires would be really great as a twosome! Hey, you could even make it a double date, inviting another couple along, since each bike has two tires.

2. Gardening gloves. We own multiple sets of gardening gloves. And the morning glories are crawling all around the back yard. I can think of few activities more fun than crawling around in the dirt back there with a pair of gardening gloves pulling weeds together.

3. Chain saw. Just the idea of asking her out on this one gives me chills. "Hey gorgeous, my sister owns a chain saw, and I was thinking you and I..." We have two bushes, one for him and one for her, that we don't particularly like. Chopping shrubberies would make for some excellent couple time. And, assuming the sparks fly, this activity comes with a really great follow up activity the same day:

4. Wheel barrow. We own a wheel barrow. Perfect for shrubbery haul away. Got to do something with the chopped bushes.

5. Windex and paper towels. These two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Nothing says romance like a bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels. Plus, we have a couple of deep window wells, perfect for some private snuggling mid way through.

6. Lawn mower and spin trimmer. We finally bought a lawn mower, and it's really fun. It's a German designed push mower, no fuel or electricity involved. Totally green fun machine. And everyone loves the spin trimmer. Perfect activity for two.

7. Hedge trimmer. Because the previous owner left his, we actually have two of these. So you can hedge trim side by side. And for the sweep up later, we have a couple of rakes, a couple of brooms, and a big green bin to take clippings for two.

8. Ladder. Sweep her off her feet. Or at least off the ground. Spend a cozy afternoon cleaning leaves out of our gutters. Does she have a little fear of heights? No problem. She can hold the ladder and the trash bag at the bottom, while you dump brown gook from 12 feet up. Total dream date. She'll know you're a keeper.

9. Vacuum. This is more of an indoor toy than outdoor, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway, in case it gets too hot for all the outdoor suggestions. We own two vacuums, and a large swath of carpet in the cool basement.

10. And the best on my list: Extra freezers. We own several of these, three left on the property by the previous residents. You are totally in luck, because we haven't gotten around to disposing of them yet. Bring your own truck, and spend a few hours hauling the old freezers out to the dump and back. This date is all about location, location, location. Nothing says romance like a pickup truck and the dump. I picture a huge slobbery dog in the cab of the truck as well, just to make it perfect. Unfortunately I can't provide a dog.

So what do you think? And do you own any outdoor toys my little bro could borrow to assist him in his courtship? I'm sure he'd really appreciate it.