My favorite gardening site, Clean Air Gardening, also carries a couple of essential non-gardening gadgets, including this silvery Gustbuster Sun/Rain Umbrella, which has a double canopy, is windproof and leakproof, and blocks 96% percent of UVA and UVB rays. "The teardrop shaped umbrella vents are patented and the most efficient design to prevent any umbrella leakage during windy downpours." The $39.95 umbrella comes with a lifetime warranty, which makes no sense to me, as I'm guaranteed to lose it within the first rainy season. I don't know that I'd use it as a parasol on sunny days, as it might undermine my tough guy image.

For showers indoors, there's the Oxgenics Handheld Showerhead which may help to solve the problem of the sluggish plumbing in my house. This high tech shower head, which sells for $48.95, "utilizes the principles of fluid mechanics to accelerate and pressurize the water to give a forceful 'spa-like' shower while saving money in water and heating costs." Since it's handheld, it might also be a good way to give your dog a bath.