Swing into summer

Memorial Day is nearly upon us, with its three-day weekend ushering in the much-longed-for summer season. Some people travel and some stay local, but hopefully we take this time to just relax and take a break from the daily grind. With that in mind, I thought about a few things that can help all of us get into the swing (literally) of summer.

Ready? Swing Set. Go!: Remember the freedom of flying through the air with the greatest of ease? Pass that feeling on with a swing set for the lucky little ones in your life. Target.com carries a nice array, with everything from small, inexpensive single swings to elaborate sets that will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Hammock Time: Who says that the loveliness of swaying to and fro in a soft summer breeze should be exclusively for kids? Let the stress wash away from you, swing by swing by swing. OK, I may be overselling, but sitting at my computer right now a hammock does sound just that good. Jcpenny.com has some incredible deals on hammock-and-stand sets, if you lack two appropriately spaced trees.

Portable Fun: If you're not of the lucky few with access to a private yard or patio, don't despair. There are tons of simple ways to make the great outdoors that much greater. Beachstore.com has loads of you-can-take-it-with-you choices on everything from pool floaties to chair-umbrella combos to easily erected hammocks. Because, really, just because you don't have a yard doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy your summer!

If you add to these things a bit of sun, a cool breeze and some friends, I think we've got the recipe for a perfect day. After all, we should take the day off from complaining and appreciate what we've got on Memorial Day.

(Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for Shopzilla.com, an E.W. Scripps company and the largest comparison-shopping search engine on the Web. E-mail askhelen(at)shopzilla.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)