Just as every child ought to have a playhouse, every adult deserves a hideaway -- a garden folly, a gypsy caravan, a clapboard cottage in the woods. As Jane Tidbury writes in her engaging book Little Retreats (Clarkson Potter, $30), the urge to escape to a tepee, turret or moss-covered woodshed lingers into adulthood, becoming "stronger as the pace of life quickens and the distance from nature increases."

So if your practical house, the one chosen because of proximity to good schools, makes you yearn to be off in the wilds, you're in luck. Tidbury's little retreats range from a shell-lined grotto in Northampton-shire, England, to a lodge on a Scottish loch. One Gothic garden hideaway is designed by English furniture-maker Dave Fritchley. Simply constructed with weatherboard walls and a tin roof, the folly is "appliqued" with split logs. The arched doors are "paneled" with cut twigs, and the fanciful windows are edged with glue-gunned pinecones.

Your back yard is exactly where you ought to read Little Retreats. As you weigh the charms of a tepee in the Catskills against a Swiss chalet, you can pause to watch the clouds drift across the sky and remember how nice it is to get away from it all. -- Wire reports

Fly the flag, but fly it right

If you're going to be showing your colors this Fourth of July, it's a good time to review proper flag-flying etiquette.

For those who display the flag by hanging it horizontally or vertically, remember that the union of blue with white stars should be in the upper left. If you fly the flag at night, it should have a light on it.

The U.S. Flag Code says that faded and tattered flags are to be retired properly with a ceremonial burning.

You'll find a wealth of Web sites dealing with the proper way to display the U.S. flag. Do a search under "U.S. Flag Code." Or you can check with your library's reference section or veteran's group for flag-flying information.

-- Wire reports

Blue without heartache

The Container Store is indulging in its blue period with a line of cobalt-blue products ranging from shoe shapers ($4.49) to bottle openers ($6.99) to insulated tote bags ($29.99).

You can check out the company's line of "true blue" organization and storage products at www.containerstore.com or by visiting its store at 1601 Rockville Pike in Rockville.

-- Liz Atwood

An adjustable Adirondack

Enjoy a summer sunset in comfort with L.L. Bean's new reclining Adirondack chair. The chair, which sells for $179, has the same classic design as the company's original, with the added advantage of an adjustable back that has three reclining positions.

The maple chair is available in either red, cobalt, green or white. The natural style is made of oak with a clear lacquer finish. You can call 800-809-7057 to request a catalog or visit www.llbean.com.

-- Liz Atwood

Home Front welcomes interesting home and garden news. Please send suggestions to Liz Atwood, Home Front, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278, or fax to 410-783-2519. Information must be received at least four weeks in advance to be considered.