Happy Spring!
Who else is ready to leave winter behind in the rearview mirror? Me! Me! Actually, Greg and I (Deanna here) always spend the winter down in New Orleans, so our winters usually aren’t very harsh. This year, we left at the end of February to head back to WA with big plans. See, we’re putting our house on the market come April and needed to get the house show-ready. So off we went on the four-day drive across the country. And when we arrived, it was gorgeous here, plenty of sunshine, and it fully looked like spring had sprung. The tulips were coming in, the plum trees blooming, and the cherry trees were starting to bud.
Then, after one day, the rain started, and It. Has. Not. Stopped. Which makes it challenging to do the spring clean-up in the yard. I did manage to get the grass mowed on the one sunny day we got, but since it’s rained so much since then, it needs it again already. Fingers crossed for a few days of no rain so that it’s not too wet to knock it out.
In the last week, I’ve weeded seven flower beds. Yes, you heard that right. Seven. I did manage to plant some primrose flowers to brighten up my still mostly dormant flower beds, so that was a bright spot in the week. And score! Our local nursery had a rack of FREE flats of them. I’m still not sure why they were free, but they were, and they are now planted in my yard.
I’ve treated the patio for moss, but after spending an entire day scrubbing it down with less-than-stellar results, I promptly came in and ordered a pressure washer. That should be fun in the rain.
In addition, we’ve pruned the two apple trees, the pear tree, installed two new light fixtures, decluttered the house, and Greg has started to tackle his glass studio. If it were me, I’d have just backed up a truck, thrown it all out, and started over. (Not really). But that would have been the easier way. The man has so much glass and so many tools, he’s set for life. Better him than me. (Though we aren’t going to discuss packing up my yarn stash because at least it all fits in one closet.) We still need to paint the dining room, which was a deep red when we moved in. We don’t mind it so much, but for selling, it will certainly brighten the place up. There are a few other touch-up things to do, but you get the idea. The Chases have been busy.
On the other side of the country, Angie has been super busy with spring projects in Angieland, too. Though she’s not moving; her house just needed a little TLC with upkeep and maintenance. She started with cleaning out her hutch, which resulted in rehoming not one, but two sets of dishes. She’s gotten a new roof. And this week there are painters at her house, painting her bathroom, and the ceilings in her sunroom, kitchen, and dining room. They needed some work after the roof started to fail and a leak caused some staining. The painters are also tackling the inside of her three-car garage and burnishing her garage floors, which meant a complete sorting and cleanout of twenty-six years of accumulating “stuff.” Of all of these projects, the refreshed garage is what Angie is most excited about, which makes me laugh. The woman has a real garage fetish. Next month she’ll get her porch sealed and stamped, her decks cleaned and stained, the driveway resealed, and all the exterior doors painted a lovely shade of dark red, which I know will be perfect with her brick house.
Whew. It’s a lot, right?
Somewhere in there, we’re also busy working on Fibers and Felonies, which, with any luck at all, will be available next month.
What spring projects are you all working on?