We have passed the mid point of March which means spring will soon be here. In southern Ohio, this season used to stretch on for a couple of months. Now it’s more like three weeks of moderate temperatures before giving way to humidity and heat.
It occurred to me this weekend that I have a boatload of outdoor work I want to get done before summer moves in. Incidentally, it is mostly the same stuff I wanted done last year.
There’s a big patch of poison ivy and weeds surrounding a tree stump in my front yard that desperately needs addressed. The house needs power washed. There’s a shed needing cleaned out. The back porch needs a good scrub. There’s a lot of flower bed work too.
This would be a great time to take care of that shed and the junk piled up around it but I’m lacking the motivation and time to get outside and tackle it.
This doesn’t bode well for the rest of that list.
Meanwhile, we received snow last night. It was eighty degree just a few days ago. Maybe next weekend.
What’s on your spring list? It would be good to get our chores done now so we are free to adventure later.
I took off a couple of days so I could have a long weekend to do as I please. Christmas break was the last time I had a chunk of free time where I wasn’t thinking about something at work.
As I often tell you here, we have seasons in our lives and this busy one is the season I just left. My big first quarter project is now complete and it’s time to move on to other things. But first, my tired mind needed a break.
So I spent this weekend on a day trip with my fella as well as another day trip solo. I had a day at home and, for today, I have a combination of errands and creative pursuits planned.
Yesterday I told you about a cool art exhibit we saw but there are more stories to come. As I emerge from my winter season, I’m trying to put my house and mind in order and figure out what’s next. As part of that, I plan to return to a more consistent writing schedule and hopefully find some consistency in other things that need my attention.
The birds are chirping and the sun shines bright in southern Ohio this morning. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you make it a great day.
There’s always a moment in spring when I look around and wonder when everything became so pretty. I had that moment last night when I stepped outside after the rain to take care of a few chores.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been voluntarily sequestered and missing the changes, trying desperately to shake off spring allergies and move on with life. Maybe it really did happen overnight.
Regardless, I suddenly noticed everything was a thousand shades of green, that the trees have filled out, and that the pink and purple creeping phlox are creeping steadily across the hill behind my house.
This clematis has exploded into bloom and is a striking sight, an unexpected outcome considering that this plant was a sad little impulse buy from a clearance rack a few years ago.
This is one of the reasons I appreciate spring. There’s always something new to explore and some little living thing is given a chance to contribute to the beauty and intrigue of this world.
If your spring allergies can stand it, I hope you get outside and enjoy all the beautiful changes in the world this weekend.
Around here it feels like I’m in a holding pattern. There’s much I wish to do this spring but first I have to get through some work projects and the weather needs to improve.
Around here I’m trying to find balance and rest, productivity and completion. I’m building habits, not by adding to my day but by letting go of the unnecessary. I’m turning off the tv and trying to slowly sift through some small home projects.
Around here, my new bedtime routine has become the best part of the day. I don’t do anything different when it comes to getting ready for bed but have come to think of turning down the bed, washing away the residue of the day, and enjoying classical music while reading myself to sleep as both ritual and luxury.
Around here, good enough is better than perfect and perfect is the enemy of done. Things really just need to be done.
Around here Scout seems to have developed seasonal allergies, I’m having a dental bridge done and there’s an issue with my leg. Between the two of us, we’re kind of a mess.
Around here, the flowering quince is in bloom, and daffodils have exploded. Tiny pink and purple flowers dot the yard in places. Wild onions grow and weeds are sprouting everywhere. Everyone is tempted to start their yard work, a bad decision for the pollinators that are still waking up. Around here they need us to hold off a while longer.
Around here things are hard but there is hope that life will be easier soon, that the sun will shine, and that White Lightning will be ready for a day trip when I’m ready to go.
Friends, it’s Friday. The weekend is so close we can almost touch it. Whether you’re around here or around there, wherever there may be, you deserve something good today. Enjoy this day, stay safe and be happy.
