Spring Forward

   We've gone to daylight savings time this month, and I am really enjoying the extra hour of light in the evening. That's not to say that it is sunshine, because sunshine isn't due here until, oh, July. We do occasionally have a gloriously beautiful sunshiny day. I'll let you know when that happens.
   The sheet rock guys have been mudding and taping for a week. Because the weather isn't exactly warm, it is taking a little longer for each coat to dry, in spite of our space heaters.

 Ed has been trying to stay out of their way while still keeping busy. It isn't easy. He bought 50 sheets of Durock for showers and fireplace surrounds. The downstairs fireplace will have slate tile in a modified  Craftsman style, with bookcases on either side.

The upstairs fireplace will also have slate tiles in a slightly different layout, with the TV on the left, and woodstack on the right.

  I am the Chief Purchaser Of The Interior, and I've been frantically trying to find the best price for tile and hardwood flooring. Who knew shopping could be so stressful?
 



 
 Since it was time for our Annual Theberge Women Hen Party, I took off to California for a few days. I took advantage of the one day of sunshine to take a long walk. The air smelled delicious, like chlorophyll
and candy. And it was no wonder! Blossoms were everywhere. People were wearing tank tops and flip flops. Ahhhh Spring!


   By the time I got home, I had Miracle Grow coursing through my veins. I wanted to plant things. I wanted to pull weeds. I needed to be the tender of tiny green shoots.

  
  Actually, there was a huge heavy wet mound of dirt in the front yard that needed to be spread around more or less evenly. There's no use using little tools when you have big tools. Ed got the tractor and the backhoe, which made quick work of shoving the dirt into place. I planted the 6 lavender plants I had previously purchased. Ed put screen around the new dogwood tree so the deer wouldn't snack on it. I put down a nice heavy coat of grass seed, and we'll call it good for now.

 
When we first moved into the double wide that was originally here, there was a 5' cedar fence surrounding the house. The blackberry vines, with thorny canes out of a horror movie, were growing over the top of the fence.  It blocked the view and the first change we made in the property was to take down the fence. We've slowly beaten the invasive vines back. When we put in the retaining wall in December, the last section of fence came down, and we had a bit of grading done on the west side of the house. Today Ed raked down the lumps and I spread grass seed over it. By summer it will all be grass.
   Task by task, we move forward.