WEEK ENDNOTES: Spring Fever Hits

Sunny weather and temps in the 60s and 70s this week gave me a taste of spring a few days before it actually arrived. I bought some pansies and ivy and made up flower pots to brighten my front porch.

BoHoHome.com photo

But as I worked outside throughout the week, spring sounds were what really got to me: Children playing in the streets, riding scooters, laughing. Their moms following behind talking to each other, calling out to the kids intermittently to slow down or wait up or whatever, waving at neighbors.

I seldom heard children playing in the over-55 condo neighborhood we moved from last fall, and many of the people living there didn’t want even their neighbors’ grandchildren around. But to me, children’s voices are a joy. It’s nice to be living among families again with other things to do than complain and gossip.

Here’s another spring sound I heard this week:

As children we were always told robins were the first sign of spring, and I always thought that meant seeing them. But I know now they don’t migrate but over-winter and congregate in flocks. So I do see them occasionally throughout winter.

But I heard their back-and-forth chorus this week for the first time this year, and that’s most certainly the REAL sign of spring. The males sing to mark their territory and ward off other birds from their nesting grounds. Friendly or not, I love the sound. You can even hear it inside the house with windows shut, particularly in the morning or at dusk.

I found the box in the garage with the bird seed but haven’t unearthed the feeders yet. Robins don’t eat seeds, of course, but I’m looking forward to getting my feeders out to attract some finches, sparrows and woodpeckers to entertain me outside my study window. Robins ARE vigorous bathers, and I’ll put a bird bath out for them (and me to watch)!

2 items for my spring fever shopping list…

  • GLOBAL STRIPE OUTDOOR RUG
Opalhouse/Target

It’s a 70/30 polypropylene/polyester blend, latex-backed, and hose cleanable. Now I just need to decide between 5-by-7 feet ($60) or 7-by-10 feet ($120) for my 12-by-12-foot patio. It will look great with my green chair cushions and blue-and-green mix throw pillows. Very boho!

Kit Kemp Collelction at Annie Selke

Remember the Hotline bench and rug in last week’s ENDNOTES? I’ve been drooling over that bench but can’t afford it so thought of buying a small rug to reupholster my own bench and/or a $15 sample to make into a pillow. Well, at $118 I can afford this tote (maybe a birthday present?), and it will make a terrific summer handbag. It will also look snazzy hanging from my entry coat rack, beneath which I hope to someday place that bench or a facsimile.

A to-do for you for fun…

Xnet | Aviad Bar Ness photo

Granted, this galley kitchen is attractive and efficient. But the part I like best is the quirky wall decoration just to the left of that skinny doorway out to the patio. Let’s take a closer look…

It’s made from two plates, a porcelain strip and some wood scraps. Love the eyebrow accent! If you’re interested in making your own, I’d suggest trying other kitchen implements and/or hardware with the plates. Like wooden spoons, whisks, spatulas, long cabinet/drawer handles.

If you’d like to tour the rest of this 700-square-foot apartment in Givatayim, Israel, east of Tel Aviv, follow the link. Be sure to ask Google to translate the Hebrew to English for you. You won’t want to miss any of the details.

2 links to keep Ukraine in our hearts

Photo found on mahno.com

There’s some incredible pottery love going on in this photo–a home after my own heart!

Alina Filitova photo | Shutterstock | found on matadornetwork.com

Comfort Town, as it’s called, is a suburb of Kyiv that sits on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River and is known for its Lego-like high-rises. Here’s hoping we can once again, someday soon, travel to this beautiful country and that its people will be safe and free, secure in their homes, persons and work.

Busy week, weekend, week ahead

  • Chris installed the custom woven-wood curtain on our sliding glass door last weekend, just in time to help with the glare off the lake during this sunny week.
  • Today we’ll spend helping our daughter finish up some DIY projects at her house across town.
  • Sunday we hope to finish up our utility/laundry room, changing out a pantry cabinet handle and trying out a new installation strategy for disguising the utility aspects of the room. The first couple ideas for implementation tanked, but we have a new one up our sleeve.
  • We had our garage drywalled this past week. This upcoming week, Chris will prep the area to paint (maybe next weekend?). Then we intend to add shelving so we can unpack the rest of our moving boxes. (Not to mention make room to get the car back into the garage!)
  • And, of course, I’m working on outdoor planting plans and picking our edging stone for the front. Can’t wait for my next trip to the garden center. So far my list includes a couple golden cypress shrubs, ground phlox, columbine, veronica, lady’s mantle (if I can find it), bee balm, silver thyme, and lemon thyme. Whew…

Happy spring fever! Knock yourself out!!

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