Cute as a button

A couple of weeks ago, Jim found a Home Depot ad for individual solar lights for way less than the 6- or 8-light packs. We needed to replace our front lights, so he picked up 10. When I got home and saw how cute they were, we drove back to the store and got (ahem) a "few" more to replace the aging lights in the back.

The result is really pretty. They cast a nice white light in a really cool starburst pattern, which adds interest to the pathways as you walk around at night. Who knew being green could be so cool?

A weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place

We were unloading the car after our trip to The Wilderness Center on Saturday (see Jim's blog) when I heard Jim say "Oh no" in the understated tone he usually reserves for major emergencies. I looked around, expecting to find the birch tree on its side (or worse).

The actual cause of the distress:

The view from my kitchen

Because life is not interesting unless we're deep in some home/yard project, I decided it was time to paint the living and dining rooms. After all, it's been seven years, and what was a pleasing soft blue now is at odds with the carpet color, which has definite under-tones of black. Not to mention that the stripes painted in flat paint have faded to an off shade of bluish pink. After much deliberation I decided on a color, just as Jim's spring break began. Such good timing!

But before we could paint, I had to pack, and pack -- I had forgotten how much glassware and dishes I had stuffed in those cabinets -- and move some very heavy furniture. Jimmy did most of the heavy lifting.

Then there is the patching and the sanding and the priming, which is where we are now. And that's just the dining room. The process starts again in the living room. And when we're done, I'll probably rearrange the furniture three or four times before finally settling on the same old layout.

Jim at work . . .

The latest attempt to tame a pesky crack . . .

Bunnies and Pots

Spring is in the air. The bunnies are all lined up, ready to take their places in the yard. The pots are waiting for their assignments too. This year I'm aiming for the "less is more" approach. But I say that every year, and each time I go to the garden center and get seduced by all those flats of beautiful flowers and end up buying way too many plants. But that's all part of the fun.

Opening Day

No, not the Cubs (or the Tribe). The temperature was 60+ and the sun was shining brightly on Wednesday, so it was time to fire up the grill. It might have been simply the fact that they were the first of the season, but those burgers were tasty!