When I first sat down at the computer to begin this post, I checked the weather also and the temperature was 79°! I had surprising good sense then, to know that I must postpone writing, and hurry back out into the sunshine. The house was cold, though it was a little warmer than usual because I had stoked the wood fire before going to bed last night.
I dragged the tarp off the woodpile and brought armloads of logs into the garage and the house. Tomorrow the more typical weather will return, and I’ll build fires again.
On my walks this week I was surprised to see the pussy willows out! Today I walked on the golf course for a hundred feet or so trying to get back to the creek path, and I saw lots of English daisies that had escaped someone’s yard and were well established, growing in the turf.
I’ve been complaining about February and saying that I want to be in Hawaii next winter, which is silly when I live in such a mild climate. I know I’ve been grumpier than usual partly because of various inconveniences of the remodeling. Experienced altogether over a year’s time they feel like afflictions.
I never thought the disruption — of my solitude, my routine, and my “nest” — would last over a year. At least two of the important persons will tell me things such as, that they are coming “in the next two hours,” so I wait around and don’t take a walk or run errands, but then they don’t come at all. If I run the errands at night, I get to bed late, but the workers might arrive at 7:30 the next morning. I’m sort of stuck here a lot, but with not much I can do of my usual housework. (That’s why I’ve been able to write more blog posts lately.)
But “Richard the Wonderful” is the main carpenter, and he is always my friend. 🙂 Today he was finishing the prep work for the bathroom tile, including this Valentine pink stinky waterproofing stuff that had to be painted around the tub/shower.
I was glad the day was so warm, because it gave me a chance to make use of another improvement in my upstairs arrangement. The new passageway between my bedroom and the sewing room also allows for a cross breeze from the front of the house to the back, and I opened those windows to let the smell out. This option will make a big difference during the rare heat wave, to be able to get that draft going as soon as the sun goes down and cool off my bedroom so I can sleep.
In my garden, the asparagus spears are emerging!
The east side/front of my house only gets a good amount of morning sun in the upstairs rooms, of which my new sewing room is one. Long ago we used to do our homeschooling in that big room (now divided into two) because on clear winter days it was by far the warmest place in the house. As soon as possible I’m planning to get a cozy chair in which I can sit by the window and bask on chilly mornings. I expect to look something like this lady when I do.
But now, my feet are already cold, so I’ll go tuck them under some blankets!
(painting “Morning Sun” by Harold Knight)
Gladsome Lights 
Once all the renovations have been done, you will be able to enjoy your lovely house and garden in peace.
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That is my hope!
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Such beautiful pictures. Such weird weather! A few of my daffodils have opened already and I have woken with a second head cold -unusual!
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Oh, how you will love the completeness of knowing all is done and you can settle into solitude once again — unless you choose otherwise! As I look out onto my world of white — with more to come and temperatures predicted of 3 (yes, 3) this week, I smile at the boost your pussy willows and asparagus give me, those shafts of sun in the woods and garden. I may not see 79 till June but your post fills me with warmth.
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My understanding of renovations is that they go like this, and it’s stressful and no fun! But! They do end! And I’m sure you will be happy with the result! 🙏🕯💗
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How important to remember to take advantage of sunny days and get outside. We’ve actually had a break in our long rainy times (set a few records even) and I’ve been able to putter about to my heart’s content.
I used to have English Daisies spreading into the lawn then one year all were gone, even in the flowerbed itself. . I had to buy new plants which have never been as hardy.
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You will look perfectly proper sitting by the window and I hope a painter captures it! You tucking your cold feet under warm blankets reminded me of old books where the man would come in from farming, take his boots off and then stick his feet in the warm oven. I always shook my head at that image.
Gretchen, it is absolutely normal to feel grumpy during this long renovation. When we added on a kitchen and laundry room in 2004 and I had my first experience with waiting and waiting for subs to show up I became a bear about insisting my husband stick to promised appointment times when he went on estimates. Even an hour’s wait is bad manners when a phone call is so easy. But it sounds as if the end may not be too far away. I hope so!
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It so looks like spring there! There’s already so much to see, and to smell, and to touch! It has been an up and down winter here as far as temps go, but lately they have been more down than up, so that I have been wrapping my feet in a blanket when I sit. That sunny spot in the sewing room is definitely worth waiting for.
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A year is a long time for such a disruption. But you have a Richard the Wonderful – a consolation. 🙂
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I know about having workmen in; For more than a year now I’ve been doing things. I wish I could just not do anything because I really hate the upheaval, but old people’s houses are often a smelly mess and I can’t live like that.
Luckily there are signs in the garden that new life is beginning, that always helps. I know I shouldn’t wish my life away, but winter is dull and dreary here and I dislike the very short days. True, I can sit and read for hours on end, but it would be good to move, for the sake of my mobility.
Did I ever answer your question about the German conversation group? I am the only native German speaker, the others are English with a from poor to middling knowledge of the language. They use me as their go-to-helper. It’s part of the University of the Third Age institution; we also advertise locally when the numbers fall.
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