“What do you do to welcome/get ready for spring?”
Like for everyone else, things are a bit different this year, due to the novel Covid virus.
But here is what hasn’t changed.
I’m cleaning out closets, getting rid of clothes left behind by grandchildren that they have outgrown; these will have to wait in the garage for my local St. Vincent de Paul store to reopen.
I am going through things my sons have left behind; if they aren’t going to use them again, the things are going. Teen Grandson had things here since he was three months old. We went through a great deal for the Throw/Save/Store/Give piles. He’s been in quarantine, total lock-up with us for two solid weeks, until today. We’ve gotten a lot done together.
I have rediscovered things that I can put to use, or use in new capacities.
But like all other Springs,
the heavy quilts and blankets get washed and stored, and also the flannel sheets. My wool coats get put away into the cedar wardrobe along with sweaters. This year the coats did not have to go to the cleaners first, because I never wore them. The weather wasn’t terribly cold and when it was, I generally went to see my brother in the nursing home and with all the contact with many, (often ill) people, I took coats that I could wash. (I was ready for Covid actions already!)
I greatly miss the walk-in closets from my former place, so I have a trunk that gets opened generally Spring and Fall so my light-weight clothing and sleepwear can come out, the heavy ones and holiday-themed ones go in.
I let the yard work go the last few years for health reasons. It will never get back to wonderful, but more got done with the Teen Grandson here. I hope that his mother lets him come back to help with other projects.
.
As always, I am baking more. We have a wall oven that heats the better part of our ranch-style house wonderfully when it is cool/cold, but it is a horror during warm/hot weather. Once the A/C goes on, the oven does not. I have pumpkin and banana breads in the freezer now. I made raisin/nut/spice cakes and a loaf; I have small citrus and chocolate cakes there and I will be making other small cakes to pull out once in a while. With the freezer being utilized for a lot of ‘just in case’ foods, I think that homemade cookies will not be in reserve this year; they are too fragile.
I had hoped to get some flowers planted, if the herb garden that I have been planning doesn’t come to fruition AGAIN. Big gardening has had to become a thing of the past. We’ll see. It stays too cold here in central Kentucky to plant early, (much to my surprise when I moved here).
I also was spoiled with fresh vegetables by generous neighbors and Son#1’s gardens, but I don’t think those will be forthcoming this year, either. My gardening son now lives about 40 miles from us.
I
used to do well container gardening when I was in Colorado. I did very well with several types of tomatoes, peppers, leaf lettuces, squash and zucchini….maybe…
However, the usual Spring-prep is about done, it isn’t much, but it sure feels good to get it all accomplished.
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
wow — it wore me out just to read of all that activity. Wonderful that your had the grand-teen with you for a nice-sized stay… and were able to work with him on some projects. Also terrific that he’s willing to pitch in… rather than just stare at his phone/device (as many of that age do these days.
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He has spent a LOT of time playing online, but with a kid locked-up, I consider it healthy socialization. He has also been Faceotiming or whatever with his cousins…shoot, I video chatted with his baby brother yesterday myself! In fact, the outside projects were his idea…closets, not so much!
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You’ve been busy! It’s interesting how you’ve been filling your freezer while we’ve been working on emptying ours. We’re trying to use up stuff that’s been frozen since last summer/fall. I have a few friends who, like you, have been busy baking. Flour is one commodity that’s difficult to find around here unless you go to the big box or restaurant supply stores, so I haven’t done that – yet.
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The prepared food is going; I had some dishes/casseroles, etc. in there for along time. I grabbed flour early because that went very fast here. The Locals lived on biscuits and didn’t buy much bread until about the time we got here, and then the older folks wanted them. I imagine the thought that you can always make biscuits but not keep bread prevailed.I thought that I would have to pull out the breadmaker, but the bread supply, along with dairy, has rebounded, (but that is about all! The shelves were bare of fresh/canned and frozen vegetables, plus most paper products and some cleaners.)
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You’ve had a busy spring! I’m glad your grandson was there to help out with some of it! I, too, have been going through some things. I don’t have a garage to store things for the thrift store, so have some boxes in the very back part of the car. I’m working on filling Box #3 now, so when things reopen I can drive by and drop off. Still much more I need to go through though. I hate the process of doing it…but when it’s done, wow, I feel so good!
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There is SOOO mu ch in our garage, it isn’t funny.I’m a ‘keeper’ by Joe-the-Husband is a literal ‘packrat’. It got cold again for me this week to go out but now, it will probably be too hot when the boy gets back from his mother’s. We actually had something of a Spring, which is amazing.
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Sounds like you’re keeping busy. This post reminded.me that I should get coats and blankets ready to store, though it snowed twice here t his past week so maybe I will wait just a bit longer. o
I hope your grandson is able to come visit and hel p out.
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Oh,I would definitely wait on putting things away; it even turned pretty cold here this past week. As it is, people warned me here that they don’t put out flowers or plants until Mother’s Day because it can freeze anything until then,(and it did!)
And thanks,Angie. So far, his mother is agreeable, but, well, it’s been a long 17+years,I can tell you. We’ll see.
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You’ve been so productive. I should shape up and fly right as they say.
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I hadn’t been; I had help with our young man, who is now at his mother’s, (only 10 miles away). Now, some of the things that we moved to other rooms need to have homes found in OTHER closets!
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