Spring Weather is Here

    I was longing for spring. It came this past week, and I must say I am very happy to see it this year. I feel like I am being revitalized from this past year by the early signs of spring. 

    We passed the 1 year anniversary of losing Danny and there are workers at work at Lindsay's house to restore it. Sadly, the insurance company is dragging their feet. They say it will happen, but give no timeline for it. The adjuster said when he did his thing that it was a no worry claim, but I think it must be just the state of home insurance after so many storms in our state. Tyler works for a local home owned construction company, and they are letting him go ahead and get things going so life can return to normal and fronting them the money to do so. We are grateful for that. You can see, things are looking up a bit from the doom and gloom of the start of the year.

   Most of my pictures are of nature springing to life. Azaleas are going to be in peak season here this week. I love azaleas about as much any flower on the planet. I look forward to the blooming season which can be from February to late March here. They are choosing the earlier time this year and as I said I am all in for it.

Here are a few from my yard.

These are on the back and when I took this picture over the weekend, they still had some opening to do. I looked out this morning first thing when I got up to see if they were opened. Happy to say they are just all out showing off. 

I truly love spring. It is just nature coming to life before our eyes. Pleasant temperatures so that you can shed the sweater and bring out the shorts, but not the perspiring that will come soon.

My next two pictures are of flowers as well. Friends brought over some pansies for me. I chose to place these on the back deck table. I can enjoy them while washing dishes and I have since cleaned the table so that we can eat as many meals as possible.

More evidence of the goodness of flowers on my happiness meter. My begonia on the top deck is flowering.

Add all those to my pink geraniums and orange pansies and I am smiling big. 

I saved the best for last on my flower pictures. We were so afraid we had lost the lemon tree to that horrid freeze at Christmas. Well, Saturday, the 18th (the first day of such pretty weather ) Jeff and I had gotten out in the yard to start some spring stuff and I walked over to inspect the lemon tree as I have done almost everyday since Christmas and .....

this is what I saw.

Can you see those little green leaves starting to pop?

I literally squealed with delight. 

There are more coming each day. Small, but it is alive. I don't know how much it will produce this year, but I am just so grateful it didn't die.

The orange tree is popping with flowers too.

I took this over the weekend as well, but today I walked out they were opening up as well. 

We realized that after getting out in all this beautiful weather we will need a new seawall this year. Many of our neighbors got one last year and ours seemed fine last year, but it is clearly time for a new one here, so there will be workers here soon helpfully to get it done so I can clean up out back and get it ready for summer. Home ownership means something always needs to be done.

*****

I think my family all had the same idea this past Saturday. It was a beautiful day so we all got outside. In our family group texts, Lindsay sent this picture...

They hit the beach and Palmer has the right idea. Snacking away.

The next picture came from Paul Allen.

They had gone to the creek on the reservation. I am sure the dogs were running somewhere with them.

Well Jeff and I were going to let them outdo us, so we hopped on the boat.

Spring has come early and I am not sad a bit about it. I know we will have some more cool days but hopefully none that are frigid. Gus leading the way for us.

I am recovering well from my sinus surgery. Honestly, way better than I could ever have imagined. 

I can't complain nearly as much as I was a few weeks ago. 

A few more pictures of my grands.

I thought they were so cute here. Flooring has made it this room now, but they had brought their chairs from the bedrooms in to watch a movie.

Katie had bought matching shirts for them. 

Azalea season requires pictures of kids in front of the pretty flowers. It is a tradition. Tucker is growing up so fast. T-Ball season kicks off this coming weekend.

Palmer is holding onto that blond hair. 

And little Miles is growing so fast that he can sit in my high chair and eat now.

They are growing up so fast. 

I should have a stitch to share very soon. It is a beauty too.

I will close with we went to see The Jesus Revolution movie last night. It was very good and I highly recommend it. It is an excellent reminder that no matter the climate of the nation that God can still move and never write off a generation of youth. 

Well that is about long enough so I will call this one a post. Be back soon though with some stitching goodness that I can't wait to share.

Sandy

A Slice of Life

 My surgery is behind me now. I have the official name of it. FESS- Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery. I have had a deviated septum for decades and had sinus issues that went along with it while teaching. The past few years I had really done well and kind of ignored all of the past issues, but last March they reared their ugly head. I have been sitting for a couple of days and really wonder if spending the first few months of '22 with the care of my brother-in-law and then the subsequent cleaning out of his house may have been the culprit for the start up of the ugliness. Remember he was a heavy smoker and staying even for 5 minutes in his house was hard. Either way, it is done and now my nose has been sculpted on the inside with a splint to be removed on Tuesday.  Sounds lovely, huh?! 

Actually, it has all gone very well and I feel like a better person already, so when they dig out all the packing on Tuesday I won't know how to act to breathe again.

I have had lots and lots of rest and have actually stitched so much that I was ready to take a break from it today. I have done so much on The Shepherd's Song that it may be finished very soon. One more sheep and half of another and then grass to stitch.

Before surgery, I was like a mad woman to make sure the house was spotless, the laundry and ironing all caught up so that I could indeed just take a break. Miles has been cared for by his other grandparents and Paul Allen even got to spend a day home with him. It is a long weekend so like I said I should be all rested up. 

I fluffed the kitchen up as well before the surgery. I took down some rooster plates from the top of the cabinets, put some things away on the counters, and shuffled things around. I moved some plants out around the table last month and really like the neater look in the kitchen. I tell you have been in that less is more look for some time now. 

Plates above gone and things shuffled around. 

You can see all the plants around the table are gone. I realized while Lindsay and family were with us that the plants were a nuisance to using the table and then I realized while they were pretty that nothing beats the view out.

I still have two plants there, but they are on low stands and not visible unless you walk around the table to look.

My Christmas cactus has bloomed a second time. It has never done that. This picture was taken last week and it is even fuller than this. The poinsettia is also still putting out new red leaves as well. All odd --- The weather is just as crazy. Cold one day, warm the next. It is supposed to be cold this weekend. As I am typing the temperature has already dropped a good bit from this morning. All my longing for spring just has to stay on hold.

I mentioned in the last post that I moved around the toys in the living room when I moved the large fern outside. (By the way, it is thriving outside) I moved one of the kitchen plants to flank the other side of the glass doors. 

The toys are neatly in the windows and more out of the way in the living room. Much neater all the way around for Mimi's Daycare.

Gus has taken good care of his mommy. He has been my blanket when I am in the recliner.

He has wondered why we have been on no walks though. I can't do that until Tuesday. It is bothering me as well, Gus.

I don't think I ever shared Miles's name all hung in his room. Looks cute there.

I have many projects I need to be working on while I am doing all this sitting, but some times just resting is what is needed. I don't get that many days like this, so sitting it is. Just glad it is over and went well.  No more infection!

I don't think I responded to a single comment last time. I will be better this time as I am feeling so much better.

Bring on spring,

Sandy