March - Going out like a Lion!

     Well, we have been so blessed with weather this year that, when March came in like a Lamb, I thought of the old rhyme and said to myself, "That will never happen this year...we actually had three wonderful days last week - 20 + degrees! - so I believed it to be all over but the shouting.
       However, Monday brought threats of snow (5-10 cm. Peanuts!) and a wind warning. That was the real Lion. Tuesday it raged all day, and today there are drifts like we haven't seen all winter. 

Would you believe that I set up a cold frame last week by the little deck, with seedlings (cucumbers and zucchini) as well as several geraniums which had been overwintering in the office and taking up lots of space?  It's under this drift. I don't dare open it to see what has survived (if anything) because it might freeze the plants. Snow insulates, right? I had taken out my little patio table to do potting on, and it's up to its knees in snow too. And its grout is still not sealed. It's standing on the little deck.
      Luckily while all this weather is keeping me indoors, I have had an indoor project to work on. We have the new washer hooked up in the new bathroom (and the toilet. They are the only things in there that are in working order at the moment).    
       So, what needs to be done is: build a half-wall to create space for a linen closet at the end of the tub as well as a "cradle" to hold the tub.

Ladder in soon-to-be linen closet - 32 x 26 x 96!

     Then, we have to get the dryer hooked up (means getting the electrician to move the 220-volt receptacle to the new bathroom (from the basement) and then we can stack them up with the stacking kit. Then we have to build another half-wall to separate the washer-dryer from the area where the vanity will go, then build or buy a vanity. Then have the plumber back to hook up the tub and sink, and then we tile around the tub, paint, and decorate, and then we're done. Why is everything so complicated?
     So far I've built the wall for the linen closet and put up the gyproc on both sides. I'm at the stage where I seam-fill a corner and have to wait for it to dry before I can seam-fill an adjacent corner. And I have to buy three of the edge guards because I could only find one in the basement - I never even thought to check because we've had this big stash of them since we built on to the house in 91-92. But now we're out!

The washer is hooked up. The dryer will go on top later.

     I am really impressed with the washer - having it on the main floor is great, first off - you feel you can wash anytime! Then, the clothes come out quite dry already, so it doesn't take long in the (old) dryer to dry them. I did hang out a batch while the weather was good last week, but it didn't dry terribly quickly - we need to move the clothesline to where the wind has more impact. And I suppose I could have put them out in the morning and they would have had a better chance. It was when a lot of snow was melting too, so there was a lot of moisture in the air. Oh well, they *were* dry the next day!

It's here at last, and I'm too busy to enjoy it!

Yes, double-digit temperatures and rain today to wash away all that remaining
snow. The garden needs work, but I'm working nights this week, doing training, so I have no free time. I'll take Friday off in lieu, and it looks to be a lovely working-outdoors day. So, no more excuses. The small glimpses I've managed to take show progress from that mass of bulbs planted last fall, and of course there are crocus out, so it should be exciting from now on, garden-wise. I'll have to dig out my garden journal and find out what's what and where!

I'm trying to sneak in a little sock knitting betimes - finished Round 2 of Sock Madness 3 and didn't make the cut, so I can make the new patterns at my leisure from here out. The new pattern is called Talia's Wings, and I'm making it in Sisu Fantasy, from LK Yarns in Halifax. It's a lovely yarn, and I suspect I'm using a slightly too large needle for it, but I'm not going to change now. They'll just be a little less hardy, and I'll have to give them to someone who will take care of them.

We're in the thick of planning for the May long-weekend Irish event. Fred's doing the actual planning, and I'm trying to get some accommodations settled for the crew who will stay at ours. There's the bedroom to be painted, and I think a new bed is needed as well. It needs decent light to see where the plaster is required - and when it's smooth enough to paint - so it's a daytime job as well. This working just eats into my free time something chronic!