getting ready for summer

There are only five days left of school. I can’t believe it. The snow earlier this month has really thrown me off. After keeping my little plants inside for over a week because of freezing temps, all the sudden it’s in the 90s and they need to go in the ground! Well, sort of. I’m trying something new this year.

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Since our veggies need to be portable, I’ve decided to use bucket planters. The tomatoes have already breathed a sigh of relief: Room! to grow! and stretch our branches! All that’s left is wrapping them in fabric to hide the ugly white plastic. I’m thinking burlap.

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I’ve also hung plants where the topsy turvys used to be. I’ve always loved ferns and they’ve already made our outside space happier. They need a little bit of trimming, though. They’re all crazy right now, kind of like when I wake up after going to bed with wet hair. Ha!

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The big project, which I have been dreading, is cleaning up an entire winter’s worth of dust and pollen. It’s everywhere: the furniture, the deck, the walls. But the sooner I get to it, the sooner we can start enjoying the beautiful weather. I can’t wait!

trying to love spring cleaning

dusty deck furniture

Sometimes getting ready for the warm weather feels like a lot of work. Today I mowed the lawn, which is a new thing for me. I’m more of a inside chore girl, but I really like hanging out with my husband after work and so does my daughter. If I can mow the lawn during the day, that frees up evening and weekend hours for more family time.

I also tried to clear off some of the “prairie dust” from the furniture on the deck. It’s been so unseasonably warm that my daughter has been running through the sprinkler in the afternoons. There’s literally no place to sit that isn’t covered by a gritty layer of this muck. I’m not sure why it settles just on our deck. Maybe the direction of the wind? I battle it all summer long, but let it go during the winter months. I’m sure it’s a mix of great things like ragweed and grass pollen with a little bit of dirt thrown in for good measure.

Now I have a little spot to sit and knit while my daughter runs around outside. There’s still a lot more to be done, but until I know Spring is really here for good (we’ve gotten snow in April before) that’s all I’m doing.

Have you started spring cleaning yet?