The transition from Winter to Mud Season to Spring has been very gradual this year. We've not had any major disasters like ice storms, late snows (knock on wood), flooding or the like, so there's not much to complain about. It's gotten steadily warmer each week and the grass is slowly waking up from its comatose existence. The crocuses are fading and daffodils are taking over with their sunny-side-up faces and fresh fragrance. Hyacinths and tulips are on their way. No hurry, though. I'm willing to stretch things out this year knowing that it is likely I will not see these particular beauties next spring.
My spare time is now spent in real preparations for packing this mess of a house. Lately, I've been sorting through the boxes of clothes and shoes that various kids have yet to grow into. I have been the recipient of some truly fabulous hand-me-downs for the boys- really good stuff that is one, two, or three sizes too big for the older of them. So there's the stuff he will wear this summer, the clothes and gear for next winter, and then the items I think might fit him by the next summer. It's a bit of a guessing game, but it must be done- and for each child. Not as much for the oldest, but there is still some sorting to do for her.
The enclosed front porch has become the dumping ground for bags of clothes and piles of items to give away, and it's getting crowded. I suppose I ought to be making weekly trips to Neat Repeats and H.O.P.E. to keep it manageable. It is nice to be done with some of the bigger infant paraphernalia (anybody need an Excer-saucer?). Maybe we'll host a "tag sale" or perhaps it is time to figure out FreeCycle.
This year, spring cleaning will also include a trip to the dump to finally get rid of some broken items which cannot be fixed and have been accumulating in the basement for a few years. What a relief that will be! I am reminded that there can be advantages to moving occasionally. The eradication of useless (or seldom-used) junk, the critical eye which asks everything to earn its place in the long-term storage unit, the paring down to just-above-essentials for the year ahead- these are all very useful parts of the moving process. And I am also reminded that we will have the unique opportunity to move back into this same space; maybe we can be a bit smarter about how things get arranged the second time around.
So the general themes that run through my days are: Spring (yay!), Gardening (yay!), Moving (ack!), Two-and-a-half-year-old (!), and 11-month-old (!). We don't lack for excitement around here.
2 comments:
Although it wears me out, I like the whole cleaning out process that comes with moving. I always feel so much better as the junk and clutter go away. Lighter somehow. Do you plan on renting your place out, or leaving it as is for the next year?
We have Spring in Virginia too, but without all the mud. And it shows up in March, which you will love.
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