Spring is my favorite season. I adore every aspect of it. So much of it reminds me of the point in a race when you first see the finish line. Just moments before, you are exhausted and you question if you can even continue. Then, you catch a glimpse of the finish and you are inundated with a sense of renewal. Your body stops hurting, your speed picks up, and your smile returns. Suddenly, you appreciate everything around you as you push on through the last leg of the race, and you start anticipating your next run. The transition between winter and spring makes me feel the same way. Winter gets the best of me, and I start to feel depressed and withdrawn. I lose sight of some of my goals, and I stop setting new ones. Appreciation of nature is the last thing on my mind when the temperature is low, the trees are bare, and the sky is gray. Signs of spring always seem to arrive at just the right point in the lull of winter. I begin to notice buds on trees, perennials poking through the soil, and birds returning to nest. The days get longer, the temperature rises, and I wake up from my winter blues. I resume my journey to accomplish goals, and I even begin to set new ones. I love spring. It is so refreshing. Here are some signs of spring I noticed in my yard this morning.
The signs of new life inspired me to begin our big outdoor spring project: build new shutters and window boxes, paint the trim, build a new tapered column, switch the metal porch railing with wood, and put a faux finish on the garage to give it the appearance of a carriage door. It's a big project! The first step is choosing paint colors. I'm stuck with bricks of my least favorite colors: orange and red.
I want, obviously, turquoise shutters. Unfortunately, the brick won't allow it. Instead, I'm going to do my best to use a color that will trick the eye into noticing more of the cooler tones in the brick, like this gray one in the middle.
The fam and I tracked to Lowes and picked up, easily, 100 paint swatches. We've narrowed it down to 73 possibilities, or something like that. It's a tough choice! While we were out shopping, I saw this adorable watering can. I must have it.
Since we still can't decide on paint colors, I had to channel my spring-charged creative energy into a mini home improvement project instead. The wall space around my thermostat has been bothering me lately. I wanted to see if I could camouflage the thermostat so it wouldn't be the only thing you see on the wall. What do you think? Do you notice the thermostat, or are your eyes distracted by the tree branches? Does it need more turquoise? I, of course, think it does.
The shutters and other spring improvement plans will have to wait for now. However, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning my renewed drive for improvement. I'm going to keep improving myself and my home, and hopefully find a little turquoise along the way.
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