Spring is Here!

Sort of...

Today we hit 36 degrees and it was sunny. The thaw out is in full swing! We have actually uncovered the limbs that we cut off our Christmas tree to put it in the stand (the night we set them out for the trash guys to pick them up it snowed something like 10" and they have been frozen solid ever since)! Hopefully the trash guys will get them this week. We have also uncovered tons of trash in our yard. The wind here is unbelievable, so you never know what will come blowing onto your property. Then, the snow entombs it for the season. I spent a good hour picking all the junk up out of our yard. The only problem is that we still don't have a yard yet, so I was completely covered in mud. I am not sure my shoes are salvagable!!

Bryan's main "spring" task was to replace the mailbox. You may remember that the plow finally took it out. For a while we were able to prop the mailbox in the snow and that worked ok. But, now that we are thawing out, there isn't a tall enough pile of snow to prop it in. The mailman hasn't left us our mail in about 3 days now, so we couldn't put it off any further. You would think this would be a simple project, but trust me, it wasn't! First we had to get the old post out. Since the ground is still frozen solid, we had to use several gallons of hot water around the base to thaw the dirt enough that we could scoop it away from the post. It took a LONG time! Then, Bryan had to use his many tools to [basically unscrew] remove the post from the base in the concrete. At any rate, the removal process was a tedious one. Enter new mailbox - I let Bryan have his way and get one of those Rubbermaid, hideous beasts of a mailbox (what do I care, I'm moving)! He did the install completely on his own, but it did include pouring more concrete...why, I don't know. I think he just wanted to play with concrete. I didn't want to point this out, but I think he just concreted over the tons of bulbs we planted there in the fall!! So much for the beautiful flowers around the mailbox this spring.The sucker is in and not going anywhere. And since it is that plasticy material, I think it will be able to withstand both the snow and the plow. Only one downfall - it is completely crooked. Bryan had the level out and was driving by trying to make sure it was the perfect height for getting the mail from your car, but apparently he forgot to make sure it was square to the curb. When I did point that out (come on, I can't hold everything in) he said he did it on purpose because the road curved a little and the mailman would appreciate it! Was he serious?!?!?! But again, who cares - I'm moving!!

Ah, the spring outdoor projects begin!