Almost Ready

 The new woodworking/hobby shop is almost ready to occupy. The closing on the property with the old shop takes place May 24th or 25th. The people hired to do the painting are supposedly going to move the equipment and supplies and workbenches, etc. So far, nobody seems to know when, but obviously it needs to be soon.

My husband supplied the movers with a floorplan with the equipment represented with templates. He and the other two guys have finished boxing up supplies. Once everything is moved, I expect to see very little of my husband for many days as he gets situated in his new workshop. 

They did a lot of fixing up and sprucing up of the old garage now converted to a shop.

The new heating/cooling unit is mounted up high so it won't take up valuable floor space. It is a heat pump. It has a remote controller for changing the temperature.

There are 3 windows plus a backdoor with a screen door that has a window to allow air in.

There are two overhead doors, but one was blocked off with a wall of pegboard. (Sorry I didn't get a photo of that; you will have to wait until things are all set up.)

An epoxy floor replaced the pitted cracked cement. Lots of outlets were added and a new breaker box to up the capacity of the electricity for all of the machines.

Things the guys really wanted that were nixed were a sink and a urinal. No running water. They walked to the Robin Hood Community Center for a bathroom. They jerry-rigged a water source in the old shop with jugs of water and a sink and will have to make do in the new shop as well. The man who does stained-glass needs water to ground down edges. Two of the guys live within easy walking distance and can use their own condo bathrooms. We will have to invite the third guy to use ours if he needs facilities.

Last night we turned on the furnace in the evening and I slept with my electric blanket on low. Later today we will probably have to turn the air conditioner on as it gets to 80 degrees. 

I have some plant growth in my patio plot: cheddar pinks and Asiatic lilies.

Along the side of the house is a blooming bush whose name I never obtained. Some years it hardly had any flowers (I think because of pruning at the wrong time), but this year it looks pretty good. My irises only have 6 buds so definitely not as good as in the past. My neighbors' peony bushes have the round globe buds already. Won't be long before they bloom.

I finally have a hanging basket on the porch. I first bought a fuchsia; we have a chain hanging down from the porch ceiling hook. The crook of the pot only fit part way through the link. My husband was working in the garage when he heard a crash. The plastic pot had fallen and split into pieces. I thought I might buy a pot but I really wanted a plant to hang not sit on the porch. It probably would not have received enough sun anyway. I saw a calibrachoa on sale at the grocery store and bought it. I have grown these in the past; they ended up with powdery mildew a few years. I hope this one doesn't get that problem.

I saw a pot of verbena for $5 and added it to the geraniums.

I bought a pillow to use with my porch rocking chair. My scoliosis makes one area of my spine bulge out, and the hard polywood slats hurt my back. Most of the pillows are too poufy. This one I bought at Walmart has a zipper; I took out some of the filling.

Now it feels comfortable and if it gets flat I can add back more stuffing. Spring always makes me feel happy after the cold winter.

What's New in the 'Hood

 My daffodils are open! I see them throughout my neighborhood as well.

There are 3 condos vacant on my block. The one directly across from me has no sign, but the others have "For Lease".

We have some critters on the loose: a black bear and a white rabbit.

The Winona Literary Club meets in the community center; the condo residents have a monthly lunch together there, too. Our family has rented it for reunions. A local church group has Bible studies. It is booked up most months.

These hellebores bloom at the corner plot of the community center.

As long as I am showing you my neighborhood, I will include the workshop where my husband does woodworking and other projects; two other men are there regularly doing stained glass and furniture refinishing.

This is the type of mailboxes we have. The acrylic holder has the weekly announcement sheets and event circulars from the retirement facility. The wooden boxes are for newspapers, but the local newspaper has switched to mail delivery rather than by carrier. We still get a weekly free paper, mostly ads.

My irises are starting to emerge. They won't bloom until mid or late May, just about the time of my surgery. 

When I started my walk this afternoon, it was sunny and mild. I joined a neighbor on her porch and before I knew it 90 minutes had gone by. We had quite a chat. It was cloudy and a cold wind arose. Now at 8:30 tonight it is raining and I hear rumbles of thunder. The cold front will mean temps in the 40's tomorrow compared to 66 today. I will have to bundle up in my winter coat to go to church. Yes, we are going to attend in person for the first time since March a year ago.

 The pandemic seems far away, but I see that the cases are starting to rise in our county again. Indiana has opened the COVID shots to anyone 16 and older; yet only about 12 per cent of the county population is fully inoculated. Hope they hurry up. I am starting to get used to a new normal of visiting folks, going to a birthday party, singing in the choir. It could come to a halt.