Signs of Spring: North Portland in Photos

Suddenly it's Spring.When the girls suddenly bloom in bright colors and flirty skirts;When the hedges and borders suddenly blaze with red and pink, yellow, orange, blue and violet;When the sun struggles to part the clouds, the rain shatters the sunlight and half the sky is alight and the other in darkness.

When the stone rests beneath the climbing vine, and the song of the robin and the burr of the hummingbird return.

When the earth exhales damp, and the new mold and wet grass stain your fingers and shoes.

When the chill mornings hold the promise of mild afternoons...When the tree prepares to bear fruit, and the grass the head of grain.

Spring is also shaping as the time we will be finishing Missy's former-closet. Our friend Brent arrived today with a belt-full of tools and the cunning to help transform the former back hallway into a bedroom.

Probably the biggest Leap Forward was getting the siding down where the windows will go.Once again, the Former People left their imprint; in this case, it was nailing away like demented roofers. I'm not sure which was more irritating, the sheer number of nails these people used to hang the siding or the goofy assortment ranging from 4 penny flatheads to brads to those "twisty" nails lke you typically use in framing.

Damn, people...

And the siding wasn't in good shape. It was more damp, and less sturdy, than I'd hoped. That worries me, a bit.
But the main thing is that the siding is off, the junky drywall screws and assorted bits off the interior wall and we're ready for cutting through the cladding and emplacing the windows. Let there be light!!

Among the other signs of the season are the sudden outbreak of turned earth in the Peeper's garden. Little guy wants to plant strawberries, poppies and sunflowers - an eclectic mix - and is impatient for this cold spell to end so we can be out and planting!Needless to say, not all the actual spadework was done by the Peep himself.
I am sore all over, from digging and reefing on the wretched siding. Mojo is emotionally sore: the crumbsnatchers were particularly intransigent today. She never lifted as much as a nailhead but is as much a part of the successful work we did today as the two of us guys who did all the hammering. I saw the endgame and it was fugly.

Peep is a naked mass of jealousy and need right now. If we could give him all our attention 24/7 he'd be fine.

And it's hard not to compare, and critical not to. Peep slept over at his friend The Poet's (younger son of our friend Christine of Oscar the Giormous Fish fame) last night, and it was a real chore not to contrast the usual hectic, quick-quick-slow pain in the ass morning we have with two to the relaxed, easy breakfast we enjoyed down at the John Street Cafe with Missy being her usual cooperative self. Don't worry - we love you, Peeper...

So another weekend done. A little closer to summer; I am really tired of rain and cold. More home improvement to spend our money on. And the sunrise and the sunset of the seventh day.

Thanks for stopping by. G'night.