in spring ...

Truthfully, my fancy has been mostly turning to thoughts of outdoor projects ... and many of them are prosaic and not fanciful at all.

With the approach of spring, I get to start dreading the periodic fights with the lawnmower - do I spray the cut grass all over the lawn, then go back and pick it up once it's dried, thereby adding an entire second time that I have to get child coverage so I can get on the lawnmower? Or do I cut and collect at once, causing extended time and irritation as I have to dig the cut grass out of the collecting arm over and over again? Neither is a particularly attractive option.

Then there's the brush - down the driveway and along the roadfront of the easement, there's tons of scrubby tree-like stuff that just looks messy and doesn't need to be there. A lot of it needs to be clipped out and removed. Plus, there are tons of branches from the ice storm strewn around the property that need to be collected and ... well, done something with.

But then there's the planting - herbs and flowers in the front, raised beds (which need to be built) and vegetables near the barn.

It sounds, on the one hand, fun and rewarding, and on the other, like another tiresome chore that I have to make time for.

Suddenly, the lack of really nice weather seems less annoying and more like an excellent excuse to procrastinate...