The days are getting longer… (repeat after me) the days are getting longer. lol C’mon Spring !
I’m writing this on the deck, basking in the warm sun. It’s 62 glorious degrees this afternoon. Yesterday was a different story. Had to set an early alarm for a scheduled medical appointment, and woke up to a forecasted brief blizzard ! It was a small winter storm, no more than 30 miles wide, lasting a couple hours. Zero snow north of Martinsville, and no snow south of Bloomington, resulting in 2 inches of accumulation for us. It was cold enough overnight that none of it melted as it reached the ground. The good news ? Thursday’s forecast was also accurate; sunny and 50, so the snow was 100% gone by 10AM.
I’m confident you’re here for more than a local near term weather summary, presumably wondering if I did anything productive this month. Read on, and here we go. I spent time & effort drawing up plans for the mudroom. The plan calls for a built-in bench seat to assist getting shoes or boots on and off, hooks to hang coats, shelves for shoe storage, storage space for dog food, with a built-in space for the dog’s elevated food and water bowls. I’m unsure if the mudroom project will be launched in March. I also went back to visit the incomplete great room bookshelf project. Refer to the picture attached with the April 2025 post; it looks identical today. lol The plan was to trim the plywood faces with solid Birch. I sourced and purchased Birch planks to be ripped into 3/4″ thick trim, got the boards home, and stored onto shelves in the shop with other wood products. Then I lost interest, becoming distracted with shop and outdoor projects. After nearly a year of project dormancy, I have elected to go a different direction. The new plan is to install Birch veneer which will be much quicker and easier to install. I need two different width’s of veneer and spent time determining the quantities of each required type. Will get that material ordered on Monday. Planning to complete this high visibility project in March. Thankful for 31 days…
Continuing a theme of unfinished home projects; check out the attached picture of the kitchen’s southwest corner. I had to go way back to week 67 (July 24-30) post, showing the installed double wall ovens and the refrigerator in its designed location in the corner, but lacking the cabinetry to have it look built-in with cabinets along the other side and over the top of the fridge. This was a fun challenge, because I started with a 90″ tall, 18″ wide cabinet from Menards (same style as all of the other kitchen cabs) but the space next to the fridge is a triangle; 18″ wide facing the room and 2″ wide at the back. I had to disassemble the cabinet, then fit each piece individually to accurately fill the odd-shaped space. Then removed the pieces for reassembly as a one-piece cabinet, which was installed next to the refrigerator and attached to the cabinet over the fridge. I’m pleased with the results. Done. Check one more project off the list.
The effort to gain the trust of Crow birds is currently stalled, certainly not abandoned and is still in work. The three Crows I talked about in December, stopped visiting every morning after the epic snowstorm in January. Finally, beginning a couple weeks ago, three Crows (idk – the same three or not ?) started landing in the trees close to the deck in the morning, 3 or 4 times per week. With our great room’s wall of glass facing west, they are easy to see when they roost. Once we have spotted them, I get a pan with unshelled peanuts and head outside. I slowly walk from the front yard toward the back, softly calling “peeeeeee-nutz” lol I’m told they will learn to associate my voice with my physical appearance. They currently fly off the moment they see me. Their behavior is expected according to the books I’ve read and youtube videos watched. All sources of information say the same thing: one must have extreme patience to gain a Crow’s trust. I’m ok with that. It certainly isn’t hard work, and the “this is f*@king cool” factor will be off the charts if I’m eventually successful.
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