Where Did February Go?

It is already March. When I last made a blog entry I commented on the weather - the first snow of the season. February saw more snow and tonight through tomorrow we should see somewhere from 6 to 10 inches. The ground has been snow covered for well over a week now and we are looking as I expect the Chicago area to look in the winter.

In the Arboretum

As I write this I glanced to my left out the window and see a glow of red on the horizon. Sunrise! Sharon has been traveling weekly to Fairlawn, Ohio for the past three weeks. On Monday mornings I drop her off at the airport around 5:15am, so I am home by 6:00. A good opportunity to watch the sun come up. The red is growing and is pretty.

Last week we were in Davenport for Brady's second birthday. She was certainly spoiled by all the attention she garnered! It was fun watching her open her packages with squeals of delight - and not just from the packaging as she was truly able to enjoy her presents. It do enjoy watching her grow. She is a happy, loved child.

 

Sharon and I have been thinking about what to do about flooring in the basement. We have a combination of vinyl tile and carpeting and painted cement. We've been considering laminate and when we saw some at Costco and read that it is occasionally on sale, we decided to go ahead. We picked out a color and waited for a sale - which happened in February. We bought 22 boxes of laminate and I started the project. I knew it would be hard work but I didn't know how hard! Gosh, this is tough on the legs and the hips. Down and up and down and up, measuring, cutting, fitting, laying, and getting more planks. But, it is coming along. We did have a glitch in that there is a drain in the floor outside the bathroom. I used some leveling patch and added padding to the area before laying the laminate, but it was still too uneven. This past weekend I pulled up about a half of the floor I had already placed and Sharon and I mixed a 50 pound bag of Quick Level and poured it in this trouble spot, plus low spots around floor drains in the studio and the laundry room. This should take care of it. I will be relaying the flooring today and will see how it worked! Wish me luck. I've still got the studio and the laundry room to do. I've cleared the floor and pulled the carpet in about 3/4 of the studio. My plan is to lay flooring in the cleared area, then move things onto the laminate and then finish the floor. You should have seen me moving my weight machine in the "exercise" room! I have moved it back now but still have to put all of the weights back on. Then perhaps I should start using it again! I used it regularly for years until I started chemo back in 2010 - and I never went back to it. I can tell in my waistline and flabby arms and legs. Looking in the mirror is good incentive I suppose.

 

When the floors are finished and the baseboard is in I will be repainting all of the basement. Something bright I think. Then, I will cover the walls with photos and paintings. I've stored a number of my mother's paintings for years. Now they will go up on the walls.

 

 

Later this month I will be heading to Redmond to spend Spring Break with Avery and Anika. I am excited and I am sure we will have a great time. Sharon is heading to Juneau the week I leave for Redmond. She will stop in Redmond on her way from Redmond to Cleveland. Traveling lady! It is not easy to arrange flights from Chicago to Juneau to Redmond and back home.

The cats continue to enjoy the warmth of radiators this winter. I wonder if they really miss them in warm weather or do they forget about radiators when they are enjoying heat from the sun? Rough life.