Fake spring – That’s what our local weather forecasters call it. We are starting a week of above average temperatures. After a bitter cold winter, we are going to lose it completely. There will be dancing in the streets as the temperatures bounce close to 70F or 21 Celsius (so they say! I’m always a skeptic!). Too bad it will only last a week. Then we will all be grumpy again.
How my cats envision my bathroom!
What do old people do when the weather breaks? – Come up with another house spruce-up! Nothing big or involved. About 17 years ago, the people who lived here did updates. They redid the kitchen, bath, replaced the heat pump and put closet organizers in every closet. My only complaint is that they did it cheap. They chose bottom of the line stuff so instead of minor sprucing up, like a paint job, we’ve had to replace a lot of the basics. We are at the end of our original “fix it” list and will update our powder room. Nothing major but we will change out the vanity and top and add wainscoting. Easy peasy? Stay tuned for disasters!
In true form – We contacted our trusty carpenter to do the bath work. We have a short window as he is having shoulder surgery in July and will be out of work for four months. Since our job is small, he may be able to complete before or maybe not until the October-November time frame. Either way, it doesn’t matter but there is always stuff that complicates our projects.
Me, in the nursing home, waiting for a delivery of wallpaper books.
Cocooning – I often have deep philosophical conversations with myself about home improvements. We are at an age where we don’t know how long we will be here (both on earth and in this house!). Does it make sense to update and redo our home which is fine as it is? My home is my hobby. I don’t garden much these days or sew so redoing a room, no matter how minor, is a way of expressing my creativity. I could return to painting (pictures not walls) or refreshing my shoe collection, but my hands are shaky and my feet are achy. I’m at a different stage of life and I will make the most of it. I will probably be in a nursing home looking at wallpaper books to spruce up my room!
Super yikes! – Gas prices here have been doing somersaults! Locally we’ve seen 30 cent increases overnight and then yet another the next night. I don’t do a lot of car travel but my sympathies to those that do and to all of us who will see price increases because of increased transportation costs. My biggest sympathy is reserved for anyone living or involved in the many wars going on now.
So how was your week?
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Costco is my gas station of choice (because it’s top tier gas and has the cheapest prices around town) but I nearly fell over when I filled up late last week. It had gone up 80 cents a gallon in about 3 weeks. Thank goodness I don’t commute for work or have to use premium gas in my car. Yikes!
I’m looking forward to watching your powder room update and hope it inspires me for mine. I had wanted to wallpaper one wall but not sure now since the walls have that orange peel texturing and I haven’t papered in decades and am a bit concerned about how to prep the walls, etc. Good luck as you begin another project.
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We too have renovations that need doing, keep getting put off by life emergencies (see my latest blog post). Oh well. It’s just husby and I. We make do.
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We’ve adjusted schedules for life events too. This is our last (or hopefully close to our last) project.
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I get it about updating. The previous owner of our home we can tell stopped any major upgrades about 10-15 years ago. After that she pretty much just fixed and maintained. So we’re having to decide priorities on what we’ll tackle and when. A lot of it depends on who’s available to address a project!
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The last 5 years at our last house was mostly maintenance too. The kitchen needed a refresh (as in new paint) but we didn’t put inferior products in. We couldn’t believe that they replaced the heat pump with a bottom of the line one that lasted barely 10 years! I hate wasting money on things that aren’t pretty! 🙂
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the only thing what did a sprung here where the gas prices too… more than 2 euros for one liter… oh well the adrenaline sprung too… the temperatures… not so much… ;O)
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I envision a room with oil execs rubbing their hands and laughing!
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We had fake Spring today and tomorrow it will be 71 degrees and we will break the old record, then two days of rain and Thursday the temps plunge and the rain turns to snow. Not happy about that at all, but I am grateful to have escaped the severe weather last Friday. On Friday, in western Michigan, 150 miles from me, they had three tornadoes. The E3 tornado decimated a town and the E2 tornadoes did a lot of damage as well. There were four deaths (including a 12-year old boy) and 12 injured. We are expecting severe weather on Tuesday … it’s too early for that and it is partly due to the heat spike – sigh. I still want to declutter, but I’ve read a lot this Winter since my neighbor has been home, sitting beside her noisy dog that usually howls all day long, so I seized the opportunity to read. I’ve been painting this week, the watercolor type. Yes, I look around and see things that need attending to and will do it … after I compile the tax stuff. I do most of my driving in the nicer weather for larger parks – right now, the landscape is blah and there’s not much to see and we have lots of potholes to dodge. I feel badly for people involved in the conflict as well – lives lost and families torn apart.
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I read about and saw the tornado damage. We don’t get them often here and not with that violence. I was distracted from decluttering when Morgan was ill and my brother too but I am determined to return to my one thing a day toss out routine. That really worked for me. It wasn’t overwhelming.
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I think you should make any improvement you want. Live in the moment and enjoy them as you want.
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That’s what my husband said while I was struggling with the cost. Everything costs more than you expect. The faucets cost twice as much as they did when we redid our master bath two years ago. That’s just crazy.
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I heard on a pod that Polymarket’s odds are oil will go up to $150 a barrel if this war-that’s-not-a-war continues to July. Sixty percent of Americans will lose their minds. The others will be ok with that just like they are with everything else going on in the country right now.
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Aside from products I buy which will surely go up, I’m not too affected by gas prices. The flip side is that my income will not go up at all to balance it. I won’t fit in either of your two groups.
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I’ve noticed things I hit that are packaged in aluminum have already started to rise in price, and the oil costs will only make matters worse.
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I also have enjoyed remodeling. But now I’m thinking that maybe I’m too old. The house is good enough as it is.
I wonder how many things as related to gas prices and a blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. During the 1970s, we were in the Philippines, so I didn’t experience the gas prices back in the States with lines around the block. But we had a big Pontiac gas guzzler. An American student bought it. Then he came back to complain about how much gas it used.
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The 70s were awful. I drove a half hour to work every day so I used gas. Many stations didn’t have any so it was always a chore to find one with gas and I was so grateful that I’d pay anything. I am struggling with the “I’m too old for this” thing too for remodeling. Realistically speaker, I doubt we’ll be here in 10 years. We’ll either be dead or in a continuous care situation without the bother of house maintenance. I’ve never lost money on home improvements though and in the moment I enjoy them.
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That’s a good attitude: As long as you enjoy it, you’re improving the house and it will be worth more.
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I admire your remodeling/updating projects, Kate, and you do it right. And you moved too! Good luck on the powder room – sounds major to me. Most nursing home rooms could use some updating!
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🙂 I love living in an attractive spot. I can’t help myself!
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Prices are going up at the pumps here too, and no doubt food prices will also go up due to an increase in transportation costs. It’s a vicious circle.
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It is and they never go back down.
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For some reason, Florida skips Spring and goes right to Summer. We’re in the 80s here. Gas jumped about 30 cents.
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We often skip spring too. We are more likely to have a nice fall than spring. It’s usually cold until it isn’t and then it’s hot.
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I’ve always been like that, wanting to redo and freshen things up at home. Especially in the spring. Right now I’m looking out the window at a snowstorm. We had a warm spring like day yesterday.
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OMG! No more snowstorms please! We will go back to normal temps next week but please no snow!
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EEEK. Our gas has gone up but not THAT much. It’s a-comin’ though I’m sure. Another reno project for you – bravo and good luck. Would be nice if your guy is able to finish it before his surgery. I’m hoping to downsize from a 3 story single family home to a cottage in a 55+ development – hopefully someone will build one SOON around here. We love where we live – I really don’t want to live anywhere else but we do NOT need a big house like this – it’s just TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much work!
Hugs, Pam
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We already made that first downsizing but the beloved husband needed a basement for his workshop and a room for his music so this house is still big for us. Next downsize will be smaller with no yard work. There are a lot of over 55 places around here along with continuous care housing. I know what you mean about loving where you are. I am 10 minutes from my last house but it was more convenient. I’m a little more out of town which translates to a little more out of the way.
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If you enjoy the remodeling, go for! I hate the process, but I love our remodeled kitchen. The only full bathroom we have really needs to begotten and replaced, but, again, it’s the only full bathroom our little house has. The sheetrock on one wall may be rusting, but we are not enthused about losing the shower (and I absolutely do not want to share a bathroom with the boys).
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Our master bath remodel was painful. We had to move out of our bedroom to the hot upstairs guest room for 11 weeks. This one should be easier. We got the estimate today and it’s more than I expected but it always is.
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Yes! It makes sense to update and or redo. Life is short—live in a home that you love… it gives you joy. Last week we had our concrete driveway, sidewalk to the front entry and our front porch entry torn up and had beautiful pavers installed. Did we need to do that? Sort of. They give me joy every time I look out and see them. They have made me feel like dancing! There was no frustration because Junior, our contractor, made it a work of art. It’s about time we had a project with no problems. Who knows how long we will be around but I am squeezing every bit of joy out of life that I can.
And yes, sympathy for all those involved in the wars. With you on that 100%. May they stay safe, may it be over soon, please.🙏
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Yes, and may we not start any more wars! We cleaned up our pavers last year and it made a huge difference. We had weeds that grew to 2 ft if we lest that come up between the pavers. New sand in between and all cleaned up. Looks like a million bucks.
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Yes, that is the joy of pavers☺️
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Fake spring? I’ll take it. I’m here in shorts and a T-shirt that says, Think Outside The Box. I wouldn’t advise getting one for Gus or Sasha since, well…
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Both cats better do it INSIDE the box! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I just heard Sasha say…as if.
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What, you don’t like your cats’ idea of “wall papering”? After all, hamsters have wheels, dogs do treadmills, and humans have the rat race. So cats cleverly chose toilet paper dispensers. Love that cat-decorated bath photo!
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Actually I’ve only had one cat that liked to unroll!
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If you’re in Fake Spring . . . maybe we’re in Fake Summer. It’s been in the mid 80’s with 90 forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday! YOWSA!
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Yeowza is right!
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I think we live parallel lives when it comes to home projects…
As for the gas prices..I went to work at $2.89 and on my way home it was $3.20, the next day, $3.40.
The happiest point in my week was seeing the tips of all the newly planted tulip bulbs peaking through the ground.
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The local station is $3.79. A week ago is was around $3.24. Pennsylvania has high taxes on gas so we are always more than any averages. I’ve seen growth on my iris plants and some greening up. I should check my daffs.
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