ONE DAY CLOSER TO SPRING and I could let out a whoop and a holler. Our WINTER has been mild, but mild in KANSAS ON THE PRAIRIE is still ice cold. Yesterday it was 21 degrees starting out in the morning warming to 31. We're a third of the way through WINTER as March 20th is the calendar start date for SPRING.
HAPPY THOUGHTS of SPRING. I will slow the boat down and embrace the WINTER anyhow, but excitement rejoices in my soul that beautiful SPRING FLOWERS will start popping up through the soil. I'll continue cleaning inside the house making plans for future gardens and making US FIT INTO THE COTTAGE even if it's sideways.
Looking at the flowerbed in front of the porch, I noticed the BABY GEM BOXWOOD bushes aren't doing so well. I don't believe they are hardy enough for Northeast Kansas. If they aren't going to flourish here then I'll have to remove them and plant something else like IRISES. That's the ticket.
We reviewed our utility bills this morning. We're on an even payment plan where at the end of the year you must pay all of the arrears in order to stay on the even payment plan the next year. I managed to pay the majority of the monthly arrears each month to where we only owed about $35 in December. This was a victory in itself. Hubby went in to pay the bill and the clerk told him that we were the only ones with such a low bill in December. Throughout 2026, I'd like to keep the arrears very low if not zero.
We went to Manhattan to Menards for storage tubs. With the organizing going on around here, I needed a tub for the kids' childhood artwork plus my own.
A tub for the miniature Christmas tree.
Tub for medical supplies.
4 tubs for my Depression dishes with the Madrid Pattern.
Tub for UV Sanitizing Lamp.
Hubby had some Menard's Cash to cover these items. The store also had a 15% off whatever you could fit in a paper bag SALE. I managed to fill a bag with Teddy Grahams, Graham Crackers, Thin Oreo Cookies and Wipes. The Teddy Grahams will go in a MASON JAR to sit on the counter top for easy access when Lil Dude comes over for a visit.
On the way out of town, we splurged with Star Buck's unsweetened Trenta Iced Green Tea for the drive on over to the Pharmacy. Finally HOME. I started putting items in the new storage tubs. The Christmas tree was still too long for the tubs we purchased. Shucks. Mismeasured. As we slowly get better organized, I find my spirit getting happier. A DRIVE WITHIN ME is to be well organized. Like a dream I need it. Let it happen.
I figure within the next six months to a year we should be about where we need to be unless I am miscalculating what we get done. It is an ongoing drama for sure. The small garage we have on this property will be completely cleaned out as it is a MESS filled with I don't even know what. The SHE SHED we remodeled a few years back will morph into a STUDIO for my dear HUBBY. The garage will be cleaned and turn into a organized storage unit. Our cars are too long to fit in comfortably in this old garage so we'll fix it to where we can store our things that are presently in a storage unit that we pay monthly rental fees on. That sounds like a plan.
The way the garage is sat on the property has gotten too snug for today's standards. The garage was built in 1900 where it was fine for carriages and smaller cars then as time passed the neighborhood changed with houses built closer to this property making for a snugger fit. It is now very difficult to turn a car at the angle it needs to be in order to get into this garage. Long story short, we have to morph along to make this present location work for us.
I figure I need shelves for stored dishes, Christmas Decor, suit cases, odds and ins. Overflow. I've got the metal shelves in the garage that I just need to arrange so we will have made progress. PRAISE THE LORD. The garage truly is a 2026 PROJECT. This down sizing is not for SISSIES.
January thru February. Work on the inside of this COTTAGE during the frigid cold weather getting it orderly.
March. As Spring approaches clean out the flowerbeds of overgrown grass and weeds making them lovely.
April. Clear out the SHE SHED turning it into a ART STUDIO.
April and May. Clear out the garage and clean it up. Turn it into a clean storage unit.
May and June. Empty the storage unit, closing the account.
June and July. Organize the garage making it a usable storage unit.
August. Thin out the Christmas decor that's stored in the cellar.
I'll keep all of this in mind and go from here. Not in concrete.
~d🌿🌷
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