Grinch Day, 2008

April 5th , Grinch Day 2008
It was warm today, so I finally finished my last Christmas chore. I just hate working outside in the cold! Truly I am a transplant to Michigan, though I've lived here nearly all my life.
Now, my kitchen sink is full and brimming over with faded, dead "winter flowers" in every color. They smell faintly, like my mother in law's attic, though they have been outside in the fresh air for 5 months.
THE OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE FINALLY DOWN.
Though there were enough strings of lights to cover 2 huge trees, only 2 strings still work. I'll pack those 2 away, but then make a note to myself in the Christmas file that there are no more outside tree lights, that doing all the hard work lighting and un-lighting outdoor trees is a really dumb way to spend valuable time. Next year (says my note) no outside lights.
We'll see what I think of my early Spring (very tired and cranky) self, when it is late November. I may think badly of the Grinch that is me today, and run out to buy more lights. But I don't think so.
Larry is out on the deck with manly tools and big muscles, being a knight in armor (not shining - shining is too much like Christmas lights.) His John Deere leaf blower roars into action every few minutes, and that noise is punctuated with pounding and thumping. He's knocking loose a winter's worth of sunflower seed shells, and blowing them into the woods. I tried to do it last year with almost no muscles, no manly tools, a whole day of working at it, and having to scrape up the mess on hands and knees. And I didn't half finish it, because the sun went down.
Note to self: No birdfeeders on the deck next winter. I can see them just fine 10 feet further back, mounted on trees and stumps.
Ah. There goes the leaf blower again. He just walked passed the sliding doors. He's smiling. Guy thing, maybe?