Warmer but Still Gray

 Last week was so much nicer around here, but today it was 42 and drizzling when I picked up the girls.  I always dislike going to the grocery store but find it's less boring when I get it over with before I go back home.

It was downright inviting this morning, and I enjoyed having an almost empty store and one of the usual friendly cashiers.

I didn't  notice the display on the left when I was there.  Wonder what that's all about.  The end of the Corona virus?!  Hopefully, but it sure is good to leave the masks at home, even in the library.  

I'm always amazed when I see what Ryan's done to the house every time I go over there.  The floors are finished and beautiful, and the lighting is done and so nice.

Millie and Al being here to help him resulted in the greenhouse window being finished.  It was a BIG deal.  The back yard had brick and stone structures for the grill and the Egg, and those had to be removed to make it possible to get the window into the hole in the kitchen wall.  That was a lot of work, but since they're not eating meat now, it might not be a big loss.  

Emily is beside herself.  She collects plants and never can turn one down, so this will be a nice place for them.  When I went over Tuesday night, the shelf was in, and it was almost full.  All her baby seedlings were there too.  She had put them out in the sunshine over the weekend to spur them on a little.  I love it that I can get some of my gardening pleasure in their yard.

This is the only plant-related thing I'm doing at the moment.  Emily forgot to give us our annual amaryllises this year, but getting them late doesn't seem to matter.  We've watched it grow several inches a day.

Since the weather has been mild, I've been letting it get a little sun every day on the front porch next to Grandma's old churn.  The porch sure does need some work, but I'm waiting for a little warmer weather.

This beautiful little primrose appeared last week in the barren flower bed.  We hear rumors that we're going to get our row of apartments re-landscaped this spring but nothing certain.  I'm not sure I can resist planting things as soon as it's warm enough though.

I've never had primroses before.  I think they're comparable to pansies in their cold-weather tolerance.  If so, I'll plant a lot in the fall or spring or whenever I'm supposed to.  The trees don't allow any sun at all on my front porch, which doesn't bother me in the summer except for making it hard for my geraniums to bloom!  I'm going to concentrate on ferns, hostas, and caladiums this year in my old-lady garden that Mike liked to tease me about.  I'll always have a few crazy things mixed in there.

The cherry trees and dogwoods and forsythia are blooming along with tulips and daffodils, but when I took this picture, it was too cold to linger outside long.

The cats spend most of their days taking in the sights from the window sills.  There are four to choose from, so they don't usually mess with any of MY stuff.  Looks like these little eggs were too much to resist.  I kept finding them in the strangest places, and finally I just had to put them up to keep them off the table.

I saw this interesting picture on one of the community group pages.  This is Downtown Snoqualmie, about 3 miles from the Ridge where we live.  

It's quite colorful!  I recognize our State Farm office in the bottom left corner with the red roof.  Behind and to the right and center is Rooster Valley Farm School where the girls spent two years each, also red with the white picket fence.  In the background is the beautiful new high school where the girls will go one day that I don't like to think about!  Their middle school is about a mile down this same road.  They'll probably love riding the bus there, but I don't like to think about that either.  

Grandma and Grandpa Bindert flew home to SD yesterday, and we all miss them.  I wish they lived here.  Millie and I enjoy discussing the girls to our heart's content, and no one gets bored!  We also discuss our children, but we won't tell them what we talk about.  

Life is almost back to normal again, but then Spring Break is coming up, and they'll be traveling somewhere.  I have to get my calendar straight.  Then Ryan and Emily have a wedding in Portland where they'll leave the children behind and another wedding for Logan, Ryan and Emily's nephew, in Sioux Falls.  I think there is another trip to the beach in Oregon and a trip just for me if we can settle on it.  Whale-watching?  Mount Rainier?  I'm so happy just sitting in the sunshine and being around the family, so anywhere is okay with me.  Anywhere warm!