Thursday, March 15, 2012

"Bits and Pieces"

Just a few bits of this and some pieces of that in my world on March 14, 2012....

 
1.  Last week it was hinting at Spring.  Bare trees would pop into colorful displays practically overnight.  As I drove about the city.  I would suddenly see wildflowers that weren't there the day before.  Landscape nurseries appear to be filled with brand new plants covered in blooms and buds.  The temperature weren't terribly cooperative.  It would tease us with temps in the high 50s and low 60s and then dump us back into winter at night.  Then it would throw in a couple of cold, grey, rainy, dreary days in the mix and everything just seemed to lose its vitality and good cheer.   It's been a yo-yo effect, up and down, up and down.   It's almost impossible to know how to dress for this kind of mixed message.

 
But yesterday?  Yesterday it happened!  High temps in the mid-70s, bright sunshine, gentle warm breezes rustling through the trees and suddenly it felt like Spring!  Real Spring, clear, bright, comfortable, awakening Spring!   Ahhhhhhh............. It was still here today and  I hope it will still be here tomorrow!  I am really tired of my "winter" clothes!



2.  On a related matter, I just love Daylight Savings Time!  I know its an arbitrary choice that a lot of people don't like, but I'm not one of them.  Being a late riser (which results from being a late go-to-bedder) having more sunlight/daylight into the evening is very helpful to me and it just makes me feel good.  I think it is a good way to negate the affects of S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder; it's why I get depressed in winter....not enough sunlight!!)  So from now until sometime in October, I should be a happy camper!

 
3.  Things I have learned about our house guest this week:
  • For a little dog, she sure takes up a lot of room in a bed!!
  • For a little dog, she sure puts out a lot of heat!
  • For a little dog, she sure can hear every little sound...no matter how quiet I'm trying to be!
  • For a little dog, she sure can jump fairly high!
  • For a little dog, she sure still wants to explore our whole big backyard repeatedly!
  • For a little dog, she sure has a loud bark!
  • For a little dog, she sure is a cutie!!



4.   Several days ago I wrote about helping stage a house for putting on the market and it's practically instant sale.  Well, today the seller of said house and I went with her realtor to see a few houses that are on the market.  The whole reason she was selling was to move to something smaller with less land and work!  But now with the sale, she has to find someplace to live!  She has some time, possession of her house won't happen until May or June, but she wanted to get started looking.  She asked if I would go with her when she looks at houses to provide another pair of eyes!  I love looking at houses, so I happily agreed to help out.  We saw four houses today one was a dump (really!!  icky!), a second needed some work, but was on a hill and the driveway and walk to the front were both very steep, a third was lovely, beautifully updated, nice yard, great layout, but it was kind of a split level and there were a LOT of stairs, the fourth was a bit small but very attractive; unfortunately, the neighboring houses were all practically on top of each other and it felt like there was no privacy at all.

 It was fun, but we didn't find her dream home.  From what we learned from her realtor, she can expect to have lots of choices coming up in the market very soon.  She'll just need to make a decision right away.  Evidently her house is not the only one that sold quickly.  All of a sudden Austin has turned into a hot real estate market.  Things are selling fast, so if you see something you like, you have to move on it right away or it will be gone.  According to this realtor it is anticipated that Austin will attract around 90,000 new residents this year! (I think that's what he said.)  90,000!!  Yikes!  The great news for home sellers, but there are all sorts of downsides to it as well!  But boy, what a change from the last few years!  Realtors are dancing in the streets!  Sellers are finally finding buyers!

The rest of us?  Not so much!  "Why not?" you might ask.  I can give you the answer in three words....traffic, traffic, and more traffic!   More traffic??  Peachy!

And that just about wraps it up for this version of  "Bits and Pieces."

3 comments:

  1. Yesterday it hit 81 degrees here in Indiana. Yes, I spent most of my time outside reveling in the warmth and getting into the yard work (a little.) Mostly I just sat in my lawn swing and read and sipped iced tea and soaked up the sunshine. Sunburned the tops of my ears! I even donned shorts and sandals. Am I rushing the season? Oh, I certainly hope so!

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  2. I am loving the spring weather!! Bring on the shorts and T-shirts! And would it be too much to ask for spring to last for about 9 months? :)

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  3. It is in the seventy's here in Michigan. We do not usually get this warm till May. It seems odd to hear the crickets in March. Your house guest is absolutely adorable it may be heard for you when it is time for her to go home.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment. It's really nice knowing what you think!! Besides, comments keep me from feeling like I'm here all by myself!! :)

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