I did a little happy-dance this morning when I flipped the calendar page to March. This winter has been nuckin' futs, to say the least, with tons of snowstorms, freezing rain, and windchill factors. To say I'm looking forward to spring is the understatement of 2011.

Last night I made a spring cleaning schedule. I know. I need professional help. This is the first year we've actually had *a house* to spring clean, so it feels much more official than cleaning an apartment, which you only sort of care about, at least in my case. I want the house to smell like lemons and be able to eat off of every surface, it's THAT clean. The first step is to declutter, and rather than doing it in one big episode, my plan is to tackle one part of the house every day. One drawer, one closet, one basket of junk at a time, and throw out whatever we can afford to part with. Once that's done we'll be ready to clean. And hopefully by then it'll be nice enough to open the windows and get some fresh air into the house, which makes the whole spring cleaning thing so much more pleasant!

And I know it's a long way off, but I'm excited for the snow to melt so we can start some gardening and landscaping in the yard too. We moved in July, and it was hot as balls, and we had so much other stuff to do, we left the plants and flower beds the way they were. I have a lot of things I'd like to change, tearing out old wooden fencing, adding a new border, and planting some new things - tomatoes, carrots, beans, herbs and strawberries, a lilac bush, and some roses and other flowers I don't know the names of.

I can't wait to get some fresh mulch and fill in the sparse patches in our lawn. I miss the smells of spring - freshly cut grass and even that poop smell that fills the air when the ground gets mucky and everything thaws. Give me poop smell over snow and ice any day. I can't wait for evening walks with Rory, when the sun's still shining and breaking your neck on a patch of ice on the sidewalk is no longer a concern.

Realistically, it's the first day of March and this stuff is a long way off. A loooong way.




Still, I can't help thinking about spring today, making plans and getting excited about new beginnings.