With spring just weeks away, it’s time to take stock of this winter’s projects. Going down the list in reverse order of priority:
– Polishing the silver. I started this task back in October, one night when the kids and I were watching “Pirates of the Caribbean” on DVD. We were looking for inspiration for our 10-year-old daughter Kim’s pirate costume.
In between scrutinizing Captain Jack Sparrow’s eyeliner application and hair decor, I shined up my booty of oddball sterling. The stuff you use every day doesn’t need polishing. Only specialty pieces that sit in the drawer too long get tarnished: tiny olive picks with ornamental pagodas; cocktail forks with pastel enamel inlays; a berry spoon with raised raspberries in the bowl. Polishing is an excuse to savor the loveliness of my little treasures.
But I only got a third of the way done that night and have made little headway since. I’ve tried polishing during college basketball games, but it’s too dangerous to hold a fish knife when the Jayhawks miss an easy layup. Now I polish on Saturday mornings while Kim watches the Disney Channel. No risk of distraction there.
– Sewing. It has been 18 months since I got my grandmother’s 1940s sewing machine repaired and three weeks since my friend Laura showed me how to put in the bobbin, so watch out! Any day now I’ll get those curtain panels shortened to hang in the bedroom closet.
– Winterizing. I got two storm windows up before Christmas, but recent cold weather has stalled my enthusiasm for mounting the rest. As soon as the temperature hits 50 degrees on a weekend, I’ll put up two more.
– Photo and slide sorting. Great progress here, since this is the most fun task. As I transfer slides from compact trays to my newly acquired carousels, I pay more attention to orientation (upside-down) than order. With my photo storage boxes, too, the organizing principle is randomness. Truly, your friends would rather paw through a mix of spring break, wedding and children’s birthday party pics than look at your annotated “Christmas in Aruba” album.
– Seed starting. This is my top priority because I have to plant lettuce now for the seedlings to reach transplant size, when I move them to the garden under cold frames. Soon we’ll be eating home-grown salads, barring any brutal freezes.
This year I’m planting the Spring Mix from Cook’s Garden, 800-457-9703 or www.cooksgarden.com. The 12-variety blend costs $2.95 for 2 grams, a big savings over the $50 I spent last year buying 15 individual packets.
I sow the seeds in flats on top of the fridge under two double shop lights with regular fluorescent tubes, one warm (bath) and one cool (kitchen) each. The lights hang on chains from cup hooks in the ceiling. The secret to strong seedlings is to keep the lights on 18 hours a day just 2 inches above the plants.
Now, having taken stock of my midwinter pursuits, I can see the only threat to finishing them all is internal: So for the next few weeks I’ll say “no” to new projects and spend some quality time with the old ones.
