Marie at 1 Write Way

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello, everyone! Spring has arrived here in north Florida, a real feast for the eyes this year. We credit a few long, soaking rains for the abundance of color.

Elsewhere in our gardens …

While color is bursting out all over in my little corner of the world, I’ve been busying myself with writing (more or less) and various handcrafts. I’ve knitted two pair of socks. One pair (not shown) is mostly purple. The pair below was not intended to be “mismatched.” I apparently drew from the wrong end of the yarn for one, but I really like how these turned out. I might do this kind of mistake on purpose next time.

A pair of feet clad in striped socks, colors ranging from yellow to green to red to purple.
A pair of feet clad in striped socks, colors ranging from yellow to green to red to purple.

I also sewed the bag in this photo, finally finding something to do with the fabric remnant I bought years ago. It’s called a 4-corner bag (designed by Cocoknits) and was super easy to make. I have a fetish for bags and am enjoying this one so much I might make more.

A bag made of light denim fabric with a muted flower pattern and leather straps.
A bag made of light denim fabric with a muted flower pattern and leather straps.

Finally, we’ve done a grownup thing and bought new living room furniture. The cushions and springs of our old furniture were fairly shot after 15 years of wear and the upholstery fairly destroyed after 15 years of tear by our cats. Note: Do not buy tapestry-like upholstered furniture if you have cats.

A brown leather loveseat and a brown leather sofa in a living room with bare wood floor.
View of a brown leather loveseat and a brown leather sofa in our living room.

Raji and Wendy were quite put out by the loss of their beloved oversized scratching posts. We eased their adjustment by installing window perches behind the loveseat. We also covered the loveseat with a little-used comforter to protect it from the sun and make it more comfortable for our cats should they desire to stretch out.

Raji (ginger cat) and Wendy (Tortieco) on their windowsill perches.
Raji (ginger cat) and Wendy (Tortieco) on their windowsill perches.

No one can say that we don’t try to do right by our kitties.

I hope all is well out there among my far-flung online community. My writing is going well enough for me. My writing course is taking a break (as scheduled) until April 1 when we’ll start Session Two with new prompts among other goodies. Life is going well for us.

We did the other grown-up thing with updating our Wills, Living Wills, and Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care. If I learned anything in the last couple of years, it’s that you don’t want to leave your loved ones guessing.

 

Marie A Bailey

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32 responses to “Spring Has Sprung!”

  1. I love the big floppy flowers on your azaleas—Formosas, I’m thinking? My son has been “live texting” the status of his azaleas in New Orleans in our peak azalea time. And we redid our wills upon moving to Louisiana with its screwy property and inheritance rules—not fun! Glad you’ve got that behind you.

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  2. Hi Marie, Yes, spring definitely has sprung and the flowers are incredibly beautiful! It also makes for lots of pollen. But you know that. I always love having a glimpse into your life with your posts. Keep them up. 😉 I recognized the yoga studio in the picture of your socks (love the colors). I’m still doing Monday night virtual yoga with Suzanne. Still haven’t gotten back to the studio in person. When I retire…not sure when that will be; maybe April 2025 or sooner. Working completely from home now except for the occasional time I have to send a report to a parent or agency. I actually wish I was 70 this year! Then it would be adios! Take care and be well. Carol 💜

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    • Carol, good to hear from you! Yes, I took those photos at the studio. I’ve been going Tuesday/Thursday mornings. You know, I can’t even imagine going to an evening class now, even for Zoom. I’m glad you’re working from home. Hope that makes the job more tolerable. xo

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  3. Your post is a delight for the senses, Marie. Those azaleas! So beautiful! I love the socks you made, too. You’re so clever with your projects. I am not good with sewing or crafts.

    Congratulations on the new furniture and on updating those important documents (that’s been on our to-do list for too long). 🙂 The cats look very comfortable!

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  4. Yes, azeleas exhibit bold blooms in the spring…but. When we first moved here to SC from a place that never had them, I was so taken by these huge bushes with overflowing blossoms that I stuck my face into the middle of a mass of flowers hoping for a sniff of some exotic fragrance. Instead, I developed a nasty rash where my skin had contact with said bushes/flowers. I do appreciate their beauty from a distance, though. :-)
    Yay on the new furniture – adds a lot to your space, probably feels great to a weary body and kitty-proof to boot!

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    • Oh, my, how rude to get a rash! But I can understand the desire to get up close and personal with these gorgeous flowers. The furniture is working out wonderfully so far. Raji made one attempt at clawing, but that was it. They much prefer their perches and the comforter ;-)

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  5. Your garden is absolutely gorgeous, Marie. It’ll be awhile before I see any color here, way up north. Thank you for sharing and bringing some brightness to my day.

    Your bag is so cute and your cats…they look like they’ve adapted very well to their new “home”.

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  9. What beautiful flowers, Marie! Spring has indeed sprung! Love the colors. And great furniture! Though your cats weren’t thrilled, they look cozy on their perches. 😄

    Great socks!! They look cozy too!

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    • Thank you many times, L. Marie! They just don’t like their photo taken … lol. Wendy is on the perches a lot, and Raji is spending a fair amount of time there too now. What’s funny is that when they are lying down, we can’t see them. We have to walked up to the couch until we can see their ears. LOL.

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  10. Your photos of the flowers are stunning. I long for those colors, but we’re nowhere near that part of Spring yet. Your mismatched socks are winners. I love them. Isn’t it wonderful to get new furniture? It looks so fresh and comfy. 

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  11. Those colourful flowers are good for the soul, Marie. And thank you for sharing your adorable cats with us—can’t wait to get one or two soon! As for furniture, you should’ve seen the pair of wingbacks we just threw out to be collected. Maisie did the number on them. 😄

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  12. I love all your spring flowers! We are up and down on the spring weather scale and I haven’t seen many flowers yet. It was cold yesterday but warmer today. It is easy to be grateful on the warm days. I love azaleas, by the way. I love your socks and your happy accident.

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  13. I think your spring is showing off! Our spring so far is the residents here in New England are sighing relief because our just-bloomed daffodils didn’t get killed of by the latest 24 degree nights this week.

    We need to grow up and get new couch furniture too. 23 years old! And ivory upholstery but somehow (until now), two kids, six grandkids, two dogs and two granddogs later, it’s just starting to show its wear and tear.

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    • Yes, our spring is moving right along! I heard about the incredible snow y’all had up north. Egads! Ah, furniture. it sounds like you must have gotten good quality furniture for it to last 23 years. Even if our cats hadn’t torn ours apart, the cushions and springs were shot. Oh, well. We’re loving our new furniture :-)

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