Spring Changes

Spring -- and heat and humidity -- have arrived in Florida.  While the warm weather is welcome, we could do without the high humidity.  However, we are enjoying the spring flowers and the beautiful walks we have each day in our neighborhood.

Of course, a part of spring includes taking care of the weeds that have started to bloom in the gardens.  While the sun is too intense on the south side of the house for many weeds to bloom, the same was not true for my west, front-of-the-house flower beds.  I spent a bit of time on my hands and knees, ridding the gardens of a full bucketful of weeds.  While the rocks all should be removed, washed, and put back into the beds, that is a job that will have to wait until next season.  For now, the flower beds look better as the bushes in front begin to bloom.

The gardenia tree in our back yard is filled with blooms.  Although the branches themselves seem a bit scrawny, the tips of each branch are loaded with buds or blossoms.

White gardenias adorn the back corner tree.

 My hibiscus also is treating us each day to new flowers, although I noticed today that something is starting to snack on the leaves.  In Florida, the flora seems to come with hungry creatures each season.  I have sprayed the leaves with soapy water in the hopes that what is getting the plant is aphids.  If so, the bugs will be gone in a couple of days, and the plant will be no worse for wear.

I love the color of this hibiscus plant.

Inside the house, we have made a small change to the guest room.  We had a headboard and footboard on the bed, but the foot board was really tight to the mattress, and that made for a miserable time changing the sheets.  We decided to remove the footboard, which helped.  We thought of just modifying the headboard, but to do so in order for it to fit the bed frame, we would have had to spend quite a bit of money for the proper materials.  And then there was Rick's time and labor to modify the headboard.

This photo shows just the corner of the heavy
footboard on the guest bed.

The room seemed larger with the footboard
removed from the bed.

So instead of rebuilding everything, we decided to scrap the old and to buy a new, lighter-looking headboard.  It arrived today, and Rick spent just a few minutes assembling it and attaching it to the bed.

The new metal headboard is lighter still and
allows more light to come through the back window.

He likes the looks of the old one, but we both agree that the new one is a nice change for a while.  I like the new one because it will make chasing the linens on the bed much easier, and the lighter look makes the room look larger.

We are happy with the way the house looks now, and we are encouraged that as new people move into the neighborhood, they are fixing the run-down houses and bringing new life to the whole area.  We are glad that Gladys is a part of the neighborhood, too.