Home on Holmes: Even my weeds have weeds

I have been gifted with exceptional weather during this April vacation week - and I have taken full advantage! While I love my visits to TN, PA or FL that I usually take this time of year, I decided to save the money and use this time to work on the house. Relaxation and fun have occupied some of my time (including a beautiful day in Boston to get inspiration from the marathon runners and a 90 minute massage yesterday afternoon), but a majority of my time has been spent outside working on the yard and other fun surprises. My biggest task this week was weeding the front yard (I can't even think about the side or back yards yet - give me a break here!). Strange grasses, clovers and other unknown weeds lined the front beds under, behind and even inside of all of the bushes and shrubs. I managed to remove as many as possible and create a nice clean edge for the beds. I am going to local nurseries on Saturday with a friend who is a gardening genius to find a few plants that will add a little color to the beds and then I hope to get some mulch to finish it off. I am not planning too much this year, but I am happy that I am making some progress.

In the back yard I put out a bird feeder. Within a day, I have seen blue jays, cardinals, robins and a number of other small birds taking their fair share of feed. So far, the giant (and I mean giant) squirrels have not tried to steal any feed. I adjusted the height and placement of the feeder so that I am able to watch from my table that is out on the porch. Every morning this week, I have eaten breakfast on the porch with the windows open and the birds singing. I am looking forward to breakfast on the porch every day this summer. If you are in the neighborhood - there will always be a spot at the table.

The last "goodie" of the week was a bit unexpected (and a bit of a splurge). I decided that I would buy myself a grill for my upcoming birthday. After searching many stores and being as indecisive as possible (which is usually the case when I have to spend money), I made my decision. While it is probably a bit much for just one person, I hope that my friends and family will be around as much as possible to help me season the grill. I created a little home for the grill using some extra pavers from the yard. It is a perfect place for the grill. I am looking forward to the 80 degree weather tomorrow so that I can christen those clean grates.