So glad it is Friday

I am looking forward to two days of not dealing with a stubborn architect who won't sign paperwork. It's a long story and I am just done with his antics. When I got home last night it was so beautiful outside. I decided I needed to do something, so I got the rake to clean up some of the dead grass from the ornamental grass that had blown everywhere.

I raked it down the hill

Now that looks better

While I was outside, I noticed that the neighbor had a contractor at her house adding a handrail. I went over to look at it and was talking to one of her grandkids about it. Yes, he was only 7, but I was killing time until the fellow came back outside after he was paid. The fellow did a really nice job! He had to attach the railing to brick and concrete. He used pressure treated lumber and even caulked the joints! I have never seen that done, but it is a great detail. Can you believe there has never been a railing on those steps?!

Well I talked to the fellow and he said he does decks, so I escorted him to my house to show him my problem. He is going to send me a quote. He is a small business and the guy pretty much told me his life story. Let's hope this fellow works out. He says he can do a lot of different things so if the deck works out I may have him look at another project. After he left, I walked around the yard to see what was going on. I have daffodils coming up in the flower bed that is in the center of my front yard.  It has been that warm. 

and the Lenten Roses are blooming! They always start to bloom in March, but with all this warm weather - it was almost 60 here yesterday - they are really coming up early!

The amaryllis had another bloom open. Here is where it was and where it is now. Holding up the bulb are two of my covered bricks I use as extra hands in the studio. I worked at a custom drapery shop decades ago, and we used bricks for all kinds of things like to help hold down the fabric as we cut and when we would mark out the the pleat spacing. I wraped a piece of batting around the brick and used scrap drapery fabric for the cover. I just whip stitched it on - nothing pretty, but I use these all the time for holding down batting, when I lay out backing, and the list goes on. They are like having a friend you don't have to entertain or feed!

The end of the workday can't come soon enough today. I know you shouldn't wish your life away, but I'm tired and just want to chill. My plans for weekend are to finish the I Spy quilt and work on some stuff around the house. Have a great weekend!