Beech Tree News Network

With spring’s onset, I’ve been reading about early spring outdoor exercise, home owner checklists, and yard and garden preparation. As Leo Tolstoy said, “Spring is the time of plans and projects” (https://www.countryliving.com/life/g3077/spring-quotes/?slide=12). These readings have caused me to make a rather long spring to-do list.

Exercise:  In a 2017 online article, “10 Spring Fitness Tips for Everyone Itching to Get Back Outside” (https://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/808179/spring-fitn...), Lisa Maloney provided some logical tips to help people ease back into outdoor exercise. 

•In wet weather, wear water-proof jacket and pants.

•Dress in layers.

•Wear sunglasses to help shield the eyes from cold winds and the spring sun.

•Try to keep your feet dry and always have an extra pair of dry socks available.

Since I enjoy being outside, my preferred exercise is outdoor walking. The tips above make sense. Another practice I’m learning is that certain stretching exercises can help to protect one’s core as well as the legs and joints – critical to preventing injuries, especially at my age.

Home:  Two online articles provided sound spring advice for homeowners. In the 2015 article “Top 10 Tips for Homeowners This Spring” (https://www.leaffilter.com/blog/how-to-repairs/money-finances-tips-trick...), author Amanda Curry provided some common-sense tips, including: trim back trees and dead branches, test the air-conditioning unit, and inspect the roof. Also, in the article “10 Home Maintenance Tips for Spring” (https://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/clean-and-organize/10-home-mainte...), Dwight Barnett suggested that homeowners examine the chimney, move firewood away from the home, and check outdoor faucets for freeze damage. These simple checks could prevent additional problems. Also, these articles reminded me of some tasks at my house yet to be scheduled. I’m still making my list.

Yard and Garden:  Several online articles mentioned very similar early spring steps to yard and lawn preparation, including the following:

•Clean up the debris and pull the weeds.

•Prune, repot and fertilize.

•Start seeds for summer vegetables and flowering plants. 

Those first two tasks are in my plans as well as raking the leaves away from the house and fence line so that they can be mowed/mulched. I also want to supplement and add soil to two flower beds before time to put plants in the ground. I hope to do these things during April.

Margaret Atwood said, “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt” (https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/spring). If I get half of the chores on my spring to-do list done, I may very well smell and look like dirt. But, as we welcome spring, I’m happy to get moving.