“The RoseBouquet”

If you had your spring long ago, and have no snow or ice to melt away yet, you may not understand how excited we are here in the city of Saskatoon, and the province of Saskatchewan. We’ve had mild temperatures for a week straight now. It still freezes over at night, but in the daytime, by about noon the temperature is above 0, which means the water is trickling and flowing everywhere. Long stretches of sidewalks are clear and visible, although there are still spots with snow and ice on them. I found it tricky walking around them this morning. But when I walk home at 5 pm, much of that will have evaporated or run off, and in some places I still have to plod through patches of slush and water puddles.

We all know that a freak spring storm could still hit us, even after Easter in a couple of weeks, but our long cold winter is over, and we are almost giddy with delight. I still wear my long johns for my walk to the office, but I’ve reduced to just one pair of socks, and I’m wearing my purple parka instead of my full-length down-filled coat with the huge hood.

Inside my house Snowflake has been spinning in circles, trying to catch his tail. It really makes me laugh aloud. But in case it meant he was going crazy, I looked it up on the internet. It just means he’s bored. He’s had to find his own ways of playing by himself. I think he has spring fever too, for any time I open the door to the back porch, just to put garbage out, he’s right there, hoping for a chance to go outside.

Well, sorry, Benjil, you’re an indoor cat now.

He does like to explore the basement when I’m working down there on Saturdays. This last Saturday I went out looking for bargain priced vinyl flooring. I’d decided that would work instead of paneling the walls in the basement. But when I saw the prices, I dropped that idea. It would have cost me about $500.

I recalled though, the big rolls of upholstery fabric I had seen at the Habitat’s ReStore the week before, so I went back there. They still had some rolls left, though not the soft velvety ones I had admired. I picked out three rolls and went to check on the price with the lady in charge. Two of them were $15 each and one was just $5. Ah-ha! $35 was in my price range, and by my rough calculations, one roll would not be enough, two might, but I might as well take that third one and be sure.

It was mid-afternoon when I got started, but I managed to get four lengths tacked onto the pink insulation using pins and tape until I could get the glue gun worked under there. It’s sort of like wallpapering but with nice sturdy upholstery fabric instead. Each roll is about 60 inches wide, so by alternating the one with the medium blue textured horizontal lines with the fabric that is plain taupe with a blue thread running through, it seems to match well. I may use the third roll for furniture coverings, later. (It’s more limp, and in dark brown/green colours with some hints of vivid multi-colours scattered through). I’m not sure that glue in the caulking gun was the best kind. I may have to experiment a bit, but I think I like the cozy effect it has on the basement.

I didn’t think about it at first, but when Snowflake scampered over some of the fabric, I realized that if I don’t attach each strip very well, he may bring them down when he discovers he has traction to climb my walls. Another challenge to face!