EOW No. 26

Has anyone else been swarmed by crane flies this spring?  Those poor buggers congregate around our exterior windows and doors, trying desperately to gain entry, only to desperately attempt escape once they've accidentally been let in.  There's something in that about a metaphor for life but Friday is not the right day for me to attempt it.  We're in that weird shoulder season right now where it's warm and muggy on some days and cool and crisp on others.  There have been countless severe thunderstorm / tornado warnings, and the rain comes in sudden, shocking bursts.  Spring is about rebirth and renewal and I forget (annually it seems) that those processes are messy, volatile, and violent.

With the wild swings in weather, mood, and anxiety, I'm in a little need of joy these days.  I can't quite pinpoint the cause of these feelings but I do know that small things bring me a bit of peace.  

Rat Paintings on etsy

Rat Paintings - I stumbled upon this gem the other week, tiny paintings on etsy by a lady's pet rat.  It's absolutely adorable and you can even buy a mini painting kit, so that your own rodent can become an abstract artiste.  It's things like this that keep me impressed by the continued creativity of the human (and rat) race.

Patio Furniture Cushion Covers - This is such a grown up "like" but our patio cushion covers were starting to fall apart, after four seasons outside.  I couldn't find off the shelf covers and was ready to order a new set of furniture altogether when I found this site.  They make the cushion covers in India and you can customize the size, colour, attachments, zipper placements.  They were done and shipped to us very quickly and the new cushions are giving new life to our furniture.  Also, much cheaper than ordering a new set of furniture altogether and less wasteful as well.

Elastic shoelaces - I am not the one who came up with this lifehack but love the assist that it's provided me.  If you're a Converse shoe wearer (or any other shoe with laces for that matter) and are annoyed with tying / untying your shoes, get these elastic laces on Amazon.  They turn the shoes into slip on shoes, which I loved about my previous laceless Converses from 2006 (dating myself).

That's all I have for now.  Take care of yourselves and try to spend some time soaking up the lovely spring weather (when it lasts).