WHEW!!

 Holy HEAT Batman! I swear I say it every year but I truly think it is HOTTER SOONER this year than it has ever been. We are having predictions of "feels like" temperatures up to 103 degrees and, after working outside most of the weekend, I believe every bit of it!

This was going to be my final spring clean-up...or so I thought. Once I was out there, I saw way more things that needed to be done than I thought and, everything took way longer than I had hoped.

I started getting the fountain that has been off since November back and running, This thing is heavy and tricky and I always dread having to get it cleaned or just running correctly...and, this time was no exception. You don't need to hear all of the details but, suffice it to say, I had to connect and reconnect power, pumps, hoses, etc. for over 40 minutes until I FINALLY got it going and it kept going. For awhile there, even after checking each component and guaranteeing that they worked, they wouldn't work together. Fingers crossed I finally hit the jackpot.

That had me right by some of the pool furniture and the realization that it all really needed a touch-up...well, really MORE than just a touch-up but, because of the heat, I have totally given up on a premise I have held for my entire life. I have always believed that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. Well, not any more. So now the next thing on my list was to repaint the pool furniture. It is metal furniture and the Florida heat and sun take a toll on it every year.

Normally, I would begin by scrubbing it all then going over it with a wire brush to make sure all of the flaking paint was gone. That is quite a job! I have 8 chairs, 3 large tables, 2 "bouncy" chaises, 6 side tables, 2 trellises, an ice cream set and 4 "real" chaises and, this year, there was no way that was happening so, I actually just took out a sheet and have been moving it around as I hit each piece of furniture with a quick spray painting over the worst parts. I have already used up the 4 cans of paint I had and am thinking I will probably now need 8-9 more!

Of course, that led me to the gazebo to paint that ice cream set when I noticed that the cushions were once again in need of recovering. I have to do that at least once a year and it is mind boggling how much they can fade when they never even come into direct sunlight. Thankfully, I have done this so many times that I'm actually getting good at it. And, I still have yards of that fabric that I bought on a close out sale many, many years ago so it is now a no-brainer! Of course, this year I had to take off one layer of fabric so it would fit into the rim of the chair and those staples are doozies to remove! But, since I was doing it indoors, I didn't mind the break from the sun.

Now the cushions have been done but the need for repainting is even more obvious!

Since I spent most of the last two days outside, I snapped a few photos of the yard. Some of the flowers hit by our winter are coming back while others are not so some replacement will have to happen soon. Looking in this direction from the pool deck, things to be coming along okay.

This is where most of the dead flowers are but little by little, some of the others are starting to show some growth. And, almost every pot will need something new...and then of course, me to remember to water them every day during the summer heat!

The hydrangeas on this side of the yard seem to be happy.

The hydrangeas on this side are not so happy. They are truly feeling the heat this year. These bushes used to be three times as large and were just beautiful. I'm going to try to give them a bit of extra attention and we'll see what happens-fingers crossed.

I did manage to get some more weeding, trimming and edging done but, being out there just brought even more to my attention and the to-do list continues to grow! I have to be honest, the heat is an absolute killer. Even if you can find a bit of shade or start early in the morning, it is just sooo hot! Not my favorite season and it started way too early this year! See you in September! Lol Stay safe and stay tuned.