I’m celebrating.

Why? The temperature is going to go above freezing today. Not by much, but hey, this winter’s grip has been so strong that I’ll gladly celebrate a little warm-up. And what do we all long for right now? Spring. Flowers. Gardens. Warm breezes. Green grass.

The smell of spring in the air.

I don’t have any fresh flowers on hand, but I did come home with something flowery from Heidi’s shop. I saw it there the other day when I was helping her get ready for the sale. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and later in the day, I sent her a text that said: I want it.

This is often how I make these kind of decisions. If I can’t get it out of my head, if I know I may never see anything like it again, if I know I’ll kick myself if someone else buys it and, of course, if I can afford it, then it’s a done deal.

Here it is after I first brought it in the door:

It’s a vintage Fireplace Screen, made to cover up the opening of a fireplace. It’s made of wood and is quite heavy. It also has a little stand in the back which doesn’t work very well, but since I don’t have a fireplace, who cares?

Oh, here’s the other question I ask myself: Do I have a place to put it? We are short on space in this little cottage, so that question must be asked.

The answer? Yes. Although I admit, at first I thought the answer to that question was No. There certainly wasn’t room downstairs, where we’ve pretty much used up all available wall space.

Oh, but wait….I recently decluttered my studio space, remember? I moved Mabel and a bookcase into the bedroom which opened up the space rather nicely. And the colors used in this pretty screen are sort of made for the studio. Aha! I do have a place for it.

So I trotted the screen up the stairs and into its new home. I’ve tried it in two places and I’m not sure which one is best. What do you think?

Here?

Or here?

I must confess that I’m undecided. But I do know that I am absolutely crazy about this piece. It practically screamed my name.

I’m looking forward to the days when the studio is once more flooded with light. Taking photos of that space has been a pain in the tush lately.

What do you think? Where should it go?

Update on Mom: She is about the same. The nurse told me she has spoken a couple of words, but that’s all. But she responds to their questions with a nod or a shake of the head. She’s on a specific antibiotic now, geared toward her infection. We have to wait and see if she can fight this off.

My brother-in-law, Meredith’s husband, lost his brother, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for many years, just last week. And now his mother, who was in the Emergency Room at the same time as my Mom, is failing.

Too much. Too much pain and sadness. Too much all at once.

So I’m focusing on the little things; the temperature outside, the flowery screen inside, the sound of Scoutie snoring, a cup of good coffee, good friends and life, which is precious indeed.

Happy Friday.