Sargent followed me into the red building where I was looking for some wooden corbels that I wanted to use for a shelf. He waited at the door while I took some pictures of the corbels as I had found them when we first bought the house. I'm not sure where they were originally used, but I knew I would find something to do with them. I loved the light, so I caught a picture of him waiting at the door for me to finish. I noticed cat paw prints on the mirror and couldn't resist the self portrait amongst my treasures/junk!

Above: The corbels, as found on a shelf that might have been used for nesting boxes. Below: I cleaned them with a damp cloth, and then used a bees' wax/mineral oil rub to bring out the dark patina on the front one. It only took a few minutes before the other one looked the same.

The top of the shelf is a piece of wood that was from the corner closet in the dining room. Some of the duct work runs up through the closet, so the shelves had to be removed. The display is not permanent, but I wanted to see how it would look with a few pieces. I will use it in the guest bedroom, which is where it is pictured.

Almost every spare second in March was spent in the dirt. I planted some new plants, but most of my time was spent digging up existing heirloom bulbs on the property and moving them to the flowerbeds. 

In February, when nothing seems to be very attractive, these crazy little bulbs sprang up along the east end of the yard. They must be some kind of wild garlic; and, yes, that means that they're weeds to most people, but they are one of the coolest little plants I've seen--especially since they come to life when everything else is dead and brown. I have transplanted countless clusters of these. Harper just shakes his head, but I think he really likes them, too... I took a little vase full of their exploding buds to school and had the kids write about them. Their sci-fi and fantasy interpretations of what the plants might be were hilarious and creative.