The weather is changing again…there are signs of spring that seem to come earlier every year. The snow falls are very springlike with heavy wet snow and the roads have melted out by 11am. The changes remind me that soon the work will be gone and I must be prepared for the six week interval between tourist seasons.

There is so much to do, and while this time is stressful financially, it is rich in time for getting things done. Now is the time to double check the financial resources and make sure all is in place so that I am not behind when the work starts back up again and to figure out if there is enough excess to execute the projects I have planned. I am still moving steadily toward freedom from debt but the extra payments make the time off tricky as there is no such thing as paid vacations for seasonal workers. I will continue to pick up the occasional piece of work from time to time and to keep my status as an active employee so that I qualify for job attached unemployment, but my income will be cut by 60% and there is some traveling that I have to do this spring to take care of some much needed legal stuff that has long been shuffled to the back burner.

Careful planning and shifting through the numbers and a fortuitous sale on airline tickets mean that I will be able to make the travel work and set myself up to finally get this one to-do off the list. However, it means that anything else I get done this spring must be things that do not require any type of financial outlay.

I have enough wool and other supplies to be able to finish at least two art pieces. The hardest part is going through the sketch book and selecting which two will get to come to life. That decision has to be made so that I can purchase my dyes and stretchers while the money still flows.

Then there is the spring cleaning project that will consume the rest of the time. There is still so much that I must let go – I must complete the downsizing this spring as changes in my living situation could happen as early as October when the lease expires. There is no need to keep dragging things for which I have no room from one place to another. Even if I end up staying in the same apartment I desperately need more workable space. Fortunately, I can shed myself of excess possessions without laying out any money.

I will have to research storage options for all the stuff that has been accumulated by the pack rat I share this space with. I know he wants to go separate ways as much as I, but he sees no need to plan or lay foundations to make it happen.  It’s probably a good thing I don’t have access to unlimited money to just hire storage space as I am sure he would fill up any space I could clear in the apartment before we get to the point that we can just go our separate ways. Lately he has been talking about rescuing a dog for which he has no time, is not permitted by our current lease, and would have a negative impact on him being able to find another place to live. The fact that we don’t have the space for a pet is a powerful tool for keeping change that might complicate the eventual split at bay. Time to map out the options so that they can be presented when decisions have to be made.

So now is the time to start the planning and make sure that this spring is productive. It is time to look closely at what is possible, what is desirable and what is realistic.