You can feel it, can't you? Spring is definitely here.

All the signs are there: longer hours of daylight, daffodils and crocuses blooming as the lilies push their way out of the ground again and the trees start to bud.

Doesn't it just make you feel more energetic? Aren't you just rarin' to let go on some home improvement project?

In my case, the excitement over a new project is often more theoretical than practical. I can dream up all kinds of new projects. Getting them done is somewhat more of a challenge, as is evidenced by the rather extensive to-do list I've compiled.

Time availability is a major challenge for the DIYer. Because of my meeting and work schedule, weekends are about the only good block of time I can set aside for projects. Of course, weekends already are pretty full of the normal home and life maintenance chores we all face. If I devote an entire weekend to a special project -- like the recent painting of my kitchen -- a whole bunch of other things get left undone. The cumulative effect of this can get very, very ugly.

At the moment I am still trying to talk myself into painting my bathroom. I love the idea of it -- the new color, how bright and fresh everything will look. I'm just not too hot on the putting-it-into-effect part. Because I am not just painting here -- I'm changing all the towel bars & related paraphernalia, light fixtures, the works.

I am a much better general than I am a foot soldier. People like me really should hire contractors. Or have children. It's probably cheaper to hire contractors.