Spring is coming to Buffalo

It's finally beginning to feel like spring. While not consistently warm, most days are in the 60s, with a few reaching mid-70s. It's also raining a bit more, and now that I have a lawn (while also trying to regrow parts of the lawn) I actually like when it rains. I'm sure that will change if it pours multiple days in a row, but I'm  as ambivalent about weather as the weather is fickle. Now that spring is here, and summer on it's way (and classes are over with), I'm starting to plan summer projects on the house. Some of the projects are, while not necessary, certainly an important improvement, and others I simply want to do so that the house is more enjoyable. I've already replaced the bathroom fan with a more powerful one (pictured below), and installed a roof vent, because the old one just vented into the attic; whoever installed it apparently thought that the attic was a great place to keep warm, moist air.

I also plan on replacing the basement windows (currently single panes with thin metal frames) with glass block windows; they will provide more privacy and structural support. I was going to have someone install them (~ $100 per window) until I realized that the windows are $60: paying someone $40 labor to essentially put mortar around pre-assembled windows is absurd. If I've iced a cake or played with Elmer's glue, I can install glass block windows. I also plan on repainting and re-roofing the shed in the back yard. Both the paint and the shingles are is disrepair, so I want to fix them before the shed falls apart. I'm also planning on redoing the insulation in the house. Some of the easily accessible places I can do myself (behind the kneeling wall and in the floor of the attic crawl), but I'm considering have someone else do the outside of the house and the roof (places that are either extremely difficult, or practically impossible to get to myself). Lastly, I'd like to replace the current kitchen countertops, redo the backsplash, and replace the carpet upstairs and on the stairs. All of those things I would consider "wants", while the other things are much closer to "needs" (mom taught me to prioritize).

Because it's getting warm outside, and we only have one car, and driving back-and-forth to drop each other off at work is a tremendous waste of gas and time, I just got a bike (pictured below). I will ride it to UB South Campus each morning, about 3 miles (15-20 minutes), and take the shuttle bus down to Roswell. Assuming it's not raining outside, I should be able to ride my bike and take the shuttle all summer, and if I can do that for about 6 months, the bike will have paid for itself. Depending on gas prices, it might not take that long.