Spring has indeed sprung, and Dallas may see a 90+ degree day in the next week!

Pools are one of those things that are good, both hot and cold, like coffee or dessert. They're something that adds to your residential enjoyment and, if they're in the ground, take up no visible room.

And, whenever you want during good weather, you can sign out of the daily grind and enjoy that ageless pleasure of a good swim (or soak).

Your indoor or outdoor pool can have real sensory engagement with audio and visuals. You can control, secure, and cover your pool from home or away. You can even make adjustments to the pool settings from your phone.

But first, make your pool a 24-7 activity--and give it some serious style--with the perfect lighting.

Connecting a refrigerator to the internet.

At one time, that sounded far-fetched. But we now have smart home technology introduced into TVs, doorbells, and lighting (and, of course, phones). Voice commands and related convenient features on a refrigerator, now sound doable.

The best smart refrigerators are useful because they connect to more than the internet. Z-wave and "mesh" networks home Wi-Fi links smart home devices with each other. It's not a conference meeting, it's a mixer.

As we reintroduce social mixing in our lives, a tall cold one, (or a short dram) might be called for. Let's talk about that.

SMART FRIDGE FOR THE GROWN FOLKS  

Statistics textbooks still say that weather forecasts are about 75% accurate, at best. There are really two types of Americans: those who think their state's weather is crazy, and those who live outside Texas. Despite that, history tells us there are a lot more days you're free to go outside here than in, say, Buffalo, New York.

In a few weeks, spring will arrive. There will be (somewhat) reliably good weather. Dog walking will be more enjoyable, kids can be out of the house for hours a day, and internet consumption will dip a little bit for everyone.

Until then (and after it), have you considered an active room for your house?

FLOOR SPACE: WHAT ABOUT A HOME GYM OR FAMILY "RUMPUS ROOM"?

In the last century, humans have learned that sitting down too much is bad. Every home has a place to sit down. Now, more of us are adding time to our schedule to get out and get moving; to not sit. Could we find a way to not sit in our house?

Movement and kinesis have become much more important to a healthy life. Newer or modern homes may start to incorporate built-in fitness rooms as exercise becomes less recreational and more utility. 

THE BIG GAME

The food, fans, fun, or the Superbowl. Hosting at your home is easier than any major holiday. It's one night. The kids don't need a sitter. It's socially acceptable to serve hot dogs. No one argues over what channel or show to watch. Most guests' expectations are a nice TV set up. And beer. A clean house is a bonus. But all sports fans appreciate the immediacy, the crisp HD vision and HD sound, and wifi that delivers at a nonstop 40-yard sprint. Have it year-round.

Range of a Sports Fan for Your Home Theater

• NFL RedZone
• March Madness
• Other college sports (if your kid chooses rugby at college, that's probably not on CBS primetime)
• Hockey
• Basketball
• Golf Simulators
• Kinetic and stationary gaming setups (think Switch)
• Gym (more on that in a minute)

WIDE (RADIO) RECEIVER: ORIGINAL SUPERBOWL FOR LIVE TV

In 1919, one of the first-ever real-time sports broadcasts took place in Dallas. A broadcast announcer read telegrammed updates of a football game over the radio! It wasn't technically live (and someone did the same thing for a Jayhawks game in 1911) but more sports were about to follow.

WATCHING THE GAME HAS CHANGED

A college baseball match between Columbia and Princeton in 1939 was the first sports tv broadcast. There were fewer than 1,000 TVs at the time. Sports is now available on a host of screens (more on that in a minute) and a host of streams.

A long-running dispute between the NFL and a Pennsylvania man over a rough home recording of Superbowl 1 may be about to end--if the Kickstarter works. That original Superbowl 1 scrum was the Green Bay Packers versus the Kansas City Chiefs. And it took place in this year's hosting city: sunny LA.

Healthy New Year's Resolutions  

If you've made it this far for New Year's resolutions, congratulations. If you tripped and fell, slow motion is better than no motion. If you haven't made healthy habits resolutions, healthier food and easier cooking are still great to have.

Healthy nutrition and a healthy weight can be easier when you're more balanced physically and otherwise. Reducing the effort to keep a 21st century home going means using the best parts of modern technology and automation. Think about 15 minutes per day--15 minutes--added to your disposable time because the lights, the heat, the shades, the alarm system are exactly as you planned without a single flip of the switch.

Self-care and avoiding junk food sounds a lot easier then, huh?

Eating & Nutrition: Food as An Experience