Thanks to Mark Righmire for identifying this for me, a Siberian squill. it was the first color, other than the rhubarb, to push up through the mulch. It deserves a mention.

I've discovered over the last decade or two, that I really enjoy being outdoors more than in, especially in the summer which is preciously sweet along the North Coast. Or maybe that's just how I like to picture myself.

It was a nice day, by Cleveland standards. It was a sunny, no-clouds, blue sky, 37-degree day. After work I took a moment to sit outside and consider the yard chores, a mental list, for the near future.

I keep a modest garden, mostly Salsa fixins (when the deer don't ravage it), a little rhubarb, a few black raspberries, but that's about it. I want to expand it a tad and think about the layout, and why some things grow and others don't. and deal how to deal with the compost pile and a foolproof plan how to foil the deer (I'm envisioning Elmer Fudd here).

I'm on the ropes with the very shady area in the back. It needs a major overhaul. I think I'll try one more time to grow some grass but after that, it's ground cover time. Perhaps a nice conifer.

My outdoor lounge just needs to get cleaned up, the geegaws put back and maybe move a few plants. Oh, and run some electricity out there.

I have a chain saw that won't start and a pile of hefty limbs accumulated after storms.

I didn't write any of this down. Just by walking out the back door I know what needs to be done and have a good reckoning of the proper order.

I wish the rest of life were that clear. But then again, maybe that would make it seem too much like chores.