Nothing short of a perfectly gorgeous day today, and one that called for not just enjoying the out-of-doors and thrilling to the many surprise entrances of perennials pushing through the sun-warmed soil in the garden, but time and the weather imploring to be used for practical things, as well.

So, while I did duty in the kitchen and the bathrooms of the house this morning, out went my husband to rake up the needles from the big pine at the front of our house, and once done with that out came the de-thatching apparatus, to tend to the lawn's early spring needs. That lawn, true to form, is pretty dismal looking. Granted, it's early spring, but our lawn wins hands down for sheer misery in aesthetic appearance on this street.

It's not that my husband doesn't do all that should be done to maintain a healthy lawn, from his recent annual ministrations to three-times-a-season application of fertilizer, and occasional feverish stints at putting down new soil and sprinkling grass seed overall as he did last spring, but grass and our property have an ongoing altercation with nice-thick-and-green. And we're losing.

And then out I went to the backyard to cut back some of the shrubs and branches that needed a little bit of attention. And it felt wonderful to be doing all of that. Jack and Jill offered their help, but we advised them to stay out of the way and just continue to engage in their usual puppy-fun antics. We ended up with five packed compost bags for pick-up by the municipality tomorrow.

After our ravine walk, my husband felt sufficiently energized to continue at his labours. So he took the winter covering off all the garden pots he assembles for winter storage under the deck. We must have at least 25 to 30 of them, clay, ceramic and stone in a variety of sizes. And he hauled them all out, to return them to the various parts of the gardens at the front and back of the house, preparatory to filling them up once again with soil, mulch, peat moss and aged manure. And then, before May is over they'll be filled with flowering plants, so we'll be back in the gardening business.

All that done, I installed myself on the glider on the deck under the newly-installed canopy, and decided to do some mending and trouser cuffs. It was relaxing, and comfortable beyond description. And I finished all of the sewing and now no longer have any left to nag me. And I must confess, because it's true, that I spent more time trying to thread needles repeatedly than I actually did sewing.