Spring is here in Illinois. It's amazing what a difference moving a few hours south can do! My lilacs are blooming, the daffodils and hostas are out, and the peonies are Lab-height already. Of course, that means the creeping Charlie, thistles and dandelions are doing well too. I was pleased to see that squirrels left a few of the tulips I planted, so I look forward to those.

I have a couple of days off work, so I'll get a chance to do some yard-work. I'm focusing on the front yard, partly because that's what most people see, but partly because the dogs don't spend any time there, so there's no chance they are going to dig up and/or eat anything. So this week it'll be spraying the weeds (better living through chemistry!), mowing the lawn, and hopefully planting some flowers. I got some bleeding hearts, lily-of-the-valley and hen-and-chicks - those, along with the lilacs, remind me of the plants my grandmothers had, and I really want them in my garden too.