Well, it has been a picture-perfect spring day here. It wavered between 65 and 70, not a cloud in the clear blue sky for most of it. Mostly, I spent the day straightening the house and planning my summer.

Straightening the house is unbelievably fun. We moved in here three days before the semester began, so all I really had time to do was fling my stuff around in the general place where it's supposed to be, and then it was time to teach. I've spent all year arranging this and that as I've had the time, but now I'm on the verge of three months' uninterrupted time and I'm thinking longer-term . . . There's a pegboard over our workbench downstairs and I'm thinking maybe I'll get some hooks and then put up all the tools and outline them in white ink so everyone can see instantly which tool is missing. (I'm thinking I might like to try woodworking this summer. Lord knows, my father enjoyed it.)

And I got in a long bike ride yesterday, to Old Town. It's really pretty easy to get there; it doesn't take long at all, the traffic's not bad, and the route offers access to some of the area's steepest hills, should I want to play Tour de France some morning. I was so happy to find all of that out; I can't wait until the restaurants out there put out little tables and chairs so I can bicycle up for my morning coffee. (Gawd, I hope they do that . . . ) Good pictures coming from there soon, I hope.

At any rate, this got me all excited to investigate the area northwest of the city. I think I can ride from Old Town to the Turner-Dodge mansion, then through some pretty, older working-class neighborhoods until I hit the country somewhere . . . I have to find a destination town. (Pewamo, maybe. Or Westphalia.)

And I've been thinking about the back yard. I planted some radishes, spinach, and arugula last Sunday, and tomorrow I'll plant some more. I was overjoyed to see that we have some very wonderful-looking compost at the bottom of our bins - which is a darned good thing, because the garden beds seem to consist of topsoil and fertilizer, from what I can tell. No worms. Bad sign. (One day soon I'll take a soil sample over to MSU and get it analyzed . . . one of the little perks of living in the home of the state's county extension service.)

And, too, there are the tiki lights to consider. Should they span the Biergarten completely horizontally, or should they follow the roofline of the house? (And where will I hang the mosquito netting?) What plants are coming up, and where will the "spring-fed" pond go?

See, Peter? The bus is slo-ooooowing down now . . .