Today, I did what I always try to do at this time of year.

I gardened!

I freely admit that I love flower gardens, but don't really enjoy gardening. But every spring, I go down to the local garden center and buy up a bunch of flowering plants to put in the raised bed at the front of my house. There's also the matter of the two window boxes and the two hanging baskets... This year, I'm trying to watch my finances pretty carefully and bedding plants aren't cheap. The first year I lived here, I think I spent about $220 on flowers without window boxes and the front bed looked great along with big red geraniums in the hanging baskets. This year, I only spent about $92 and that turns out to have been a mistake: the front bed is only half-full and now I need to return to the garden store and buy more flowers.

Still, I've learned a few things over the years. Like how nothing will ever grow in the narrow part of that flower bed except snapdragons. Naturally, I keep trying and this year, I've planted petunias there. Hey, they're tough, they're cheap, and they have great colors.

CDs listened to today:

• Gustav Mahler: The Symphonies, disk 10
• Pulp: Different Class
• Rand Steiger: Hexadecathlon: "A New-Slain Knight"
• Andrzej Panufnik: Sinfonia Votiva