Just like everyone, 80-degree weather, with full sun, has me eyeing the backyard. Should we bring out the patio table and chairs? Time to hook up the hoses and turn on the water? What about planting?

But, I've gotten smart and learned to wait out the tricky Wisconsin weather. The table is still stored away and the outside taps still don't run. But I find myself gazing at the hazelnut bush wondering when the buds will pop open and turn the stand of brown/gray sticks into a big ball of vibrant green.

This year, like most, I haven't been able to fight the urge to get out there and tinker. A couple weeks ago I crossed my fingers and dug up two grape vines to move them. The buds still look alive but my fingers remain crossed.

Then I sawed down the mostly dead, gnarled bush/tree of indeterminate type with plans to replace it with something evergreen. (The City of Milwaukee picked up the brush within about seven hours of receiving the special pickup request!)

This weekend, I braved frigid temps at Stein's to select the two tallest arbor vitae in my price range and enlisted a kid in a green shirt to help me load them into the car. My plan was to have them ready for a nice day to plant.

But then I thought, "why not dig the holes?" Then I'll be even readier on that nice day. You see where this is going...

Once the holes are dug and I've got the peat moss for my acid-loving evergreens, I might as well just put the darn things in the ground.

So, now our alley screen is in the ground and ready to go. And that's got me thinking it's time to feed all the shrubs and trees. Frigid temps or not, spring is here, I guess ... at least for me.