I got the greatest yard tool last night - a leaf blower. I’ve wanted one for a while, but kept putting it off. Then a friend who was moving to a townhouse without a yard decided to sell his, and I bought it. (Thanks Brian!) Today, I tested it out and my driveway was clean in just a few minutes. What a difference over the long time of sweeping and raking, or Thomas favorite method of swooshing a plastic box lid to blow the driveway clean.

I spent the day planting impatiens - over 70 of them. I bought four flats - red, white, light pink and dark pink - and mixed them and planted them along the driveway. I’m modeling this after my bank’s spring garden, where they have similar impatiens and lots of ferns behind them. The ferns will be planted another weekend. I also cleared out the pansies, and more ivy, and moved the two caladiums that have sprouted to a pot.

• Frog, snail, and Impatiens Photos