My children think it’s weird that I love yard work.

My husband is understanding in his own way. As he left Sunday for a meeting he said something about how I could go out and rake, and when I replied along the lines of “thank you for planning my day for me,” he was a little taken aback and explained he just knew how badly I’d wanted to get outside and start cleaning up the yard.

It’s true. When we were looking at this week’s weather report, he was pointing to the temperatures and I was counterpointing to the rain clouds that would make the temperatures pointless. “One shower and I’m done for the day.”

So Sunday, I raked. I filled the single yard waste bag I had left over from last year, and left piles to deal with later.

Monday, my son raked. This was unusual, because the children have no use for yard work. But apparently when he and his dad were fishing Saturday, there was talk of setting camp chairs out in the lawn, for lazy evenings of chat and reading and dog play. The boy was headed out to scoop up puppy presents and when I said the rake likely would be more efficient, he didn’t hesitate.

He tried to get his sister to set out the chairs, with no luck. “You’re just reading on the couch,” he said. “You’re the one who wants them,” she replied.

He wasn’t motivated enough to actually unfold them and drag them off the porch, but he is thinking about them. The puppy hid under them last year, he noted; at 80 pounds, she probably can’t manage that now.

Maybe today the chairs will make it onto the grass. Then he and his dad can lounge in the front yard, watching traffic and waving at the neighbors, calling to the dogs and making plans for the next fishing trip. Spring is truly here.

This post originally appeared on ourMidland.com, the online home of the Midland (MI) Daily News. Republished with permission.