If things look a little greener around here this April, there's a good reason. Our editorial staff is busy expanding the ideals of Earth Day into a month-long celebration of energy conservation, alternative transportation, recycling tips and about a million ways you can be a better friend to the planet. Welcome to Green Month, Milwaukee.

To paraphrase Frank the Tank, it's been a nice little Sunday. I've spent the last few hours alternating between watching Ben Sheets dominate the Giants and giving my garden the first once-over of the season.

Maybe it's the start of the regular season, maybe it's the tulips and daffodils poking out from under the soil, maybe it's the sunny 55 degrees ... but it finally feels like spring in Milwaukee today.

And that's great. Growth and rebirth is in the air, both in my garden and at Miller Park. Rickie Weeks just threw out Rich Aurelia in a spectacular play and now Prince Fielder ripped a double to right. The Brewers look great. I know it's early. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.

But so far, so good.

Same goes for my garden. This will be my second summer at our house, and last year was a frustrating "wait and see" season, in which I had to watch the entire summer come and go before I knew what was planted in my front and back yards. I find gardening a really zen experience, making beauty and life grow from dirt. It's a hobby I never knew I had in me, but as home improvement goes, it beats the pants off of installing deadbolts.

So if the purpose of the weekend is to relax -- mission accomplished. The doors and the windows are open, and the fresh air is breathing new life into Milwaukee today. A Brewers win will help, too.

I'm ready to watch my young plants, and my young Brewers, grow to their full potential.