Yard work is much like paperwork — it tends to pile up and overwhelm. Unlike paperwork, though, I can’t just toss yard work into some draw to make it go away for a while.

Yesterday, I played catch-up.

• I finished digging out our antiquated, slow-draining, often-overflowing drain.
• I mowed.
• I trimmed.
• I changed the oil in the car (for a change of pace, I guess).
• I raked.

And then the oddest thing: I was filled with energy. That’s another crucial difference between yard work and paperwork: working outside energizes; working inside drains.

Tomorrow, at school, I dig into the pile of work that awaits — some of which I’d promised myself I’d do this weekend.

• Make-up work to grade.
• Reports to fill out.
• APS plans to finalize.
• Final exams to create.

And you’ll find it, at 2:45 in the afternoon, when my last class has padded out, sitting at my computer, hardly able to hold my eyes open, dreaming of a shovel.