We've been on a weather roller coaster since March. I think El Nino is fading, which means the warm winter we had in Chicago gave way to the usual up-and-down weather we have during the spring. A few weeks ago we hit 85 degrees one day, and by the next day it was back in the 40s with ice-cold rain and that dampness that just goes right through your body. The daffodils seemed to come up a little earlier than usual, as did a few of the other perennials...but the tulips grew on schedule, as did most of the other plants, including the shrubs I call the Mother's Day shrubs as they are usually in full purple-y bloom on this weekend.