It was a perfect day to be outside no matter what reason you had for being outside.

We cut our grass Saturday. We started in the morning and took a break around noon for Pitt to go to softball practice.

We returned about 2 p.m. and resumed the work. No matter what I was doing, though, the weather just begged me to stay outside.

I went to Fleet Fuels to get gasoline for the lawnmower about 3 p.m. and as I drove east along Wendell Boulevard toward home I couldn’t help but notice the deep blue sky against the bright green trees.

Azaleas and other flowering plants are hitting their stride and the short trip from Cypress Street to Old Zebulon Road was ablaze in springtime colors.

It’s the sort of thing a postcard-maker dreams of when they look for a picture of spring in the South.

*****

If you want to enjoy more spring, take some time this Saturday to attend Arts in the Park in Zebulon.

The Parks and Recreation Department has put together a splendid array of activities that will capture the attention of all ages. Mayor Bob Matheny will throw out the first pitch to begin the youth baseball season in Zebulon.

The artwork of local students will be on display. If you ever thought budget cuts didn’t really matter, just consider the challenge our children face if they lose the opportunity for a sound arts education.

Music and dance groups will fill the stage at Community Park throughout the day and, of course, no festival would be complete without food. You’ll find plenty of it at Arts in the Park, which lasts from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

*****

Sam Laughery took Wendell Town Commissioners to task at last week’s meeting, chiding them for failing to act on what he called a “no-brainer.”

Laughery was talking about the debate over the parking lot which both the Woman’s Club and the Wendell Chamber of Commerce want to use.

Town Commissioners didn’t act on the issue at their previous meeting, although they did later in the meeting at which Laughery spoke.

But Laughery’s most important point dealt with what he called “word-smithing.”

He said the town board has shown a propensity for dealing in the minutiae of town government. He said such detail work was properly the responsibility of staff members, not town commissioners.

And, Laughery said, such nit-picking will kill staff initiative if they are overly concerned their work will be handed back to them pockmarked by changes.

Commissioners do have the ultimate responsibility when it comes to making decisions about how the town is governed. But Laughery is correct in suggesting that commissioners should set policy and let the staff figure out how to meet the intent of the policy.

With budget season upon us, town commissioners in all three towns will be tempted by the notion that some area of the budget important to them has not received its due share of public funds.

In today’s economy that could likely be said of every account in every town budget.

But commissioners — not just in Wendell — should take care to set budgetary goals for the town staff, then make sure they support the staff as they find the best way to accomplish those goals.