Spruce? Up!

This would be the part where St. Paul starts frantically cleaning house before company comes.

It's the little things you notice: the grass along the freeway on Interstate 35E and along Interstate 94 is getting trimmed back. The summer work program kids are scouring downtown St. Paul with garbage bags.

And the St. Paul Public Library is spray painting the arborvitae in its courtyard. (Click on the picture at right to see it in living color.)

Okay, so it's not actually paint.

Technically, that bluish-green hue in the middle of this bush beside Kellogg Boulevard is from a product known as "Design Master." It's like hair color for your yard. ("Only her lawn professional knows for sure.")

Library spokeswoman Sheree Savage says it's covering up the wilt where dogs have apparently been relieving themselves on the library grounds. Oy. Just as the eyes of the nation are about to be upon us.

As you can see, in the picture at top, they're cleaning the fountain in Rice Park, they're trimming just about every tree to within an inch of its life and sprucing up the flower baskets hanging from most of the street lights in downtown St. Paul.

Theyr'e fixing the pavers on the plaza beside the Landmark Center, there's new skyway signs going up at Securian, the 401 Building and the Pioneer Press. The holiday lights are going up early in Rice Park and there's fresh cedar mulch in the flower beds in Cleveland Circle.

The railings at the Holiday Inn were getting a paint job this morning, and Pop is about to have its big grand opening on Wednesday. You can now buy a dress at Il Vostro, and Paul Schmid just opened up his Custom Chocolate shop over near Ecolab. Hoo-ah!