Thinking Spring in October

Just planted a few bulbs--some giant alliums (christophii), dwarf irises, daffodils ("cheerfulness" and "barrett browning") and something called Mediterranean Bells (nectaroscordum)--and a bit of garlic.  Planting bulbs is seriously unsatisfying.  It's a lot of work digging all the holes to the correct depths--yes, I've tried the drill attachment, no, it doesn't work in clay soil with lots of roots--and there's no payoff for months and months.  It's also really difficult to know exactly where to plant them.  Last spring I cleverly put white golf tees out to mark where I wanted to put groupings of 5 or 7 bulbs.  Today when I went to plant I couldn't find a single tee anywhere.  I did, however, find a long-lost dandelion digger that I hadn't seen since July.