existentialism

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At Last, Existential Clarity

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Hi blog. I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you. I don’t really have a good excuse, except that life happened.

But you’ll be happy to hear that while I haven’t been reporting on my gardening, I’ve still been doing a lot of it. The nice thing about gardens is that once they’re started, they basically take care of themselves. So my “gardening” has been more watchful and supportive than active or determinate.

It’s been wonderful to watch these young lives thrive and stretch in just a few weeks. Plants really have an amazing single-focus existence: eat nutrients, absorb sunlight, grow taller. They’re totally focused and (seemingly) completely fulfilled.

Hah. Good for them.

I feel bad about falling down on my blogging, you guys. And it seems like I could be doing a lot more with my life in general. What the hell am I doing with a full-time job that keeps me busy 40-50 hours a week and never fulfills any of MY real goals? Where am I going in this crazy ship called life, anyway? I don’t want to settle ever, let alone when I’m under 30!

*sigh* Let’s look at happy pictures of cats.

tomato_cat
See? Adorable.

You are small and round. Clearly you are a toy.
Seems like I fulfilled somebody’s expectations at least.

Mine.
Clearly designed for the discerning feline.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh I see. It all makes sense now.

I do have a purpose after all, and it seems my life has fulfilled its ultimate goal: eco-friendly cat toys.

Look for more success stories in coming weeks.

Methods in the Madness

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

No photos today, just a little more detail on what I’m doing here and how I’m doing it.

Well, I’m writing a city gardening blog. I really missed gardening last year (stupid north-facing apartment), so I made sure to get a south-facing one with a big sunny balcony this time.

And boy, has it ever delivered!

I found this great container-seeds specialty website, and ordered almost all my seeds way back in February. I started the first (peas) in early March, and I’ve been ferrying seedlings indoors and outdoors ever since. They can’t just sit next to the window, because my cat will dig them up. And they can’t just stay outside, because many evenings are still chilly. Thus the ever-constant hauling.

How I’m doing it: I have a bunch of ugly-ass containers (cheap storage tupperware and a few donated, found or liberated odds and ends) that I’ve drilled with drainage holes. These are much cheaper than the terra cotta pots you can find at gardening stores, and I’m way more interested in what’s IN them than how they look. It’s the inside that counts.

Why am I doing this? Well, I really love fresh veggies and herbs. I’m stoked to be able to run outside, snatch a handful of thyme out of the window box, dash back in and throw it into the pan before the carrots know what hit ‘em. I’m looking forward to garden parties once summer is well and truly here, and we can grill zucchini that were harvested ten minutes ago. But perhaps even more than that, I am completely in love with watching seedlings sprout into vigorous and strong plants. It’s an amazing thing to see.

That’s all from me right now. Why do YOU garden? What do you want to know about mine? What is that funny smell?