and so we begin.....

music: Tom Waits. Invitation to the Blues

Last year I muttered about planting some basil, but gave up in the face of summer's flood of morning glory vines and Reineer. This year, I am under Wisertime's (aka PovertyRich) good influence and have actually spent time digging in the back yard on two separate occasions. Wisertime has devoted considerably more time to the project, and the barren wasteland of our backyard now looks more like a construction zone-as Tom Waits would say, 'It's all stripped down."

We have started seedlings inside. We planted them while drinking wine and being rather merry at the dining room table, so the young plants started out in circumstances that, should all go well, will be remarkably similar to where they end up-on the dining room table to the tune of wine and laughter. By that I mean, that despite my tender administrations, I plan to drunkenly eat said seedlings one of these days. One has to appreciate the rather 'bloodthirsty' and opportunistic nature of gardening. Okay, so maybe I am just trying to rationalize my interest in a subject that remains hopelessly constructive and 'good'.

I ramble on....in more concrete terms, Povertyrich planted ginger, potatoes, horseradish and asparagus in the back yard. I was crawling around in the dirt planting a row of sun flowers along the property line when D wandered into the yard.

"I told you I had a wholesome side," I said, feeling very vindicated.