what i do find myself missing out on is the chance to get my hands truly dirty. my last apartment came with a patio and outdoor garden space on the property. i can't claim to have planted the best vegetable garden ever known to humankind, but i did have immense amounts of fun putting it together. and, when i abandoned said garden to spend the summer elsewhere, a coworker and her partner gladly volunteered to keep up the regular watering in exchange for exclusive harvesting rights. you'd think i handed them a winning lottery ticket.
my favorite part of a summer garden has always been the assortment of herbs that inspire months of culinary adventures. limited as i am by my current surroundings, i've had to settle in the last few years for a long planter box perched on the ledge of a sunny window. with such a tiny plot to claim as my own, i've had to become highly selective in what makes the final cut. last year's assortment included two types each of basil and thyme, rosemary, and oregano. in spite of having been neglected all winter and watered only when the surrounding houseplants looked like they were minutes away from certain death, the oregano and rosemary have decided to defy me by hanging in there like real troopers.
