Confessions of a Serial Gardener

Hi, my name is Carrie and I am a basil killer.  My trouble with basil began back when I began cooking.  Basil is such a nice ingredient to have around and who doesn't like pesto?  So I decided I needed FRESH basil for my cooking.  I started small... A packet of basil from the grocery store every once in a while.  Those bad boys cost about $3 a pack and I felt guilty using an entire package for one night's worth of pesto.  But it got worse.  I would save a small portion of the small package thinking I could use it for garnishes and instead I would forget about it in the fridge and my sad fistful of basil would wilt and die.  Then I thought, let's go to the source and buy those happy little basil plants they sell at the grocery store!  Oh the carnage...  I would bring the plants home and put them in a vase of water and watch them die.  Half the time I wouldn't even have a chance to harvest one time before the sad little plant would kick the bucket.  So last year I moved on to buying a full on plant from Lowe's to plant in the garden.  The garden was a raging success and life was good.  I would go out at random and happily pluck the leaves as needed.  Sometimes as I gardened I would snap off a leaf and snack on it.  Oh the fruits of my labor.  So this year I eagerly went to Lowe's to buy my basil plant so that once again I could have a summer of delicious basil with a side of triumph.  I laid the plant out in a nice sunny spot in the front yard and went on my merry way.  This is Mother's Day weekend this weekend, so I was in no rush to transplant because this weekend is the traditional planting weekend in our neck of the woods.  In fact this year, I'm feeling even more ambitious so I want to have my herb garden separate from my vegetable garden.  I bought some terra cotta this weekend and spent the day transplanting all my herbs into the new pots.  When I got to the basil, what did I find?  It had been eaten down to the point that only a few stalks survived!  I know what you are thinking: rabbits, deer?  But no.  This was not the work of a wild animal.  Nope, our outdoor cat Milo has decided basil and dill are delicious.  So I replanted the sad remains of my basil and dill and only time will tell if I get anything for my efforts.  Sometimes I think basil and I just weren't meant to be.  He's an intimidating beast, no?

Ode to the Bean

How (Why) do I love Thee....

Let me count the ways...

10. Because you came back for me.
9. Because you showed me there was more to life than the Poconos.
8. Because you loved me when I was young and bitchy.
7. Because you loved me when I was still bitchy and a little more curvy.
6. Because you taught me to love WINE!
5. Because you brought me into your family.
4. Because you accepted the wackiness of my family.
3. Because you brought cats into my life.
2. Because you have unwavering faith me.
1. Because you are you.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Tomorrow I will attempt to recount our lovely 10th anniversary which included going back to the first place we ever went on a date together.