More from Mr. Leopold

It is also evident that our plant biases reflect not only vocations but avocations with a delicate allocation of priority between industry and indolence. ... Our biases are indeed a sensitive index to our affections, our tastes, our loyalties, our generosities, and our manner of wasting weekends.

Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

It has become quite clear to me that, although I have fond memories of popping impatiens pods, admiring brightly colored day lilies, and sketching the roses that bloomed outside the window of my boyhood bedroom, my plant biases indicate tastes more than anything else. My family's long-standing food-centricity is likely the reason that vegetables have fully captured my attention. If you consider only the easy availability of grocery store produce then I suppose my weekends and Summer's are to some extent wasted on the production of vegetables; however, many factors counsel otherwise.

In addition to the inherent value in connecting with plants and nurturing green life, there is further value in exerting personal sovereignty over even a small sector of one's food supply, in avoiding BPA-lined tomato cans or tomatoes picked by slaves or tomatoes coated in harmful chemical sprays, in developing responsibility, and in trading in one's white collar for a pair of dirty hands. And there is joy in green-tinged light and leaf-shaped shadows playing on the apartment floor.

However, there is also sadness when one's cat misbehaves (just as one had previously worried) and eats one's indoor arugula and spinach. These refugees are recuperating behind closed doors (the cage is a relic of a botched effort to repel the cat):

Their outdoor counterparts are thriving:

The indoor tomatoes have proven unappetizing to the cat and have accordingly grown and begun to bloom:

When more blossoms appear, we will attempt to pollinate by cotton swab.

Outside, the tomatoes are flourishing even more:

We are trying not to count our tomatoes before they hatch, but we are optimistic enough to have begun thinking about how to preserve some of our putative summer harvest.

Meanwhile, the vegetables are looking well, although the jalapeño might be a bit crowded:

Summer has been tending to basil and mint, as well as raising a variety of vegetables from seed. The mint in particular has already paid dividends, finding its way into glasses of ice water and proving delicious. Here it is:

Best of all, we camped out in the yard on beach chairs yesterday afternoon after walking to a coffee shop and visiting a park, and altogether thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful afternoon. One can easily index our affections and our tastes from the plants we're growing, but one can hardly count the weekend wasted.