I love the city. I love living amongst lots of people, seeing events taking place a block from my house, enjoying 24 hour marts for those “just in case” days, and always having something to do somewhere, for free, for cheap, for a lot, for birthdays, holidays, any days, rainy days, etc. I loved Boston, I love L.A. (although could do without the smog) and I can’t imagine living anywhere but in a bustling metropolis.

That said, I also love nature: hammocks hung between the branches of an old tree, corner stores that close at six p.m., back yards with pools, gardens, fire pits, a place for the dog to run, a place for the inner child to come alive. I love driving through the country and seeing nature at its finest, indulging in a hummingbird’s momentary rest, whistling to the chickadees, spending time in the car stopped next to a herd of deer. I love gardens with tomatoes, eggplants, squash, sunflowers, and the occasion berry patch. I love eating something I’ve helped grow, along with some lemonade squeezed fresh and a hot dog, for good measure.

This past weekend, I decided to start small on an attempt to bring the ecourban lifestyle to my apartment. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? I have a large ledge behind my kitchen sink, and for the longest time it held planets my friend Ki had given to me when she moved to nature in the North. They died when I went home for Christmas, and I decided that piles of dead planets in my home weren’t quite the ecourban chic I was going for.

So I took the existing pots:

And I got some fancy soil and some gloves:

And I took note of the planet I already have, Mr. Potato:

And I soaked the soil for 1/2 hour, and cleaned the bathroom while I waited for the lady bug to ring…

And then, I stuck a match (from a matchstick garden kit) into each pot.

And now, we’re waiting for my garden to show me how it grows…We’ll see, we’ll see…