Tales of Domestication...The Garden

What happened? Wasn't I just a college student the other day? I remember when my biggest daily challenge was the struggle to make it to an 8 a.m. speech class. It was actually possible to lurch awake at 7:45 and still make it on time with some minor sacrifices in hygiene and fashion.

The hours were pretty onerous. My courseload was generally 12-13 hours per week. I spent more time watching Beverly Hills: 90210 with my roommates than I did sitting in class. Those were tough times, I tell you.

For some foolish reason, I completed my college degree in four years. What was my rush, exactly? The idyllic Spanish-tiled confines of the University of Texas gave way to seas of gray fabric cubicles, whiteboards, and conference rooms.

This triggered a chain reaction of profound events. First, I got older with every passing year. The birthdays were relentless. I flew right through the doldrums of the mid-twenties, crashed through 30, and here I sit at an age that can be described as "kinda old, I guess."

Over this time, a slow and steady domestication has ocurred. Wikipedia describes domestication thusly:

Domestication refers to the process whereby a population of animals or
plants becomes accustomed to human provision and control...Animals domesticated
for home companionship are usually called pets while those domesticated for food
or work are called livestock or farm animals.

This is excellent research! First, my lovely wife and I married. We bought a house together. We've painted rooms, replaced shower heads, and spent many hours tending flower beds. We got a dog. At work, I've pushed harder in my career. According to the above definition, I've beome a livestock pet. That is maturity, and life has never been better.

What is the point of these blog rambles? As part of our steady domestication we've planted a nice little vegetable garden. We've got a hodgepodge of exotic heirloom tomato plants that are thriving. There are orange bell peppers, red bell peppers, hot banana peppers, jalapenos, cucumber, and watermelon plants.

The tomatoes have started to bloom, so we'll soon be swimming in tomatoes like: Japanese Black Trifele, Dr. Wyche's Yellow, Sweet Orange Roma, and Black Zebra. Heirloom tomatoes cost $5 per pound at high-end groceries, so this could be a valuable little garden.

Pictures of the garden are coming soon!