I love your balcony garden! I have a tiny container garden and grow tomatoes, lettuce, herbs etc. Nothing crazy, just pots like you have. I was surprised you get aphids in the middle of the city. I don't know why I'd think that wouldn't happen when there are bees. Have you tried green onions? They're so easy. I just bought some organic ones at the grocery store and stuck the bottoms in soil after I used the green parts. They are my easiest growing plant and the freshness & convenience is amazing.
I can't believe someone did that to your old domain. People can really suck sometimes. Hope you feel better soon.
my favorite personalities on social media currently are korean grandma on instagram (she has help with editing), and older chefs/bakers (I believe Susan Reid..). They have a lot of great tips/ideas on how to improve cooking and what not…so on that note, that’s great for Mark!
My husband and I are in our late 30s and we discuss what we would like to do for our ‘semi’ retirement in our later years. I told him I want to open a banh mi cart, with a Korean style menu. Only 5 items. Take it or leave it.
Watching the baby boomers (in my personal and work life) retire has been very complicated, but is prepping me for what’s to come.
I love that elders are on social media. We have a lot to learn from them! I think a 5 item menu cart is great. We're so inundated with choices everywhere that sometimes I find it such a relief when something is so tightly curated. Amazing that you are already thinking ahead about retirement, which is not often what we think anymore. Like most things in modern life, it's changed.
I am convinced that gardening has saved me these last few years, especially since 2020. I always tell people that I want to be one of those old ladies who putters in the garden with a big floppy hat and plastic clogs. I think it is super great that Mark is blogging!
I also appreciate what you said about the strangely painful transition toward retirement. I have felt that myself, this weird shame about what I now accept as a natural decline in professional ambition. Not saying everyone feels that way or should. But my interest is increasingly pointing toward private and interpersonal “goals,” For a while that felt wrong or lazy or entitled or self-involved, or like I’d given up. Now, tending to my relationships and immediate community (which includes plants and animals) feels like how I can best contribute to the world.
I never would have thought, years ago, that I would feel this way too. I was so driven and such a workaholic. Something in the Covid years really snapped in me. I am fine with this gradual transition into retirement, particularly since hiring in my industry is still tough. But! I need to just stay in my lane and not get caught up in what my peers are doing with their careers. That can derail my self-worth fast.
That is one thing that I think I'll regret about not living in a house—and at this point, not sure that I ever will. Gardening saved my dad too until his alzheimers got the worst of him. I like to think that it's my way of connecting with him.
My neighbor across the hall from us has the exact same floor plan as ours, except that they get a lot more direct sunlight in their front yard (I know, not fair). We've helped them water their garden a few times when they were out of town, so we've been getting produce from their garden the last few weeks: different types of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, Thai basil, and zucchinis. Maybe I was the only one who just found out, but the fruits that ripen on their plants taste so much better than the ones picked earlier to ripen during transportation.
And now your post—is that a sign that we should start gardening?!
I love your balcony garden! I have a tiny container garden and grow tomatoes, lettuce, herbs etc. Nothing crazy, just pots like you have. I was surprised you get aphids in the middle of the city. I don't know why I'd think that wouldn't happen when there are bees. Have you tried green onions? They're so easy. I just bought some organic ones at the grocery store and stuck the bottoms in soil after I used the green parts. They are my easiest growing plant and the freshness & convenience is amazing.
I can't believe someone did that to your old domain. People can really suck sometimes. Hope you feel better soon.
We get so many aphids! My petunias eventually got infested to the point of no return. I feel like I'm battling some kind of pest always.
We grew green onions during the pandemic. Totally easy! Meant to do it again but ran out of containers. We'll do it for sure next year.
my favorite personalities on social media currently are korean grandma on instagram (she has help with editing), and older chefs/bakers (I believe Susan Reid..). They have a lot of great tips/ideas on how to improve cooking and what not…so on that note, that’s great for Mark!
My husband and I are in our late 30s and we discuss what we would like to do for our ‘semi’ retirement in our later years. I told him I want to open a banh mi cart, with a Korean style menu. Only 5 items. Take it or leave it.
Watching the baby boomers (in my personal and work life) retire has been very complicated, but is prepping me for what’s to come.
I love that elders are on social media. We have a lot to learn from them! I think a 5 item menu cart is great. We're so inundated with choices everywhere that sometimes I find it such a relief when something is so tightly curated. Amazing that you are already thinking ahead about retirement, which is not often what we think anymore. Like most things in modern life, it's changed.
I am convinced that gardening has saved me these last few years, especially since 2020. I always tell people that I want to be one of those old ladies who putters in the garden with a big floppy hat and plastic clogs. I think it is super great that Mark is blogging!
I also appreciate what you said about the strangely painful transition toward retirement. I have felt that myself, this weird shame about what I now accept as a natural decline in professional ambition. Not saying everyone feels that way or should. But my interest is increasingly pointing toward private and interpersonal “goals,” For a while that felt wrong or lazy or entitled or self-involved, or like I’d given up. Now, tending to my relationships and immediate community (which includes plants and animals) feels like how I can best contribute to the world.
I never would have thought, years ago, that I would feel this way too. I was so driven and such a workaholic. Something in the Covid years really snapped in me. I am fine with this gradual transition into retirement, particularly since hiring in my industry is still tough. But! I need to just stay in my lane and not get caught up in what my peers are doing with their careers. That can derail my self-worth fast.
That is one thing that I think I'll regret about not living in a house—and at this point, not sure that I ever will. Gardening saved my dad too until his alzheimers got the worst of him. I like to think that it's my way of connecting with him.
My neighbor across the hall from us has the exact same floor plan as ours, except that they get a lot more direct sunlight in their front yard (I know, not fair). We've helped them water their garden a few times when they were out of town, so we've been getting produce from their garden the last few weeks: different types of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, Thai basil, and zucchinis. Maybe I was the only one who just found out, but the fruits that ripen on their plants taste so much better than the ones picked earlier to ripen during transportation.
And now your post—is that a sign that we should start gardening?!