New Soil, New Intellectual Crush

So the Niners lost. Something tells me that SF will survive and that Baltimore needed the boost.

[Lavender, Poppies, Marjoram]

Meanwhile, in a quieter corner of the city, I have been meditating on growth and sustenance. Michael Pollan, my new intellectual crush, has given me a lot to think about on that topic. Out of the journalism department at Berkeley, the aptly-named Pollan has written a string of best sellers dealing with agricultural ethics like "The Omnivore's Dilemma," "In Defense of Food" and "Food Rules." He easily marries a poetic narrative with his West Coast depth of soil and agricultural knowledge. I can't put him down.

[Rose Bush]

One of his books, "The Botany of Desire" covers the mythology and history of several of our green friends. I cannot recommend this book enough as he surveys four critical plants in the development of human evolution. Each of these plants has played a role of manipulating our strengths and weaknesses and it correlates to my own long-running theme of multiple ecological intelligences and personalities. In order of investigation, Pollan writes about the apple (for sweetness), the tulip (for beauty), marijuana (for intoxication) and the potato (for control). Every one of his paragraphs screams Bay Area.

Pollan delves into the two opposing forces or archetypes that pull at every man's heart; the impulses of Dionysus and those of Apollo. Our Dionysian impulses tend to worship crushed grapes, sticky buds and grand and inaccessible places like Big Sur. Our Apollonian impulses tend to worship well-mowed lawns, the perfect french fry and the lovely rows of tulips in a place like Boston's Public Garden. Embodying both of the gods builds character and makes us human.

[Lettuce]

For some people, Dionysus can be an overwhelming presence. How do you invite him in without throwing your life away? Dancing, gardening, making love? Some actitivities carry less risk than others. I've been going through an Apollonian phase where work and ideas of perfection leave me precious little time for socializing and the dangling conversation. Apollo can be all work and no play. Luckily, there is a bridge between these two impulses. According to Pollan,

"The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway."

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So I'm taking his advice and letting my hair down, asking Dionysus and Apollo (and of course, Demeter) to help me out in the garden. Last year, Mauricio and I had superb luck with oregano, basil, mint and lavender and moderate success with sage (non-drainable pot?). For vegetables, our romaine lettuce popped up like mushrooms even throughout the winter. We also had moderate amounts of arugula and onions. The tomato plant, although fast-growing and bushy, only produced 1 specimen (I think I had chopped it down prematurely). This year will be my first FULL season of gardening ever. Here's what I got on the menu.

Indoors on February 2
- Warm-colored bell peppers, 2 colors in 8 inch pot; 1 color in 6 inch pot, North facing window
- Hibiscus, 1 variety in 6 inch pot in north facing window, same variety in 6 inch pot in kitchen (filtered west facing window; will put outside on the pation about three days a week for full sun)

[Spanish Lavender]

Outdoors on February 3
- Greek Oregano, 1 row in box
- Marjoram, 1 row in same box
- California Poppies, 18 inch pot
- Cilantro, 6 inch pot
- Wild Arugula, 1 row with
- Italian Arugula, middle row with
- Romaine Lettuce, front row
- Lavender, cleaned and pruned and supplied with a bit of fresh soil

Goals
- Carrots (Seeds on hand- SOH)
- Chives (SOH)
- Garlic Chives (SOH)
- Lemon Tree
- Onions
- Camomille
- Lemonbalm
- More Lavender

I'll keep you posted!