erectospectively...

I can't wait to have a place of my own. I was putting things up today and while my current digs are really nice (in fact, my latest house project is a vegetable & herb garden! ^_^ I'm really excited to get that started, but more on that later), it made me think of my dream box.

I use to have a box where I collectively stored ideas, pictures, floor plans, and notes on things I wanted in my dream home. Whenever I ran into something I liked, I either jotted it down, took a pic of it, or tore it out of a magazine to save for that day when I became a *homeowner*. The idea came to me when one sunny afternoon, I passed by (in the words of Yann Martel) "a riot of flowers". I walked by some of the most beautiful gardens, and like any true UW student, took in the beauty of the blossoming cherry trees that fill The Quad. I knew that I could never learn the names of these plants, so I figured, if I were ever to landscape my own yard/garden and my contractor asked what I wanted, I'd just show him/her pictures, hoping he/she would be able to identify them. In addition, after my family moved into the house, I took pics of our really cool shower facets because I knew that when I wanted to design my bathrooms, I wouldn't know how to describe what I wanted in builder's terms, but I could show what I wanted and get it done right.

unfortunately, through the years and many many moves, I lost this box :(. I lost pictures of plants, architectural structures, and designs that I'll never see again. I lost ideas that were progressive and had balanced form with function. I lost parts of my dream home, le sigh...

but alas! all is not entirely lost. I know that my tastes have changed between when I started this project and now. I've traveled to further lands and was introduced to new art forms and ideas of urban planning. I've seen other cultural interpretations of efficient use of living space and taken note. And most importantly, my own experiences residing in multiple living situations has taught me more about myself and what I look for in a home. It's time to start a new dream box! To jot down what little I remember from the old box and record new things to come ^_^.

to that note, I hope to someday have an awesome herb, vegetable, & fruit garden in my dream home. I want to be able to go to my backyard and pick fresh vegetables or to plan my meals with the seasons. But before I can do that, I need to learn how to garden; a bit of a green thumb would help, and as I mentioned earlier, I'm currently working on an herb & vegetable garden. Chris & I went to the store to pick up tools and seeds, and fortunately, his backyard is already set up for a garden. There are 6 boxes ready for the pickens and 3 planters for our herbs. I have some experience with herbs from a birthday gift Carlo & I got for Char so I know they're fairly low-maintenance, but after reading My Empire of Dirt (future gardeners & farmers, take note!), I've come to realize that I still have a lot of learning and research to do, aiyah! It'll take some time & energy, but whether this is a good thing or not, I have a lot of that... at least until school starts in the summer. I can only hope my gardening experiences now will not only yield edible crop, but will also help me plan better and add new ideas to my dream box.

oh, and I would like to mention that this entire gardening venture was completely unassociated with Michelle Obama's interview on her own gardening plans. I was only informed today that such an article even existed, hence this recent "locavore" movement. Us roomies have been planning this vegetable garden for quite some time now, though I must give props to our First Lady for advocating self-sustaining food, holla! You mah gurl Michelle, you mah GURL!