Herbs & More

A coworker gave me this rosemary plant (left) for my birthday last summer. It was not fazed in the least by the passage of seasons. I'm not a huge fan of rosemary when it comes to cooking, but it is a sensory delight in the garden. Touch its pine-like needles, and the rich, resinous oil clings to your fingers. Rosemary is flanked by the irrepressible perennial oregano (right), a kitchen garden staple.

I brought two parsley plants indoors for the winter. They both survived, but this one that was left outdoors (to die, or so I thought) thrived in comparison. Hooray for hardy herbs!

Last summer, friends who know about my penchant for pesto and had access to a seed surplus regaled me with about 8 packets of different varieties of basil. The main challenge will be finding space to try all of them at once! I guess the positive side of basil's annual demise is that otherwise I would never have room for growing vegetables.

Here's the Bundleboo in use. Moving about at almost-grown-up height, facing forward, is a great diversion for someone who spends so much time on her back. (By the way, the other day NS demonstrated another "first." She reached out with obvious concentration to grasp a rattle. You could almost see the synapses firing.)