Inspiration and hope have been stronger these past few days. A friend of mine with an incredible garden asked me to dogsit while her family was out of town. I gladly accepted the responsibility, ready to turn it into a clandestine investigation: Operation WTF- How Is This Garden So Much Better Than Mine? Objective: study all aspects of this garden, i.e. collect physical samples, record quantitative data (average temperature, distance between plants, etc.), and both pictorially/anecdotally document all the ways that this garden differs from mine (apart from being teeming with life). My friend told me to help myself to any fruits and vegetables that were ready to be picked because they couldn’t possibly eat it all on their own (must be nice), which is good because I’m definitely going to need fuel during my research. To my amazement, jealousy, and admiration, I could tell that branches were heavy with fruits and vegetables across the sprawling garden just from looking out the window upon my arrival. Time to get to work.