My first paid job was working at a plant store, but I never took to gardening after that. I wasn’t drawn to sticking my hands in dirt. That’s why it’s a surprise to be in charge of transforming my condo building’s parkway (the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street) into a drought tolerant lawn. It’s a small patch, less than 200 square feet, but it’s become a passion. The Condo Board (of which I am the President) instructed our professional gardener to plant dymondia in the parkway. My job is to keep it watered and weeded in between his visits. Given the scorching temps here, and the plant’s fragile roots, it requires daily care. Dymondia is incredibly slow growing, so I water and weed, but barely see a change. I grumbled about the task at first, having to drag out the heavy hose, reel it back in, and take time out of my day with no visible results. But now, I enjoy the effort. It’s meditative. For a city girl, I’m finding it very earthy.