I thought I'd love it, but like many other things it exhausts me. I liked the co-op in NY. I would probably like a smaller yard than what I have.

I used to love gardening, but the heat bothers me a lot more now that I am too heavy. Love house projects. I will never forget the first time I sent boyfriend (now DH) to my shed to get something for me. He came back in wonder. "I have never met a girl with so many power tools." It is a big regret that I spend so much time on computer work and not enough on house projects.

I find owning a house really emotionally important, and gardening is practically spiritual.

I was just saying financially it costs more than you think initially.

Totally true.

I find owning a house really emotionally important, and gardening is practically spiritual.

SAME.

Also, like Liese, I really enjoy "my" birds at the feeder and in the water fountain, and "my" bees, and how much the dogs and the cat all enjoy the landscape. It absolutely is a spiritual experience for me. Which lately is becoming a problem - I NEVER want to leave my home to trek down to Palo Alto, and I am getting in later and later and later the days I do come in (today was on telcon at 7, several after that, finally showered and left for the office at 1, got here at 2:15. Will leave at 8).

In owning an old house, I feel like I'm charged with curating something for history, something I value. Which is why total guts make me mad and I love things like Details Deconstruction [link] and its spinoffs. I like stories. Probably part of why Baltimore so suits me-stories are many and complicated and you can fall down the rabbithole following every single thread. And new threads are being born every day.

I find owning a house really emotionally important, and gardening is practically spiritual.

Yessss. I love this time of year when I can watch my plants bloom and bud and see the progress on them each and every day. Also, there is something immensely satisfying about getting my hands in the dirt.

I've never been in a position to own a home, but I love gardening. One of the highlights of my current apartment is the side garden bed that the landlord lets me garden. He's getting some nice perennials and excellent soil development out of the deal, so it's all good.

Oh, I'm super glad I bought my house when I did--the market here is crazy and it's made my life much easier. It's just a bit of hassle. Mostly I wish someone else could give me a list of tasks that need to be done, find contractors for those tasks, and just tell me where to make the check out to.

I do really like gardening, but I don't always have the schedule or energy to keep up with it.

...hahah, now this gardening talk is making me think of Corporette. Where gardening is a euphemism for an activity involving the "lady garden".