Yeah, I finally got around to starting that vegetable garden I kept talking about. The tomatoes are coming in pretty well so far, though I think I planted them a bit late in the season. I also added some basil and mint along the edge of the raised bed. The mint is already trying to take over the whole garden, which I guess is expected. I spent most of Saturday afternoon just pulling weeds and adding fresh mulch. It's kind of therapeutic honestly. I can see why you enjoy spending so much time out there. I wish I had started earlier in the spring though because the peppers are still pretty small. The soil here has a lot of clay in it so I had to mix in some compost to get things going. I also put up some netting to keep the rabbits away. Let me know if you want some tomatoes when they start ripening up. I'll probably have more than I know what to do with and I'd love to share.

I finally listened to that podcast series you recommended about the history of cartography. It's actually way more interesting than I thought it would be. The episode about medieval mapmakers really surprised me because they blended actual geography with mythology and religious symbolism. I had no idea that maps from that period were so artistic and symbolic rather than purely functional. The series also goes into how early explorers used very basic tools but still managed to chart coastlines with surprising accuracy. The host has a really engaging style too, not dry or academic at all. I'm only a few episodes in but I'm hooked now. I especially liked the episode about portolan charts used by Mediterranean sailors. It's amazing how detailed some of those charts were considering the tools they had. Let me know if you have any other recommendations in that vein. I've been looking for something to listen to during my daily walks and this one has been perfect for that.