Herbivores.

Every year, around this time, I plant my rooftop herb garden. I think my Dad puts in tomatoes around Memorial Day . . . so that probably explains my timing.

This year, because we're in Mexico, I've been even more excited about the idea. Possibly because it's a lot less likely that 90% of what I plant today will be dead by August.

I've come to terms with my inability to take care of my herbs for four months in a row in Seattle. I finally decided a couple of years ago that I'm going to spend a certain amount of money on herbs and pots and soil each year. It's a pretty generous budget. So generous I'm embarrassed to admit what it is in this public arena. My feeling is, if they die, so be it. It's a little self-indulgent, but so are the cut flowers we buy in the market each week. They give us pleasure for a while and then they die.

But now I'm wildly optimistic. For one thing, the climate is awfully good for plants, even potted ones, at this time of year. By the time I start getting lax about watering them, it'll be the rainy season. For another thing, our gardeners water the potted plants we keep outside, as well as everything else the yard needs. So once the rainy season is over, the herbs' new friends, Armando and Javier, will be taking better care of them than I ever would.

I just about spent my full budget today. I bought three great big gorgeous pots and one smallish one. I bought three extremely large bags of soil. And I bought one bag of lava rock for drainage that I probably didn't need, once I looked in the bodega and saw that we had a bunch of broken roof tiles. I also got three rosemary plants, two basil and one thyme. The plants themselves were about $5.

We have a few pots around here I can rescue for more herbs. So I'll probably expand my little garden this weekend or next without breaking my budget.

Then we'll really be cookin'.