That's the smell of failure, and it's stinking up my office.

As you know, summer for me is a time for projects. At the start of the summer I write my lists, I plan and prepare. Despite how the planning stage sounds, I don't often take into account how much time I have, but I am usually just happy with what I can get done.

Today, I must show you the progress of one of my projects: The Garden.

I have a small patio. Each summer I have lived here, I have planted small containers and tried to grow tomatoes and other things. The first summer I think I harvested 3 green tomatoes after the first frost. The second summer I think I got some basil leaves.

Now it is the third summer.

And here is my first success:

Four red cherry tomatoes. They taste good.

And here is my failure:

Failure #1: A container without sufficient drainage. I know half of the country is in a terrible drought right now, but June was a very wet month for us. A condition that continues to be seen in the daily flood alerts I get, even though it hasn't rained in over a week. At any rate, my cucumber and zucchini plants that I put in this container drowned.

Failure #2: Critters.

Something -- that I have not yet seen -- comes onto my patio late late at night. It has an affinity for tomato leaves. This baby starter plant was the first to go.

Followed by this.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but the plant in the front, right-hand corner has been chewed all up.

This box is also suffering the effects of too much June rain. The other things in there are a cucumber/zucchini (not sure which) and a green bell pepper. Today the pepper plant is completely dead, as is the tomato.

This one was next. You can see the first round of attack here.

Today when I went out to water, all those lovely leaves on top have been razored off.

And last night, they started on this one -- the producer of my little cherry tomatoes.

I honestly feel that gardening is going to be tossed in the same category as sewing. A lovely thought, but not a project I am capable of carrying out.

And so I ask, next May will you please remind me of this? I don't want gardening or sewing projects showing up on that hopeful, potential projects list. They end badly.