All Things Considered recently featured a fun commentary by Julie Zickefoose about her adventures in her garden this summer.

Every time I plod out to the garden, jaw set, to pull up the nasty old green bean plants that have collapsed on the straw, their yellowed leaves riddled by bean beetles, they surprise me. They’ve set the table with new white blossoms, and they’ve made dinner for me again. And so I stay their execution and decide not to replant — why start over with a puppy when the old dog still has spring in her step?

Check out the full text and audio here on NPR.org.