What is it about Herbs?

I suppose people start to grow herbs for a whole slew of different reasons. Most often, it's probably because they like to cook with herbs, or would like to learn to.
Although we are passionate and hard-working gardeners, and Will is a world-class cook, we hadn't really thought much about growing herbs until we moved to this particular piece of property. But it had nothing to do with cooking, in the beginning. It had to do with hair...or shampoo, rather. That was the impetus.
I became disgusted with the effect of commercial products on my hair, particularly as I became older and my hair became older also. (you women out there know what I mean) I read all of the ingredients on my shampoo bottle, many of which I could not pronounce, and wondered what women used to wash their hair with before there were bottles of all this chemical %*# on the shelf. So I started reading. It was pretty basic, actually. Unadulterated castille soap (which is made from olive oil) and various herbs to enhance this or that hair color, or to give it shine or whatnot. Hmmmmm.
And so my passion for herbs began. And of course it didn't stop with making shampoo. But, here we are seven years or so later, and I have discovered the wonderful world of growing all manner of herbs, not just for making 'beauty products' but for a multitude of purposes not the least of which is cooking. (but I digress). In the beginning I grew rosemary (for dark hair), marigolds (for the petals, for blond hair), parsley (for shine).
When I realized how easy herbs were to grow, and what odd surprises they would offer from one season to the next, I kind of went crazy. Now I have 18 permanent herb beds in the 'big garden', and seperate beds for commercial peppermint and rosemary; fencelines for tarragon, lemongrass...it's impossible to stop!
I'm reminiscing this evening because of a comment to one of the posts...a man in Canada who is doing pots of herbs....what a great adventure...but be careful. This is how it begins! There is no turning back! One small but important piece of advice - invest in a decent herb dryer. You'll not regret it.