Not cat-proof.

I had wanted to find a cat-proof solution for my plants this summer. So I was thinking of vertical hanging bags. But then S came up with this free solution using stuff we had already. Not as pretty as what I had envisioned, but it was okay with me and probably easier. And I liked that it was re-purposing the shelves the previous renters had left when they moved and did not clean all the random stuff and trash out of their/our storage unit. So...it seemed like a good idea.

I thought it was cat-proof. I mean, I didn't think there was enough room to walk around the pots on the shelves. I wanted to ask S to help me move the shelf to be centered in between the windows so that it was not close to either window sill, but that didn't happen before everything fell apart. So the shelf has stayed in its location.

It is clearly not cat-proof. 

That's Pippi on top of one of my my non-flowering daisy plants. 

I bought these daisy plants back in May. Well, they are supposedly daisies, but there are no daisies at all. I have two pots of leaves. Just leaves. Leaves that I try to remember to water. They appear to be pretty comfortable.

The daisies are refusing to bloom this summer. Maybe it is an act of solidarity?

Pippi is not this cat's real name. It's just what I named her. Her real name is probably, you know, a French cat name. But, even so, she seems to like the name Pippi too. She comes when you call her by it.

Does anyone else name the neighborhood animals you see around and then actually talk to them using their not-real names?

Pippi did not seem to mind too much that I got in her face with a camera.

At least someone is getting some pleasure out of the no-daisy daisy plant.

 

 

Boxed In and Other States of Being



Credit: Adventures Along the Way

Ah, Booboo. This is Booboo's favorite spot. He has several preferred spots, but he spends more time here than in the other ones. It cracks me up when he squeezes all the way in like this.

In other news, spring seems to be here. By that I mean that the snow has stopped (well, our last snow was a week or so ago) and they have just today cleaned all the rocks and dirt out of the streets in our neighborhood. Now there are only a few patches where the snow/ice has yet to melt. It is lighter coat weather (which, by the way, is what I used to consider a "winter coat" until I moved out of the south). Cafés are starting to prepare their outdoor seating areas.

I find myself thinking about planting some herbs and flowers on the back porch, but it is still too soon to actually get started. I am interested in sewing some hanging bags to attempt to get them off the ground so that they will stay cat-poop-free. I am inspired by these (scroll down to see the "smart wall pouch"), but have a different design in mind.

I made the best lasagana I have ever made on Saturday, using a former college roommate's recipe. And on Sunday I made the worst muffins I have ever made. I was trying to salvage some not-very-good cream cheese icing by mixing it into the batter, and the muffins were a disaster too.

As for pursuing dreams, my continued efforts to pursue my artistic career have had some return. I've had a couple of opportunities so far and have two more lined up. Life is feeling less splintery. I am ready to welcome spring.

Patching things up.

Over the last few years I have been focusing on being more eco-responsible and really incorporating the reduce-reuse-recycle thing into my daily life. When we moved to this apartment almost two years ago, we tried to look for things we needed at second hand shops first, and that preference has continued, though we don't really need much these days.

I've started re-purposing old things we have to meet new needs. It's been a fun challenge. Learning to sew has opened up so many more possibilities of modifying my clothes or making stuff out of repurposed t-shirts. When I patch up a hole in my favorite shirt or in my most comfy jeans, I get a thrill from the pioneer feeling of it all. I love feeling resourceful and making stuff last longer.

There are more green changes I'd like to make in the coming months. One goal is trying to find somewhere to buy eggs without packaging. I've heard the market in town sometimes has eggs, so I am going to give that a try in the coming weeks. I'm also working on improvising patterns to make some fun clothes I'll wear out of my large collection of unworn, old t-shirts. And I am really looking forward to growing some some herbs and veggies on our back porch again this year...only this year I'll elevate the containers of edible things so the local outdoor neighbors' cats can't get in them.

Anybody else have any eco-friendly goals to implement this summer?

Fried Green Tomatoes (aka, my recipe for Southern-style Fried Tofu)

The last two summers, I've grown tomatoes on our back porch and have had access to green tomatoes, which inspired me to experiment with making fried-green tomatoes, a food that takes me back to my childhood and Southern roots. I find that since moving to Canada, I have had the urge to make more traditional Southern foods much more than I used to, and thankfully, S really likes cheese grits, biscuits, peach cobbler, etc. It's been a lot of fun learning how to make these things and introducing him (and his québécois family) to Southern foods.

Summer

This is what became of the second tomato off my tomato plant this summer. Yum.

A little garden of my own.

This is our little part of the back porch area we share with the neighbors. I have been looking forward to growing things out here for a year now, because we moved in too late in the summer last year to plant anything. (Though I did inherit a tomato plant last year, which I enjoyed.)

I chose the yellow daisies that I felt were "too tall" for my personal plant height preference because, despite that, they just made me feel so happy when I looked at them. So I bought them and gave them a prime place right by the back door and the kitchen and dining room windows. And I love looking at them.

I have wanted to grow some veggies and herbs for a while now. This box has Boston lettuce, cilantro, basil, and mint. I love drinking mint water (which my mother-in-law introduced me to last summer) because it is just so refreshing.

 

White daisies are my favorite flower. I love their beautiful simplicity. To their right is a "Chasse chats" which I got because a neighbor's outdoor cat has left us a few little "surprises" on our balcony, and this plant is supposed to make cats run away. We'll see. At the edge of the photo is our tomato plant.

I got the plants and potted them all in the same day. After I finished, I just felt so happy. Much to my surprise, somehow looking out and seeing these growing plants makes me feel deeply content.