martinimade

A word (or four) about living with two worthless cats who like to eat plants:  the only answer is to get creative and put plants where said freeloaders can't get to them.

(I once thought that the answer was "cacti." On a cat-related level, it was a good answer. On a me-with-plants level, it was a failure. It turns out that my brain frequently confuses "low maintenance" with "no maintenance." Cactuses do need to be watered occasionally or they will collapse in on themselves, like a marshmallow that you've heated in a microwave then cooled. Ask me how I know this.)

I decided that the space under the cabinets above the kitchen sink would be a perfect place for plants.

I was correct.

Nothing is ever easy, of course. Armed with little more than a vague memory of macrame-ing keychains as a kid, a ball of cotton string and a book about the craft from 1968 that I borrowed from the library, I tied some knots.

No, they aren't perfect -- but they have a lovely whimsy that I like.

And cute bottoms.

If you look at the first picture again, I'd like to point out that I intended to put the yellow pot in the middle, so that there would be some adherence to symmetry. Mooch, the rat-bastard, decided that the spider plant couldn't be on one of the far sides, because those fronds were just too tempting. Now he has to stand in the sink to get to them, which slows him down enough for me to catch him.

Because I can't leave well-enough alone, I also made a magnetic wall under another set of cabinets. *

This took about 20 layers of magnetic primer** and two of the latex paint.

Even with the 20 coats, the magnetic pull isn't that great. I wouldn't fear for your facial piercings, is what I'm saying. Rare earth magnets work about the best -- and are just cool as hell to play with.

* I know these pictures are dark. I was waiting for a nice sunny day to take them -- but that may not be until next summer. The weather, she has turned.

** This may sound like hyperbole. It isn't.