The First Day of Spring

I haven't blogged in a while.  Not that I haven't had things to blog about or moments when I felt the urge the blog.  It's just that there have always been more important things to do.  There are still more important things to do right now, but I guess the irresistible urge to blog converged with just the right mood and just the right moment.  The moment is this:

For months I've been hatching a plan to grow some plants.  We don't have a lot of space in our studio and our windowsills aren't wide enough, so at some point I became set on hanging them in the windows.  I fell in love with the idea really.  It's unique, it's artsy, it is a great use of available light and space, it helps block the window (but not all the way) in lieu of the curtains that we won't be buying and it sounded like a challenge.  

Through many hours of staring at the windows and doing google searches, I came up with a plan.  I would put the plants in plastic bottles.  I would poke holes in the bottom of the bottle (for water drainage), cut of their tops and plant the plants inside.  For a while I couldn't figure out how to catch the water coming out of the holes, but then I came up with the idea of taking the top of the bottle which had been cut off and attaching it upside-down underneath the bottle.  That way, it'll catch the water and when I want to empty the water I can just unscrew the lid and catch it in a bowl.  So simple, but so perfect!

It took me a while to decide how to hang them in the window as well, but I came up with a tentative plan and my mother-in-law, who is flying back to Peru today, went to Home Depot with me yesterday to help flesh it out.  She's really great at house projects.  I have zero experience with house projects.  In fact, this is really my first one.  So, it's really lucky she was in town because otherwise my crazy ideas would have probably failed.  She's great.

Anyway, yesterday we hung a rod at the top of the window sill, cut holes in the plastic bottles and fed string through the holes, then tied the strings up to the rod.  In essence the plants are hanging from a rod with some twine.  The tops of the bottle caps are attached to the bottoms using push-pins (MIL's idea).  We hung the first one yesterday and today while Tom was dropping her off at the airport I did some more planting and drilling (the holes), etc.  I really enjoyed it.  There I was on the first day of Spring planting my beautiful plants, listening to my favorite pandora station, with our endearing foster cat (Chairman Meow) being endearing and out the window I can hear birds chirping and then I hear laughing.  So, I look out and there are three women who look like they're having a great time together, planting a bunch of plants in front of a house across the street.  I felt like I was in such solidarity with them, but they didn't even know it.  

I could only get so far in the project without Tom's help, so as much as I was enjoying myself I was excited when he got home (also because I just like his company).  He was sweet enough to work beside me as I hung the plants in the window.  Then, we both sat down in our chairs and admired our work.  Working on hands-on projects is something that always brings us closer together.  In fact, one of our first  experiences together was helping a woman in my Evansville ward put together some beds.  We both remember it fondly.  It was fun to have to work together to accomplish something and we were amazed at how quickly we came to understand exactly what the other person was trying to say.  I'd put out my hand and he'd hand me just the tool I was looking for.  That kind of thing.

Anyway, it was repeated again today.  As we were admiring our work, he fell asleep.  Kitty, ever so endearingly, also fell asleep right behind my chair, complete with toy in hand.  The music was still playing and it was just a beautiful moment of sun, Spring, endearment, love, calming rhythm and peace.  I had to take a picture and it turned out looking just how it really was.  So, I had to share it.

I hope your first day of Spring is just as delightful!