This is our new roommate - that big green thing on the left side of the picture. What happened was we heard late last week that we're getting new windows, at absolutely no expense to us, other than the disruption that will come of having scaffolding hanging out front during the process, never mind when they actually haul the old ones out (including the balcony door) and put the one ones in. Maybe the rent will go up a tiny bit in honor of all this but that's all part of the fun of renting. Unfortunately, since this will likely occur in late April and May, it means there will be no balcony garden this summer. No vines winding up old tree branches lashed to the rails and no tomato plants in pots. Never mind.
We decided instead it might be a good time to rescue a palm plant we'd seen at the supermarket a few days earlier. It was still standing looking forlorn in front of the banana display when we returned. Approaching it carefully, but not wishing to offend the poor thing, I apologized before poking it with a stick a couple of times to make sure there were no tarantulas still in residence. Once I determined it was clear of jungle fauna I attached the leash, showed it some tasty treat plant food and coaxed it out of the store. We attracted a bit of a crowd in the parking lot when the plant had to make several attempts before managing to climb into the back seat, but by the time we got here all we had to do was tell it our apartment number and it pushed the elevator button all by itself. On arrival it climbed into it's new pot and sighed with relief as the afternoon sun came shining through the old windows.
They tell me majesty palms can quite easily grow to 8 or 10 feet tall. By the end of summer I might need a machete to clear my way to the bookcase. No, please don't tell it I said that. It looks as though I might have committed to a tree after all.
♡
To me it looks very much at home, as if had always lived there.
ReplyDeleteBut I see a gentleman with a moustache peering from its upper branches, looking rather like Inspector Clouseau. Are you sure you got rid of all the jungle fauna?
Without doubt it seemed to know where it would be most comfortable.
DeleteThe gentleman you mentioned isn't Clouseau but a rather nice Czech version of a Charlie Chaplin puppet. Clouseau would also be welcome.
Nice to see you again.
What a glorious new roommate, looks quite happy! I love the peek into your home, a real home with many books, warm light and now a living green tree. Happy homecoming!
ReplyDeleteHe is a beauty, Marja-Leena. Ooops, now it's a he the next step along the road is giving him a name. It is a fairly nice space we have here but what makes anywhere home is having the things that help to feed our minds.
Deletei think that scaffolding is stalking you.... it turns up everywhere you go. i'd report it. maybe you could get a Peace Bond requiring it to never come near your residence. sigh. yet another ordeal by balcony reconstruction! and no garden. it's so unfair. if i'm disappointed, i can only imagine how you felt when you heard the news. your new frond friend is stunning :0) and already quite at ease in your lovely home. i hope the new windows and door go quickly, without a hitch, and they're worth the missing greenery. you know what they say about the most commonly spoken phrase of farmers and gardeners (philosophers all) .... "there's always next year".
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the scaffolding. Not long before we moved out of the huge building we got a notice the management planned to replace all the windows there - a two year project. We felt lucky we wouldn't have to undergo that here. Hmpff. These windows (and the door) seem to do all that's required of them, plus they don't leak, but what do I know? Although His Majesty :-) is already fine company I've been looking forward to having outdoor plants again for a long time.
DeleteI think you've unwittingly encouraged me to tell another construction story from our rental history. We've had more than a few experiences with a cuple of exceptional ones.
new stories are always good :0)
Deleteand never enough of them :-)
DeleteLove your new tree, what a good friend to have, and the view of your library!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you again, Lib. He is a lovely tree and now I'm wondering if we'll eventually get coconuts. I'm glad you like what you see. So much of the library got left behind but there are more shelves than these and all are filling up thanks to Amazon and the Book Depository.
DeleteWait a minute! Did you just shop-lift that tree?
ReplyDeleteI just helped it escape.
Deletei think the military would call it 'liberating' the oppressed.
Deleteor identified it as a terrorist and sent in a drone strike.
DeleteDemocracy is messy. But what I want to know is this: are those shelves made of real wood? Is this some bizarre Canadian anti-particle board statute? All my shelves sag like a bag of molasses hanging over the table's edge.
ReplyDeleteThese are true blue American wood shelves made in China. We bought them at a grocery/everything store in Portland for about $40. each. The cool thing is they fold and stack - a good thing when you never know where you'll be next year.
DeleteAha! stealing trees and smuggling good America wood into Canadastan! You know that there are good Canadian boys in need of hockey sticks and you have the shame to use that wood for book shelves! Oh, the shame!
ReplyDeleteOnly true blue USAian wood because that's who owned the factory in China. Nowadays the shelves are plastic, the Canadastanian boys are wielding aluminum hockey sticks for a better class of injuries, and the Chinese are chopping down their forests for throw away chopsticks. Ah progress.
DeleteIt is a gorgeous plant! I so love that you made it a character in your life, like those in your drawings.....and I reallyreally hope you let us check in on it from time to time.
ReplyDeleteYour room is so inviting, susan. I think the new windows will be enjoyable, but I am so sad that you will not be able to try to attract a hummingbird to the balcony. Next summer!
Since I don't have small children or pets it only seems natural to anthropomorphize one or two plants - well, okay, all of them to a certain extent but I don't have many these days. If he grows a coconut I'll be sure to let you know :-)
DeleteThe old windows do what windows are supposed to well enough but we'll put up with the disruption (having little choice). I am sorry about not being able to have a hummingbird garden though. It's been a very long winter.
Adopting a large plant is a sure sign of staying put. As gfld said, renovations seem to continue with you from one place to the next. From my previous experience as a renter, American landlords try to get away with doing as little as possible to maintain their properties.
ReplyDeleteLovely, sunny space...we have bookshelves just like those - many of them. Because they can fold, they proved very handy when the girls were college students living in different dorms every year.
A long winter, indeed. And here it is almost Spring and it still feels like the middle of winter.
Plants may indeed be a sign of intended permanence but I know from experience they're easier to give away than pets. One thing we've noticed here is that, unlike in most American cities, rental properties in Canada are more likely to be owned, or at least managed, by corporate entities. Capital maintenance is part of the budget and not done for the convenience of current tenants.
DeleteIt is a nice space when the sun is shining (not a lot of that this past month or more). We have more shelves like these too as they are easily stacked to make space for all kinds of things you can't very well keep on the floor. It's amazing how heavy they are, isn't it?
We had snow again all day yesterday and throughout the night. Now it's windy again and very cold. The winter that won't go away.. until it does.
What a beauty!
ReplyDeleteThis cracked me up. I'm reminded of Little Shop of Horrors. But just a little bit.
He is a fine specimen. Audrey was much funnier.
Delete