things are
weird. life is going too
fast. one day blends into the next and i don't seem to be able to keep track anymore. i wake up, go to
work, come
home, occupy my waking time until i can
sleep. lately sleep usually comes around 4 or 5 in the morning.
lather,
rinse,
repeat.
So... i'm trying to control my
compulsive need to clean by diverting my attention towards growing
succulents. i find it relaxing. since carefully pouring over the care and maintenance of the plants is a '
hobby', it's not so
weird as carefully pouring over the care and maintenance of my
carpet. i feel like i'm switching one
compulsion for another. instead of controlling my
environment, i am controlling the life cycle of several species of
succulent and
cacti.
it's almost
worse. with plants there is a unique standard of
perfection for each species -- a standard which i must learn to
achieve.
what makes sense to node will be noded. for my own
reference, here is a list of plants about which i should node (including
soil recommendations,
water and
light needs,
propagation, etc):
more to come...
left work early and splurged on The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening. then went to the hardware store for more clay pots. while i was in there i found this 4" round ductwork elbow thingie -- it's an adjustable corner piece for making odd angles, i grabbed it and a 5" round endcap. over with the pvc pipe i found leaf filters which fit inside. i twisted the elbow joint into a neat shape, put the pieces together and now have a funky planter. it is metal with a black base (the leaf filter acts as drainage holes) and it can be put in the endcap to catch water. it looks like this:
+--------------+
| |
| ,.+ -----+
| ,.~^ \ |
| ,.~^ * ----+ twist here to adjust angle
|,.~^ _,/ \
\ / \
\ _,^ \
\ / |
\_,^ |
| |
+--------------+
| |
| |
}=============={
+--------------+ --leaf filter drainage
it looks neat, it's twisty. about 10" tall. i planted a
succulent in it which has low water requirements so water-tightness at the twisty-joints isn't a requirement (nor is the endcap drainage pan -- but it's a neat
accessory).