Vertical Space

Inspirational song: I Go to Rio (Peter Allen)

Next level of house plant hobbyist--achieved.

I had a little Christmas cash sitting around for ages (we are talking years), and I never could decide on a good thing to spend it on. I knew it was there, but it was never the right time to break it out, until today. I had been trying to come up with the right way to organize the plants in the living room, and I had been running through different shelving options without making a solid decision. I tried to buy a nice used Ikea metal and glass unit on Facebook marketplace, but someone beat me to it. I thought about building something to specifications, but I don't have the energy and Mr S-P doesn't have the time.

I thought about raiding the shelves in our utility room, but they are absolutely loaded with stuff, and I had no replacement for them. So instead, I bought the exact same kind, in a different finish. I went to Lowe's, expecting to get a three-shelf unit, but when I saw it in person, I knew it was way too small. I went one size up, and it is just right. At present, it seems absolutely massive, but as the plants I have put on it already grow, it will be perfect.

The organization has made me feel so much better. Until this afternoon, it was jungle chaos in that corner of the room, even with a lot of things up on stands. Plants were brushing up against each other, and it didn't seem healthy for them. Now there is space between them, plus all my potting stuff is on the bottom shelf, tucked away. I finally have a good place for that, that isn't the dining room table.

It made me sore and tired to shovel the heavy wet snow to unbury my car, acquire the shelves, push the cart through slush to load the box in the car for home, carry it inside, move plants, put it together, move plants back, constantly go back to fiddle with the arrangement, and then clean up the plastic afterwards. I have spent the rest of the evening just sitting and staring at my handiwork. I feel so amazed by how much I love it. I told my kids that this is the crazy plant lady equivalent to buying a big fancy cat tree from Fosters and Smith. We just won't talk about how it makes it look like I don't really have that many plants after all.