Handy Andrew

In case you're wondering why I didn't label the post with the seemingly more obvious choice of "Handy Andy", it simply because no one calls Andrew "Andy".  It just wouldn't seem like I was talking about my husband!

So I'll start this off by saying this is an example of a rare occurrence where Andrew was right and I was wrong. Very rare.  He called me at work and told me he wanted to install a shelf on our sun porch for our plants...actually, he told me he had already bought the shelf.

I wasn't too keen on the idea of screwing something into our walls, as I told him, wouldn't it make more sense to get a cheap, short bookcase-type of furniture or a plant stand so we could move it around at will?

Andrew would not be swayed from his vision, and like all good husbands, sensed that it would be futile to change my mind over the phone and calmly ended the conversation.  Like all good attorneys, I think he had already had his persuasive argument planned out in his head for when we both got home at night.

This was the situation we were dealing with - due to Phu's green thumb and generosity in sharing plant clippings as well as a few potted vegetables we've been nurturing over the summer, our sun porch is overrun with plants.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to sit out on the porch and be surrounded by the plants and the view of the park next door. It's just not so nice to have the only surface suitable for holding drinks covered with flower pots.

Andrew described his vision of where he would install a shelf and how he would do it and I gave him the all clear to move forward (admittedly, in a somewhat exasperated tone of voice).  The end result was beyond my expectations.

The shelf stretches perfectly from one end of the porch to the other, and is aligned to fit snugly under the existing window frame.

End result: a charming display for our plants, more sunlight for all of them and a tidy looking table that's ready for a plate and a drink.

As a side note, while I call them "our plants", they are truly Andrew's labor of love. He putters around each night watering them (if you look closely in this picture, you can see the teeny little green pepper growing on the plant Andrew's watering):

Clearly, they're flourishing under his care, as these two tomato plants demonstrate.  I just wish the plants would flourish enough to start producing some edible additions to our kitchen!