Free Petunias

Wednesday I went down to our apartment office to drop off the rent. On my way back, the staff encouraged me to take a flat of flowers they were giving away that the apartment owner supplies free to the tenants. He provides them because he likes to see the color and that we enjoy our homes, plus, it's nice advertisement for renters looking for a home.

I was hesitant to take any because we already have our tomato plants, herbs and vines on the balcony, but the staff loaded me up with purple and white petunias and told me to get started.

Later that day we ran some errands, stopped by Sonic for some jalapeno poppers and Route 44's (it's the first Sonic in Michigan, which opened about a month ago. It's taken that long for the line to die down) and started looking for some railing planters and brackets to fit our balcony railing. We found the planter containers easily but ended up going to 5 stores looking for brackets that would fit our railing and the planters. We finally took a risk on some cast iron basket hangers that were iffy, at best.

When we got home, I planted all the petunias (even the ones I've been growing on the windowsill) and hung the containers on the hangers...which turned out to be a little bit bent and their lengths were inconsistent, which made one container lopsided and me at my wit's end. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Well, that was true for me that afternoon. After a mild tantrum, I raided the linen closet, kitchen cabinets and Josh's sock drawer. That's right.

This is the finished product. Can you see the string wrapped around Josh's black socks underneath the container? I'm a little embarrassed by it, but its our only option at this point. Who sells railing planters but doesn't sell the brackets for them?!

P.S. Just last night I was talking to some friends about how different the weather patterns are up here than in Oklahoma and how much I miss thunderstorms. Well, we're under a tornado watch until late tonight. Jimmy-rigs and tornadoes: a little slice of home.