January 22, 2015 by Born To Organize

Dogs Have Owners, Cats Have Staff

Don’t you love that expression? If you live with a cat, you know what I’m talking about.

I grew up with cats, though a stray dog or two crossed my path now and then. I once shared my cramped twin bed with an Irish Setter for a week before we located the dog’s owner. I was 12 at the time. Though I knew we couldn’t keep him, I burst into tears when we had to let him go.

I love all animals, but in my years of renting, living with cats made more sense. The number of cats in residence fluctuates, since word gets out; before you know it you’ve got six cat bowls lined up on the kitchen counter.

The current count is one husband, two teenage boys and three felines.

Okay, I strung that sentence together for the sake of diplomacy. The felines run the place and the rest of us fall in line.

Here’s the current line up:

Lindy-Lu is our senior feline. We adopted her from our local Humane Society when she was about three for my son’s 8th birthday. My son turns 18 this June. Lindy is mellow and sweet and loves to be near us, but she never sits on our laps.

Lindy in the Garden

She enjoys sleeping next to my pillow at night, or draped across the arm of the sofa. Lindy-Lu takes her cat naps at the foot of our bed or in the stream of sun on the living room floor, but when she’s ready to hunker down for a long sleep, she disappears into the bedroom closet for a long snooze. I’m careful to always keep the door cracked.

Lindy Practicing her Adorable Pose

Sunbathing on the bed

Slinky is our mystery cat. She’s borderline feral, and about 90% hard of hearing. She used to bite when startled and will take a swing at you if your hand moves in a suspicious manner.

Pet me…or else

It took a long time to coax her indoors, but after a year of living in a shelter in our side yard, she came to appreciate the comforts of indoor living. She now spends most of her time asleep on my desk.

Slinky does her neck exercises in front of the monitor

Slinky color-coordinates with her bed

Slinky is afraid of Lindy, poor little thing, but stands up to Mouse, even though he’s younger and twice her size. Slinky is a petite six pounds while Mouse weighs a whopping 16 pounds.

Mouse has an official home, but he doesn’t let on. He takes all his meals at our house, sleeps on our beds and generally makes himself comfortable.

Mouse in the garden

Mouse enjoys his catnip toy

He’s charmingly adorable. Mouse lives for treats, so I’m partly to blame for his expanded waistline. He collects kitty snacks from others as well, including my sister on her frequent visits.

Mouse lends moral support around homework time

Mouse has many admirers, and would probably be insufferable if he were a man and not a cat. He assumes everyone loves him, and frankly why wouldn’t they? If I could change one thing about him, it would be his stealthy hunting skills. He loves the game of catch and release.

This brings me to our fourth creature-in-residence, the elusive and cunning Mr. Rat. One of my boys noticed an overly attentive Lindy parked near the entertainment center this morning. After they left for school, Lindy backed away and Mouse took over. Here was my chance to show Mr. Rat the door.

Mouse on the alert; Lindy strolls past the barricade

I gathered boxes, boards, baskets and whatever I could get my hands on, then rolled up the carpet to make a barricade. I opened the door wide to the fresh air and knew I was ready. Meanwhile, Mouse single-mindedly entered and exited all the cabinet compartments, determined to find his prey. I mentally thanked him for ‘directions’ before putting him in one of the bedrooms.

It was time to make my move. Mr. Rat made a run for it. I stomped my foot hoping to startle him toward the door. He ran toward some potted plants instead and then disappeared right before my eyes. How can this be!!!

I stood there dumbstruck. How could a six-inch rat disappear so quickly?

For the record, I’m blaming it on the vertigo. How else to explain his disappearance.

Three different live traps and two direct interventions later, the score remains disproportionately in the rats favor. That’s what I get for giving Mr. Rat a name. Like all the stray cats, he probably assumes that he too is welcome to stay.

RATS!!!

January 20, 2015 by Born To Organize

Paperwhites Wait for No One

Van Zyverden Narcissus ‘Paperwhite Ziva’

My Paperwhite Narcissus got started without me. Nature waits for no one.

I knew that of course, but life got busy and before you can say ‘plant me’, well, you know the rest.

It’s been several years since planting indoor bulbs. This year I had the best excuse: this gorgeous glass vase.

Narrow glass vase

Several friends from my Pilates class attended the Los Altos Art and Wine Show in August of 2013. There I fell in love with this glass vase. Once home, my passion didn’t fade, but I realized how tricky is was to keep flowers upright in such a long, narrow vase. I eventually settled on dried hydrangeas from the garden. The full bloom helped keep everything upright, but I really wanted to get more use from the vase.

My classmate, Nadia suggested that I plant it instead with bulbs. I could hardly wait for summer to pass again so I could give it a try.

Paper Whites, viewed from above

A quick Google search lead me to this video. I watched it twice thinking I must have missed a step. Nope! It’s that easy.

Line your designated container with a few inches/centimeters of marbles or pebbles.

Nestle your bulbs into the filler, roots facing down.

Add a few more pebbles to hold your bulbs in place.

Add water to the top of the gravel and enjoy.

I started with eight bulbs: six in the glass vase, one in a Bell jar and one in my little chicken planter

I took these photos a week ago and the greens are already six inches (15 centimeters)long.

Stay tuned for pics as soon as they bloom.

Paper Whites growing in our bedroom

January 19, 2015 by Born To Organize

Getting My Groove Back

I had my groove a few weeks ago but it seems to have gone on a walkabout. Have you seen it?

With the holidays over, it felt good putting our decorations away and tidying up. My husband feels a bit melancholy when they’re over, whereas I’m ready to move on. We strike a balance. I’m trying to find my post-holiday groove. A couple of things remain: a beautiful Christmas bunting and my holiday card selfie.

Beautiful Christmas bunting, hand-crocheted and mailed all the way from Australia Thank you, Dani!

My cards are still hanging out with my Selfie

Once the boys were back in school and Mike back to work, I embarked on a full-house overhaul. Though I organize for a living, things manage to creep in when I turn my back. I’ve decided to keep a tally this year of everything that comes through the front door unless it’s perishable (plants and flowers) or edible. Even though Mouse-the-Cat thinks that rats are edible, they didn’t make it to my list.

I emptied the book shelf in our living room, put back the essentials and took the rest of the books to a nearby Little Free Library. Our LFL is currently full and enjoying a robust ‘business’ on a daily basis. Once I cleared the shelves, I stacked my favorite gardening books, part practical, part sentimental, on one of the shelves. Now I had room for a new piece of art. I’ll write more about that in another post.

Cherished garden books

I emptied the drawer near my laundry room of random bits and bobs*, then gathered the loose buttons into a jam jar. No sense hiding beautiful buttons in a drawer, when I can enjoy them on display while folding laundry.

Throughout the week I avoided my computer and spent my energy cleaning, sorting, dusting, recycling, donating and throwing away. The process is therapeutic as well as practical. There really is value in a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Living room cleaned and sorted. Wall mural by Donna Pierre

Clutter-free counters, lemons from the garden, succulents from Laura

Lindy wants to know if I’m *ever* going to sit down

Having said that, all this sorting and cleaning felt a bit obsessive. Was I avoiding something instead? I’m still trying to sort that out. Does this happen to you?

My blog got the cold shoulder last week. It wasn’t planned. I slipped my groove and filled the time with other things. Am I in a rut? Is a rut the same as a groove?

Saturday morning I awoke with vertigo. My heart pounded in my chest and I convinced myself that it would pass. After a long, restless hour I went back to sleep, but awoke hours later too dizzy to remain sitting upright. This turn of events was not helping me get my groove back. Instead it played on an old and deep-seated fear: that I would die before raising my boys. I’m not dying of course, but who said fears are rational? I was just a girl when my dad died, and these fears flare up from time to time.

I saw a doctor today who diagnosed a viral infection of the inner ear. There’s nothing to be done for it but wait for it to gradually improve. Groovy.

What do you do when you slip a groove? How do you get it back?

*bits and bobs. I love that expression, and borrow it liberally from Pauline.

Pictured above:

Beautiful bunting and knee blanket courtesy of Teddy and Tottie

On the book shelf: The Good Life by Sarah O’Neil. Sarah blogs at Sarah the Gardener.

Thank you flowers from Boomdee

January 8, 2015 by Born To Organize

Five Minutes in the Garden

Yesterday was busy from stem to stern: carpooling, walking, working and the usual day-to-day activities. It was also unseasonably warm, a day begging to be spent outdoors.

I took the spare minutes that I had and sat on the back steps.

Wishing I had my camera, I spotted five hummingbirds sunning themselves on the bare branches of the fruit cocktail tree. Delightful. Then a pair of mourning doves swooped down, foraging in the earth under the tree.

Now I *had* to grab my camera.

Once back outside, the birds had moved on but a squirrel took their place.

Easy-going squirrel

Lindy followed me outside and settled into a sun-warmed layer of leaves beneath the Acer. Mouse followed and had a long drink from the garden fountain.

Lindy enjoying the warmth under the Acer tree

I prowled the garden, making mental notes:

Remember to grab some twine and attach the Abutilon to the fence
Call the arborist and get a quote for pruning the fruit tree
Check the weather forecast for rain as things are looking dry
Staple the wooden slat back to the fence
Bring in one of the oranges as an offering to the indoor rat, missing in action

Orange: side one

Orange: side two

Five minutes probably turned into ten. The garden absorbs me and I lose all sense of time. The camera grew heavier in my hands. Reluctantly, I headed back inside.

What would you do with an extra five minutes today?

January 7, 2015 by Born To Organize

Freedom to Speak

Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.

-Salman Rushdie

The threat or fear of violence should not become an excuse or justification for restricting freedom of speech.

-Alan Dershowitz

Satire must always accompany any free society. It is an absolute necessity. Even in the most repressive medieval kingdoms, they understood the need for the court jester, the one soul allowed to tell the truth through laughter.

It is, in many ways, the most powerful form of free speech because it is aimed at those in power, or those whose ideas would spread hate. It is the canary in the coalmine, a cultural thermometer, and it always has to push, push, push the boundaries of society to see how much it’s grown. As Randazzo points out, Wednesday’s attack — if it was the work of religious extremists, which is not yet confirmed — actually proves that Charlie Hebdo’s satire worked. He wrote, “It so threatened its target, cut so deeply at the truth, that it resorted to the most cowardly, most offensive and despicable form of lashing out.”

-Joe Randozzo, former editor of The Onion and German Lopez, Vox

When we blog, we exercise our freedom of speech. We have the right to voice our opinions, even those that may differ from others. It’s a right most of us hold dear.

I’m wrapped in disbelief and sadness at the cruel and unfathomable hatred that lead to the Charlie Hebdo attack. Sending love and support to the people of France, and to upholders of free speech everywhere. I extend my hand and heart as well to those who’ve yet to understand or live the very freedoms we take for granted.

Of possible interest:

12 powerful political cartoons responding to the Charlie Hebdo attack.

France 24

Zietung Region: A brief history of freedom of speech

January 6, 2015 by Born To Organize

Birdhouse Gourd: Acorns and Twigs

Two summers ago I planted Birdhouse Gourds from seed. Infatuated with the idea of carving my own birdhouses, I imagined a garden filled with nesting birds.

A gardener can dream, can’t she?

Most of the gourds grew to about three inches, then dropped off the vine. By season’s end, two of the gourds reached maturity. I brought them indoors and let them dry for close to a year. They turned a wonderful, spotted brown.

I eagerly drilled an opening in one side, then added holes tiny holes in the bottom for drainage and along the stem. Further reading, however, proved that the opening was too large for any of our native birds. I learned, too, that the height of the nest and its ability to camouflage are important. If all the nesting conditions aren’t met, the nest is a no-go.

So, with nothing to lose, I hung the gourd in the tree and simply enjoyed the view.

Several months later I found the gourd on the lawn. I picked it up to return it to the tree and heard a rattling inside. All sorts of things crossed my mind. Could it be a nest? If it was a nest, why was it on the ground? Since it was on the ground, did another critter disturb it? When I mustered the courage to look inside, I realized it was full of small twigs and acorn-like nuts. Excited about this new and unexpected development, I returned the gourd to the tree, hoping the scavenger might return.

Gourd with one of the twigs visible

Alas, I’m still waiting. I’m sure the critter is coming and going, just not when I’m around to see it.

Do you ever wonder what’s going on outside your window as you go about the business of daily life? I’m intrigued by the discoveries of nature at work and wish I had the time to sit undisturbed in a chair so I could focus on the nature around me. Alternatively, wouldn’t it be fun to install a ‘nanny-cam’ outdoors to capture what we missed?

What’s your take on the contents of the gourd? Is it a secret stash? An unfinished nest? Did one of the squirrels tidy up the yard and use the gourd as a rubbish bin? I would love to hear your thoughts.

January 5, 2015 by Born To Organize

My Crowded Kitchen Windowsill

When we remodeled our kitchen over a decade ago, one of the biggest perks was our expanded kitchen window. The designer suggested bringing the window down to counter height, then extending it out. I would have all that room to garden indoors.

Our Kitchen Window, Before and After Remodel

Since then, my kitchen windowsill has gotten a little crowded.

Avocado Pits

My youngest son started growing avocado pits again, after finally succeeding with this one.

Growing Avocado Plants

It looks leggy but I’m under strict orders not to trim it back, even with my plausible explanation that it will fill out if we do. That’s okay. I live with two teenage boys, so I’m used to being the one that doesn’t know anything. I’m not complaining too loudly. It’s nice to see him show an interest in plants again after a brief hiatus.

Christmas Cactus

I re-potted three “Christmas Cactus” last year after covering clay pots with up-cycled Petra Paper. The pots held up well. Two of the three plants are flowering now, but the third and largest hasn’t bloomed for a few years.

Fuchsia Christmas Cactus

Covered Petra Paper Pots

A bit of research revealed this: I actually have two Christmas Cactus and one Easter Cactus. They flower at different times. I love Google!

Easter Cactus, left; Pair of Christmas Cactus, right

The Easter Cactus is nearly twenty years old, so I wonder if the plant’s flowering days are over? Expecting it to flower in December, however, is pure folly.

Hyacinth Bulbs

Hyacinth are one of my favorite flowering bulbs. They’re both beautiful and fragrant and come back year after year. I bought a new variety known as William and Kate this year, and planted three of them indoors. The rest of the bulbs are in a garden pot just outside the back door.

William and Kate Hyacinth (I don’t know who’s who!)

Hyacinth bud

I’m also planting some Paper Whites indoors this year. I’ll write more later this week.

Windowsill Transformed:

Here’s my windowsill this morning after cleaning the counter tops and window:

Kitchen windowsill with plenty of room

Here it is again with our indoor garden in place.

My Crowded Kitchen Windowsill

Additional Reading:

Guide to Houseplants: Easter Cactus
Christmas Cactus Care: This article is informative and funny. My favorite quote:”Nobody wants to be the descendant that killed grandma’s Christmas cacti. My suggestion – give lots of stem cuttings to your relatives. It’s always best to spread the pressure around.”
Petra Paper Pots: Covering clay pots with up-cycled Petra Paper

December 31, 2014 by Born To Organize

Happy New Year!

We’re enjoying a quiet new year’s eve celebration at home this year. San Jose is experiencing heavy winds and below average temperatures, so it will be good to stay in. The winds pulled our Snowman inflatable out of the ground along with the air-pump, stakes and electrical cord. It all went tumbling into the neighbor’s yard. I haven’t heard the wind howl like this in years.

The pretend skating pond in the fairy garden could be the real thing as our temperatures drop to freezing. I can’t complain too loudly as our neighbors to the north have it worse.

Fairy Garden Ice Skating Rink

Fairy Garden Aerial View

Happy New Year

Christmas Selfie

We receive an amazing number of cards from around the globe this time of year. The novelty of turning the cards into an eclectic dress on my dressmaker’s selfie has been a lot of fun. I’ll definitely do it again next year. I promised to share another picture when the dress was ‘done.’ What do you think?

All dressed up with Christmas cards

I ran out of tiny clothespins so I had to improvise towards the end. Just an excuse to go back to the craft store for more.

How do you plan to see in the new year? Or perhaps you’re reading this an it’s already new year’s day.

Wishing you joyful tidings and wonderful connections in the year ahead. Thanks for being here.

Me, Myself and I

December 30, 2014 by Born To Organize

Word of the Year

I love the idea of choosing a word of the year. Unlike new year’s resolutions which seem doomed to failure, I like the transformative qualities of a single word.

This past year I chose serendipity, or serendipitously, the word chose me. You can read about that process here.
According to Wikipedia,

Serendipity means a “fortunate happenstance” or “pleasant surprise”. It was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754. In a letter he wrote to a friend Walpole explained an unexpected discovery he had made by reference to a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip. The princes, he told his correspondent, were “always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of”.

As you know, once you focus on a word, theme or idea, you find examples of it everywhere. All year I noticed serendipity at play. It was energizing, so much so that I’ve decided to elevate it to word of the decade. I’m not letting that gem go!

2015 Word of the Year

I’ve chosen connections as my word of the year.

To connect is to:

bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is established.

For my part, I like the idea of bringing people and ideas together in a positive way. The notion that a whole is more than the sum of its parts is appealing. The amazingly unexpected connections made through blogging gives me hope. Life is good. People are good. I will look for and make positive connections throughout the year.

How about you? Do you set your intentions for the new year? Do you choose a word or a mindset or a series of goals?

Please share in the comments below.

December 29, 2014 by Born To Organize

How to Catch and Lose a Rat in 10 Easy Steps

Step 1:

Approach the living room and immediately note the cat’s suspicious behavior. Kitty is facing the entertainment center with the attentiveness of a hunter with cornered prey.

Step 2:

Listen for the tell-tale scurrying of a mouse or rat. Yep. No mistaking that sound.

Step 3:

Call for back up. In this case I asked my son to close the cat in a room and keep him there till further notice.

Step 4:

Search under and around the 400 pound entertainment center, flashlight in hand, nerves on edge. With my son’s help, roll up the carpet and maneuver the heavy furniture away from the wall.

Step 5:

Note the beautiful markings on the healthy, brown rat dancing a jig on the wires. Shudder. Estimate the size of the rat, just for fun. (Six inches of rat, plus another six inches of rat-tail.) Let’s call it an even dozen.

Step 6:

Realize you will not sleep tonight knowing an enormous rat is running loose in your house.

Step 7:

Watch the rat drop down from the wires, and attempt to hide under the entertainment center. Thinking you have him cornered, look up, then down, only to have him disappear like a rabbit in a magician’s hat: here one second, gone the next.

Step 8:

Plop down on the sofa, chin in hand, nerves frayed and ponder your next move.

Aside: at this point my husband walks through the front door, takes one look at me and asks ‘what’s wrong?’ A mere nod of my head toward the rolled up carpet and displaced furniture is all he needs in the way of an answer. Yes, we’ve been through this before.

Step 9:

Re-locate the rat. Employ two adults, one teenager, a pair of flashlights and your wits.

Aha! The rat has managed to circle the entertainment center, crawl up the back, through one of the holes for the wires and back to his nest. Apparently he’s been here awhile. Could this be our kitchen rat at long last?

Step 9(a):

Photograph the rat through the hole in the entertainment center (Hey I write a blog you know).

The back-end of the receiver and the back-end of the rat

Step 9(b):

Tape three of the four potential exits closed with cellophane tape and cardboard. Cover the fourth opening with long, narrow plastic bags originally used to cover the newspaper. Add a cracker for good measure.

How to build a failed rat trap

Step 9(c):

Stand guard at the back of the opening hoping the rat will exit through the hole, into the bag so I can spirit him out the back door. Meanwhile my husband Mike gingerly removes the stereo receiver.

Step 9(d):

The rat has two options: One, exit into the bag, or two, fly out the front of the cabinet. He goes with option two. Mike grabs the rat between two gloved hands, the rat squeals, and a startled Mike drops the rat to the floor. He makes a run for it. (The rat, not my husband).

Mouse the cat is hot on the trail. Wires and rat droppings everywhere. Ugh

Step 9(e):

The three of us watch as the rat makes a break for it. He avoids the open door (of course) and runs under the book shelf instead. Thinking that clearly we have him cornered (and we do), we also realize there is a ‘secret compartment’ left by the builder between the wall and the cabinet. The little compartment is cozy, rat-sized and available.

Aside: We’re all exhausted at this point and decide to regroup.

Step 10:

Watch gratefully as Mike wraps tape around the lower half of the bookshelf and sets the live trap. There is only one way out and that is into the trap. Now we wait.