Impulse "Gardening"

I wasn't planning on putting flowers on our balcony this year. This is VERY uncharacteristic of me, but planting on this balcony just isn't as much fun as I would have expected. By the time I haul home whatever half-dead flowers Home Depot offers, lay down a tarp to avoid dropping dirt to the neighbor's balcony below, kneel on the sweaty tarp, and cut the sh*t out of my feet on the screen door as I take my shoes off to run inside for something, I'm always, "eh." And then we keep the blinds closed to keep the house cool, so I barely get to see them anyway.

But on the way home form my morning walk yesterday, a hanging basket caught my eye at the Lincoln Square Farmer's Market. So I nabbed it.

And while I was waiting to pay for it, this potted arrangement caught my eye, so I nabbed it too.

As I carried my treasures home, I decided that their window boxes were a total steal at $20-$24/ea. Since I was working from home to focus on a big deadline, I totally had time to grab the car and run back down there. Which I did. And then did again to pick up a third box when my selections didn't fill in our built-ins. Those adorable teens working the gardening stall were very patient. Love them.

The view from the street:



I realize that this goes against the blog grain given that everyone is so hip to urban and window gardening this season, but this has to be one of the most brilliant (albeit lazy) decisions I've made in my 14 years of apartment and balcony living.

I'm totally going back next week for a basil plant.

P.S. I have so much blogging to do, but have just been too lazy to gather all of the photos together. Editing photos on my slow-a*s laptop is lame.

P.S. I need to Impulse Redesign my blog. My header graphic makes me puke.