I had no idea that all the time I was living in my adorable little apartment in the heart of Los Angeles that I was missing being outdoors…until I got a patio. My patio didn’t factor into my decision to take this apartment. I thought I’d never use it. Just to fill it, I bought a chaise lounge with a plump red cushion. Over the winter months I’ve been sitting in the sun on the chaise under a blanket just to be out on the patio.
And then I bought Charlie Brown’s Tomato Plant.
"Needs water," the check-out girl said as she charged me $2.99 for a sickly-looking plant with two drooping leaves.
I didn’t think it would still be alive after the car ride back to its new home on the patio. No one would believe me now, because the tomato plant has taking over my patio. It just outgrew its third pot. I gave up staking it up weeks ago and bought a cage for it. That's right, a cage for my out of control tomato plant. It's like MMA out there.
There are six green grape tomatoes currently hanging from the vines. I figure a few crumbles of blue cheese and fresh arugala, and I’ll have myself a very respectable semi-homemade salad going on.
Recently, I’ve noticed that the leaves of some of my plants have been damaged. And when I looked closer, I realized they were teeth marks. Not insect teeth – these were real animal teeth. I was sure that my patio was being frequented by some terrible creature…since I’ve moved out to ‘the 661’ I’ve had two coyote sightings. But then the other day, I caught ‘the creature’ in the act. It has tortoiseshell fur. Yes, it turns out my cat is a vegetarian. For fifteen years, I thought her favorite food was bacon.
After I discovered who had been eating my plants, I had another panic attack over whether any of my plants were toxic to cats. I found a comprehensive list online. There are more than I could’ve imagined. And then I bought some cat grass – I don’t know what’s in it, but she knows it’s hers…and she’s not using my jasmine as a side salad for her Fancy Feast anymore.
And then I bought Charlie Brown’s Tomato Plant.
"Needs water," the check-out girl said as she charged me $2.99 for a sickly-looking plant with two drooping leaves.
I didn’t think it would still be alive after the car ride back to its new home on the patio. No one would believe me now, because the tomato plant has taking over my patio. It just outgrew its third pot. I gave up staking it up weeks ago and bought a cage for it. That's right, a cage for my out of control tomato plant. It's like MMA out there.
There are six green grape tomatoes currently hanging from the vines. I figure a few crumbles of blue cheese and fresh arugala, and I’ll have myself a very respectable semi-homemade salad going on.
Recently, I’ve noticed that the leaves of some of my plants have been damaged. And when I looked closer, I realized they were teeth marks. Not insect teeth – these were real animal teeth. I was sure that my patio was being frequented by some terrible creature…since I’ve moved out to ‘the 661’ I’ve had two coyote sightings. But then the other day, I caught ‘the creature’ in the act. It has tortoiseshell fur. Yes, it turns out my cat is a vegetarian. For fifteen years, I thought her favorite food was bacon.
After I discovered who had been eating my plants, I had another panic attack over whether any of my plants were toxic to cats. I found a comprehensive list online. There are more than I could’ve imagined. And then I bought some cat grass – I don’t know what’s in it, but she knows it’s hers…and she’s not using my jasmine as a side salad for her Fancy Feast anymore.
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