Two-liter Pop Bottle Bike Bundle

 

I recently brought my restored cruiser out from my parent’s garage and into my tiny apartment. There really is no room for it, so it sits awkwardly wherever there is un-cluttered floor space available. Ah, but how delightful it is to zoom along on nice, clean, flat, and paved roads.  As a previously Ozark-hills-county-road inhabitant, my bike rides were mostly limited to dirt roads and brush-hogged paths (both involve more work and more bug bites than enjoyment.) And though I have to haul the bike down two flights of stairs, that smooth cruise is ever so worth it.  City living, you win this one. 

This bike weighs 800 pounds. 900 on the second flight.

Snap, interior, vintage button montage.

I was literally walking out the door to buy a bike basket (what for to keep my phone, keys, mace—yeah, city living, you lose on the having to carry mace issue), when I spotted an empty 2-liter pop bottle.  Here’s what I did, and you can do it too…

First cut off both ends of the pop bottle. 

Maybe wash the pop out too.

Trace the bottom on some cardboard and cut out two circles. 

Then cut about a three-inch segment out of the tube. This will be your flappy part. Now, pop those cardboard circles in the ends. Hot-glue. Hot-glue forever. 

See, the flap part is cut out.

Now cover it inside and out with thin batting. Be sure to stick your flap back on (in-between the two layers of batting...if that makes any sense.) Hot-glue again.

Flap is back in (between the two layers of batting.)

Now, from here I won’t attempt to offer exact instructions, but rather I’ll just tell you to cover it. Cover it however you can. I glued fabric on and then stitched it all together.  You could use oilcloth or laminate or leather. 

Note the vintage button slam-dunk and the chicken fabric on the inside. When I bought that chicken fabric, I thought, “what am I ganna do with chicken fabric?” Clearly, this is what chicken fabric is meant for.  

Chicken fabric win.

Tie-on attach.

Took it for a spin last night and it was pretty perfect. Sun-dress on, snazzed up bicycle, well! hello, Mr. Summmer, care to join me for some lemonade? 

Questions? Comments? Leave 'um down yonder. 

A Croton Conundrum: How to Air Layer Propagate Your Plants out of Awkwardom.

This is my croton. It’s “leggy”—which is plant people speak for awkwardly having about three leaves at the top of a two foot long stem.  

I'm a bad plant parent. Also, you can see a few test air-prop. bundles.

 

This mutant look was achieved when I left the plant in a too chilly apt. for a couple of weeks this winter. Also, the leaves are constantly being womped off by fatal tail wags from the canine in residence.

So, here’s what I’m going to do—air layering propagation. Basically this will shorten the plant by creating new roots further up the stem. This should cure some of the awkward (or just kill the plant—never actually done this before. Cross your fingers, ya’ll) and give me a smaller and tidier plant. Here is the basic procedure.

Several inches down from the last leaves slice a circular band in the stem. Cut another about two inches down. Don’t cut all the way through, just enough to get the bark off. 

Then cut a line from band to band. Slip your razor or knife or preferred slicing device under the bark and simply peel it off.

Now, with a paintbrush dab some rooting hormone on the wound.

 

Glob a handful of damp sphagnum moss around the operation site. Now plastic wrap it up real good and secure with twisty ties or string.

Now, we wait and watch for signs of root growth (or entire plant death), making sure to keep the sphagnum ball moist.  Hopefully in a couple of months, a root system will develop enough that I can snip of the braches and repot them.

Herb Garden

 

Recently while yard sale-ing (too many of my sentences begin this way), I bought these three unintentionally matching kitchen items; a little blue bundt pan, a speckled blue saucer, and a nifty teacup.  

Really, the only sensible thing to do was to glue all three things together and plant herbs in there. So I did.

In the above pictures you can see that I first put down a layer of sphagnum moss, then some rocks (both for drainage), and then some potting soil. 

I planted chives, dill, cilantro, and lavender. 

Three for eats, one for smells.

Then I watered everything and wrapped it up with plastic wrap. This creates a nice little greenhouse for the first period while everything is germinating. Nothing to do but sit back and wait for the herb magic.

So warm and dirty in here.

 

Everything is growing nicely. Soon these herbs will be making my food yummier.

That eyebrow says, "I'm not actually supposed to be in this picture, am I?"

 

Speaking of food, check out my veggie garden made out of dumpster "two-ba-furs" and lashed to my balcony railing 

Happy Happy Summertime!

That's it! I wish good growing to all!