A Cat's Thoughts

   Beware of Home Depot

This is a warning to all you creative types out there. Home Depot is a dangerous place. It will suck your wallet dry. Though you will probably be happy with what you get in return. The following is a cautionary tale.

It started innocently enough when Sweetie picked me up from work on Monday. "Let's stop by Home Depot on our way home." I didn't think it would be that bad. Mom had just given us some money and there were a few things that could use improving around the house.

When we arrived at the store, there was a parking spot just waiting for us - near the exit door. We parked and headed for the entrance without a clue of what was in store. I should have noticed something when we walked through the door. The seed display stood there, tempting us to take up gardening.

"Ha" I thought "Silly display doesn't know that we don't have a garden, or even a lawn that could be turned into a garden." That's when the sneak attack came - just behind the seed display, were the light bulbs. Among them... full spectrum bulbs designed specifically for growing plants indoors.

"Oooh" Sweetie cooed "we could put one up in the kitchen and I could grow fresh herbs."

I should have known better. But Sweetie's ability to turn herbs into fantastic dinners clouded my judgement.

"That sounds like a good idea." I said.

After that we went in search of lighting fixtures to put up in the kitchen, under the cabinets. Then we needed a shelf to put the plants on so that they could sit right under the life giving light. On the way we noticed the bathroom displays and found the cutest set of towl racks that we just had to have - they'd go so well with the new paint in the bathroom. Speaking of which we were down to just 2 working lightbulbs in there so back to the light bulb display.

A hundred dollars later we loaded the car and headed home. We started puting up our new aquisitions when we noticed that we were missing a few things. Shelves for the other wall in the kitchen. Plants to grow under our new grow light. Oh and while we're at it, we might as well put up a shelf in the bedroom for school books and the cat - he so loves to look out the window but has no where to sit.

One thing led to another and today we found ourselves in Home Depot again. Looking at shelves, plotting a major remodeling of the kitchen (including hiring contractors), dreaming about the hardwood floors we want, picking up giant sized pot to put out on the porch - for the container garden.

Nearly $200 later we again loaded the car and headed home to get started on all our new projects (never mind that most of yesterday's projects had yet to be completed). It took three trips from the car to the house to bring everything in.

Now I have 5 dozen seeds sitting in peat pellets in the kitchen. There are brackets and shelf boards propped up against various walls throughout the house and I have the feeling that my weekends from now until the end of summer have been filled.

On the up side, most of what we've done will raise the value of my little condo so when we out grow these rooms, we'll have a better start on a bigger house with more potential projects.

Posted by Becca at March 23, 2004 10:04 PM