the laws of physics

If you’ve ever wondered how sturdy those metal brackets are that they sell so that you can hang planters over your balcony/deck rail you are not alone and not without good reason.

no, I
did
not take
a pic

after noticing that my herbs were growing in more of a cascading style than an upright I tried a number of different fence type options to decided that a metal fence would be best, well wouldn’t you know that target had them on clearance. . . we’ve had weeks of rain . . . so I add the new fences to my window box not only to hold the plants up but also to add a little detail to it. so far so good. then my cat, the notorious climber decides to take in the view from a little higher up, I don’t pay him too much mind because he does this sort of thing all the time.

from the kitchen window I see the cat, then I hear my daughter say “no Murray” followed by a loud thud and the sound of metal hitting a hard surface, I look to see Murr balancing and I look down to see lots of dirt and my herbs laying like casualties four stories below in the neighboring condo’s stair.

I cleaned up the mess. I removed the drain tray that catches excess water. I decided against the metal fences. I bent back the bracket and used twine to tie the window box to the rail. I’m thankful that Murray did not fall with the planter. and I know that my initial hesitation was not completely out of line; but every time I walk into the kitchen I look with hesitation to see if my herbs are still there or if they have fallen pray to the laws of physics.