All It Takes Is One Mad Idea….

I confess, our plan for a cool zone addition to our home will not meet with Dame Martha’s approval. There are not going to be any spreads depicting this option in upcoming home design magazines. At no point are we going to be called the “classy” neighbors. The Prime Geek and I live our lives firmly split between the RedTec and the NeoElf camps, and will never wander towards the light of post modern… well, anything. As we remodel our home, we tend to place comfort, usability, and finally just plain “well, we think it’s spiffy” at the top of our lists of requirements. This complete unconcern over what our neighbors will think allows us to think not only outside of the box, but to knock the box over onto its side, set it ablaze, and roast marshmallows over the embers. With that being stated, and a quick genuflection to Saint MacGyver (topped with a suitable offering of duct tape and tube socks) we were off.

Our supply list looks like a treasure hunt run amok. It is almost completely composed of items scrounged from here and there, bits and bobs we have squirreled away at various times for no other reason than the vague idea they might one day be useful. For the walls of our summer palace, the Prime Geek found a roll of wire mesh sheeting, given to him well over a year ago by a friend who knew I sewed and thought I might have a use for it. At the time, we both wondered what we would need with 30+ yards of mesh… but instead of worrying about it, we simply shrugged and put it away for “someday”. Yes, we ARE packrats. I have never claimed otherwise. However, as long as we can see the floor and there are no bugs in our clutter… this rat is staying packed!

At first there was some thought we would simply staple gun the mesh to the top of the porch’s ceiling - tacky, but ultimately effective. However, we have gotten used to unloading Maximus – the PG’s tame Jeep – onto the sides of the porch, saving us steps when carrying heavy loads. Sealing the sidewalls of the porch would mean long walks around. I’m all for exercise…. but hefting 40 pound litter containers and 30 pound cat food bags the long way round is a bit much. We needed a way to keep everything open when we needed, but still be able to seal it up afterwards to deal with blood hungry creepy-crawlies. Instead of static walls, we decided a curtain arrangement would work much better.

Enter the next stage of scrounging……