I used to think that I could officially be classified as ‘crazy’ when the cat population in my house exceeded three. This did happen some years ago and the situation got so bad (factions formed – there was war) that I had to find a new home for one of them. I have, however, revised my classification… this is because we now only have dogs but I don’t think I got any saner with the reduction in feline numbers (maybe it’s a threshold thing and once you’ve had four cats, there’s no going back).
Anyway, This morning as I constructed a frame for my runner beans to climb up, it dawned on me that I may have achieved new heights of craziness. “Why?” I hear you ask… well, I realised that I have started collecting small pieces of string. The bamboo canes needed tying together and, rather than getting out my ball of twine, like any sane person, I was able to lay my hands on enough short pieces of string to fulfill my needs. And then, to make matters worse, I found myself photographing my string so I could share it with you:
Some of my string collection
String in action
But, it’s not just string… I also have a bag of yarn scraps:
Odds and ends
Which I have been using to stuff hexipuffs, but not fast enough to stop the collection growing.
And then there’s my inability to throw out apple peel and cores, although this has produced some lovely vinegar:
Apple scrap vinegar
Perhaps I just need to embrace the crazy…
The Snail of Happiness 
wscottling
/ May 13, 2014Come to the dark side… we have cookies (and they’re yummy!) We nutters love cookies. ^_^
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014Oooh, cookies… you’ve won me over!
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wscottling
/ May 13, 2014i knew you’d see it my way. 🙂 Welcome.
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Debra
/ May 13, 2014Not crazy if you use the things. =)
I love the idea of making vinegar using apple scraps. Where do you store your apple scraps until you are ready to use them — or maybe you just have a lot at hand. I made some jam on the weekend without pectin but I thought it would be cool next time to save the apple peels to create a homemade pectin.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014I did have lots when I made the vinegar in the photo, but otherwise, you can just freeze them until needed. Apples are just magic in jam-making… a muslin bag of pips, cores and peel works a treat and saves on having to buy pectin or ‘jam sugar’.
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nerdinthebrain
/ May 13, 2014Embrace it!!! 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014Willow says I can have cookies, so I’m off to make some now…. wibble, wibble, wibble…
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Nice piece of work
/ May 13, 2014You’re just like my nanna was – she lived through both world wars, so threw away nothing ever!!!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014I just can’t help myself!
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davidprosser
/ May 13, 2014Well the crazy has certainly embraced you. However, I had a visit today from Crazy Cat Lady. She and her family are in a league of their own where crazy is concerned as they have 12 cats, 6 dogs, some hens and some other animals including a horse. Having one master in the house is usually enough, but 12 !!!!
xxx Ginormous Hugs xxx
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014I have given up cats… the string is enough for me!
xxx hugs xxx
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itwasjudith
/ May 13, 2014❤ it !
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 13, 2014🙂
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katechiconi
/ May 13, 2014I used to collect baler twine when I was feeding animals. I’d tie it to the top wire of the paddock fence. It comes in rather pretty shades of pink and sky blue around here, and I ended up with quite a collection. It looked as if the fence was wearing an attractive hula skirt. Oh, and I collect rubber bands.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014I knew there was a reason we get on so well!
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anne54
/ May 13, 2014Embrace away, as we need more people like you! Remember that great Leonard Cohen line (and I am paraphrasing here, as I am too lazy to look it up) “blessed are the cracked, because that’s how the light gets in”!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014Plenty of light round here then!
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crawcraftsbeasties
/ May 13, 2014Hooray! I’m not alone! I have a bag of yarn & felt scraps too! And I also save odds and ends of thread if I think there is ANY chance I can make use of them… Bet you feel a whole lot less crazy now!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014I certainly don’t feel alone anymore!!
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katythenightowl
/ May 13, 2014Isn’t it lovely to know that you belong to a whole new world of crazy? With the beauty of it being, that we’re all just as fanatic about our string and yarn collecting as you – ergo, none of us are crazy – it’s everyone else not doing it who are! Lol
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014It certainly seems to be more normal than I expected! It’s like being a member of stringoholics!
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Karen B
/ May 14, 2014I have never made vinegar and would love to try. If you are crazy then it is a good kind of crazy. And you are among friends. I love the string!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014The fruit scrap vinegar is really easy, but takes a couple of months. You can make it from all sorts of fruit and if I bottle peaches this summer I’m going to try using the skins… peach vinegar sounds good to me. The instructions I followed are here: http://www.rural-revolution.com/2013/07/making-fruit-scrap-vinegar.html Do give it a go – it’s lovely for salad dressings.
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Ann Owen
/ May 14, 2014Let’s face it, you no longer wanted to share your string, is why the cats had to go!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 14, 2014Found out… it’s true that dogs have no interest in string!
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Andrea
/ May 14, 2014I have seven cats AND save string AND make fruit scrap vinegar. What are you saying?
Incidentally, providing that there’s not a huge time lapse from start to finish, I’ve found that I can start a batch of fruit scraps fermenting and just add to it as I get more. Without a freezer, it’s the only way.
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narf77
/ May 14, 2014Sounds like you already have…welcome to crazyville…we ALL float down here! 😉
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 15, 2014Woohoo… didn’t want to share my string with those cats!
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narf77
/ May 15, 2014I know…string is precious…cats love string…so does Earl…my own string sack is hidden at the back of one of my cupboards…you can’t be too careful ma’am when it comes to string…
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gentlestitches
/ May 15, 2014Crazy is the new sane! 😀
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 16, 2014😀
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Brooklyn Mom
/ June 22, 2014embrace the craziness and enjoy the moments of bliss creating things the sane world only wishes they could 🙂 hehe I save wine bottles, salsa jars, scraps of fabric and yarn. Basically everything becomes useful when you have a houseful of creative people
enjoy the crazy ride lady
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The Snail of Happiness
/ June 22, 2014I really do!
It’s so nice to know I’m not alone!!
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Heather Tune
/ May 22, 2015I bet the secret is you got string envy, when the cats were playing with their balls of string, and now well.. the bag of string is all yours! 😉 Anyway we like you crazy, it is by far much more fun!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ May 23, 2015You know me so well!!
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