little projects
Jan. 6th, 2026 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafaeryone other thing I meant to write about was how happy I am that we finally got that little protective wooden railing up for Avalanche along the outside of the landings that are overlooking the main floor from upstairs. There are two very high, exposed platforms that I was super worried about, and needed to protect in case she ever tried to jump up there. I worked really hard to plan out a way to get this done, after researching a ton and experimenting with different materials. I eventually landed on thin planks of a soft, very pretty wood I found at Home Depot, and even with initially purchasing the wrong size wood, and having to get several different sizes of brackets and wood screws to find the right combo, we were able to complete the project together for about $50. I hand-cut the pieces we needed, Josh bravely leaned over the side (it's a 20 foot drop) to screw them into place, and we got it all done before Natasha and Taiga arrived, so we finally have those areas cleared and cat-safe.
Funnily, Avalanche has not once tried to jump up to either platform. But Taiga did, once, and I was not the slightest bit worried as there was a protective barrier in place to keep him safe.
Yay!
To hire a handyperson to do this would have cost several hundred dollars in materials, and probably a lot of noise and difficulty as they would have had to bring in a very tall ladder in order to do the installation properly protected (rather than leaning over the side like Josh did). Josh made a comment about it being half-assed, but although yes the wood is not perfectly straight and doesn't match the white trim it's screwed to, it does the job perfectly and it looks fine.
I'm super super proud of myself for figuring this out. It was hard and we got it done. (Josh's drill helped a lot.)
It seems like a little thing but it's kind of a big deal.
My brother has a condo with a ledge that his cats have fallen off of. He's lucky it happened when they were kittens and they did not get seriously injured. He'll be lucky if it never happens when they are older, as they still go up on that ledge. I would never be okay with putting my pets at risk like that. But looking back, he's lost cats in neglectful, very sad circumstances a number of times. I've realized my mom treated her cats this way too, some people just don't have the capacity to protect their animals in a way that I would consider responsible. I'm trying not to morally judge, some people use cats as working animals (barn cats, to protect grain) and that's what they were originally bred to do, who am I to say if that's right or wrong, but it does make me aware that he is not a person I would trust to care for my cat. In my world, a companion animal needs more protection than that. But that's just me.
Anyway. Every time I walk up the stairs and look at our railing that we built together I feel a warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment and peace of mind that I don't have to worry about Avalanche ever falling from there. It was a worry when we purchased the house, and I worked really hard to fix it. It's fixed. It wouldn't keep a small child safe but it's perfect for Avi. Feels good. :)
Funnily, Avalanche has not once tried to jump up to either platform. But Taiga did, once, and I was not the slightest bit worried as there was a protective barrier in place to keep him safe.
Yay!
To hire a handyperson to do this would have cost several hundred dollars in materials, and probably a lot of noise and difficulty as they would have had to bring in a very tall ladder in order to do the installation properly protected (rather than leaning over the side like Josh did). Josh made a comment about it being half-assed, but although yes the wood is not perfectly straight and doesn't match the white trim it's screwed to, it does the job perfectly and it looks fine.
I'm super super proud of myself for figuring this out. It was hard and we got it done. (Josh's drill helped a lot.)
It seems like a little thing but it's kind of a big deal.
My brother has a condo with a ledge that his cats have fallen off of. He's lucky it happened when they were kittens and they did not get seriously injured. He'll be lucky if it never happens when they are older, as they still go up on that ledge. I would never be okay with putting my pets at risk like that. But looking back, he's lost cats in neglectful, very sad circumstances a number of times. I've realized my mom treated her cats this way too, some people just don't have the capacity to protect their animals in a way that I would consider responsible. I'm trying not to morally judge, some people use cats as working animals (barn cats, to protect grain) and that's what they were originally bred to do, who am I to say if that's right or wrong, but it does make me aware that he is not a person I would trust to care for my cat. In my world, a companion animal needs more protection than that. But that's just me.
Anyway. Every time I walk up the stairs and look at our railing that we built together I feel a warm fuzzy feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment and peace of mind that I don't have to worry about Avalanche ever falling from there. It was a worry when we purchased the house, and I worked really hard to fix it. It's fixed. It wouldn't keep a small child safe but it's perfect for Avi. Feels good. :)
