Tatyana Grechina, Kitchen Companion, 5 × 7 inches, oil on canvas, 2026.

One of our hanging plants, a gift from a friend who came over for a barbecue, has grown so long that we’ve strung it from above the kitchen sink to the dining room light. It wraps around the five-bulb chandelier and drapes down over the table. Another end will grab my hair or wrap around my chin as I pass the air fryer.