The News From Here

It’s final. Crusty’s cactus nursery is no longer. The majority of the cacti now growing and decorating (sometimes over growing) the yard at “old #5” got their first roots in the old nursery. It’s hard to imagine that many cacti have grown and thrived in that tiny 24 sq. ft. A large portion of the nursery was over the top of concrete with soil as thin as 4”. It was an unattractive spot behind the outside fireplace filled with coroners and right angles. Old PC Schooley (Pard, Bummer The Clown, Phin and various other names) & I laid & mortared river rock into curves to soften all the right angles. He thought I was crazy to cover good concrete with dirt. Frankly I didn’t have much of a plan other than eliminate those angles and soften the look & feel AND grow something.
Sherry & I spent a night or two taking pictures (long gone) of blooms as they opened during the night. She tried to preserve some of them with Borax to no avail unfortunately.
The last 15 potted starts departed this afternoon and the adoption was finalized. The adopter was a woman who said she had two cacti and a lot of empty space and was delighted to have them. Delighted isn’t a word I use often but in this case it’s accurate. She wasn’t the first to benefit from its starts but she will likely be the last but likely one of the most delighted. It began as an attempt to retort to good family sarcasm with maybe a touch of satire but I find it lead someplace else. A place full of memories, many good, some bittersweet and some, well, just memories but none bad.
The preceding was instigated by Roger’s (Jr) comment from this blog – “It's nice you could find a new home for the little ones!” – Now a suggestion from the same source to replace the cactus with catnip-referring to my complaining about the number of cats running loose in the neighborhood. Actually that subject came up last evening with my neighbor two building down. He, too, isn’t happy with the smell and having to watch everywhere you step. I mentioned that cats that are well fed are difficult to catch in a trap. The number has grown drastically, from 1 or 2 to last count was 9 and then there’s the next litter that could happen any time and based on some of the noise outside at night, sooner is likely. Hum catnip, maybe. . . Lots of catnip. It’s a shame as he and I agreed that one or two would be OK as we both like animals but not a whole herd running loose and drawing flies and leaving bombs in the yards etc. not agreeable.