...............that today has been a wonderful day. Vacation at home? Freaking awesome. I'm not making that up or being sarcastic. Who cares if you can't go anywhere? I'm not going to work, that's the point!!
Yes, I spent 2 hours in the AZ heat/direct sunlight pruning plants - pulling weeds - and making it look normal out front again. I noticed other things that need to be done, no biggies, I got the most important stuff done, including watering the entire property.
It's nice to water a few hundred plants by simply turning on and off valves versus walking around to every single plant with a water hose.
The mailbox also provided a much-needed stipend: the check. Thank you, dad. It is going to the water bill. Oh, yes, I thank my dad in email or on the phone, the thanks here is simply a statement of thanks to an awesome father - whether my brothers agree with that or not. Note that this money doesn't come out of his savings, it comes out of his monthly stipends from various retirement incomes. It IS a sacrifice for him. which, well it just shows the kind of dad I have, regardless of what my brothers say.
If I received nothing from my dad, I would still think just as highly of him. Let's put the little blip to rest that says that the money is the only thing that makes you say that. NOT AT ALL. I don't HAVE the memories of my father is a kid that my brothers do. I am not going into all of that again on my journal - my brothers are good with their decision to totally negate my dad out of their lives - I doubt they will think such when he passes and - then - what kind of thoughts will pervade them? Regret, remorse, a longing to connect that will never happen on this earth.
No, I am quite proud of my dad who is a renowned minister in the area he lives in and is a humanitarian. People love him because he loves the people that God puts before him to minister to. It has always been this way, my brothers simply don't get it. He has sacrificed his entire life, perhaps that's their problem with him - to the point that the family suffered when we were children. Yet, as a child, I was quite happy. My parents didn't tell me how bad we had it, I did not, therefore, "learn" how bad life is in not having "things". I was not materialistic as a child, I didn't care, really. If I had a tonka toy, great, if I didn't, there were always the tall trees in the forest behind our house that fascinated me to NO end and was FREE of charge to my parents. That love of trees and dense, thick forests has never left me.
No, as a child, I was the easiest maintenance, I didn't complain about having this,that and the other thing. I endured an entire childhood of not being able to consume ANY dairy products, chocolate and other foods, I was extremely allergic (think: GIANT hives all over your body). I just immersed myself in the world that was around me and I loved it. Oh, there were bad times, yes, not saying there weren't, but most of my childhood memories are very good.
Oh, and speaking of forests - I have these Australian Bottle Tree seeds sitting here in front of me. I have read ample material about them. No, I didn't pay a fortune for these seeds, but there are only 10 of them and I want to make it work. Oh yes, I do. These trees are drought resistant and do well in this area. I am going to go out and plant one of them in the ground in the front of my house after I finish this entry. I am in no hurry, it would be years before they would be anything "formidable" as a tree.
I was watching with no small amount of entertainment my rather large goldfish earlier. There is a big, fat pig in there. He (or she) eats and eats and eats. You would think I never feed the blooming thing for the amount of hunger it exhibits, as if it were starving. But, it's body tells a different story. It is a FAT fish. I would feed them less, but the other 3 wouldn't get enough. The fat one is a bully, really, but only at feeding time - which seems to be 24 hours a day for that friggin' thing. That big one is about 10 inches long and 2 inches (at least) wide. I was wondering if possibly it's a she and is eating for want of on the verge of laying eggs, but I believe the thing is just a pig. The only way to cut back it's food intake would be to isolate it to another pond. I don't think it a good idea, so I'm not.
Done.
ben
3 comments:
In your area, I'd have a cactus garden. I like plants and general greenery as much as the next person, but hot weather (I'm in it here, too) makes me think flowers and trees are something to be enjoyed in photos....
On the other hand, the climate encourages watering. Especially when you get more on you than on the plants!
Ben - Glad to read this about your father. I will always give my kid some extra dough when things get a little tight.
Enjoy your vacation.
Bobby
Mr Scribbler:
Very good to hear from you - you are alive and doing well, I hope.
Cactus gardens are cool, definitely, I have various cacti around the property. But, I have been seeing cactus out in the desert for most of my life. The Australian Bottle Tree I am trying to grow is very hearty, drought resistant plant. It gets the big bottle looking trunk for storage of water. The Sissoo trees - I have something like 25 of them - are grown in India, another drought resistant tree that can survive in arid atmospheres, though I am watering them frequently to make them grow faster and bring the shade on. Not everything I have growing would be water conversation type of plant - I do wish I could tap into the reclaimed water to water my plants. It's sewer "stuff" that is filtered and treated. It is not suitable for drinking but is harmless to plants and would otherwise go to waste.
Bobby - I have a great dad. I will never look at him in the negative light my brothers do, they are off the wall, off their rockers and will regret it if they never make reconciliation.
Thank you, I am definitely enjoying it : )
ben
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