Sunday, March 02, 2008

The "Little Shop of Horrors"

Remember that movie and the plants that attacked people? Well I am blessed (I say that tongue in cheek) with one in my house. When I moved in here almost 7 years ago there was this container with a variety of little cacti in it......attractive, THEN! Well that cute little variety of cacti have grown to be "death defying".
Here's the scenario - twice a year I have to move it. Once so I can put the space heater in for the winter months and once to move it back to "it's" place by the window to the side of the fireplace where it can't attack anyone!
Last fall, dressed in shorts and garden gloves, armed with tongs and a towel to throw over it, I began the process of moving it behind the chaise to another window. Slowly I moved.....so far so good.......and then this long cylindrical thing that is now about 6 FEET long broke loose from the tongs and WHAM, hit me in the leg.......WOOOOOOW was that startling! I couldn't put it down because it is so heavy I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get my hands down and around it to pick it back up! I managed to get it to the pedestal, set it down and then go hunting for the tweezers...........zillions of little tiny white thingies in my leg, ouch!
So, about two weeks ago when I decided that the cold was over (thank goodness) I put the heater back in the bodega. And for two weeks I looked at the empty space knowing that the reverse migration needed to happen..........two weeks it took to get up my courage. SO this morning in my heavy, heavy long flannel robe with garden gloves on, a bigger bath towel and the tongs, I was ready. (Isn't that a horrible mental image) I moved the chaise, rolled up the rug, moved the coffee table - basically "cleared the decks" so it would be a smooth sail. All the while I was listening to CBS Sunday Morning, my favorite show all week. THIS time I got it over there without the 6 ft long thing attacking me and only one thorn in a finger..............WHEW. It really does look pretty in front of that window because there is fuscia bougainvillea outside and it is lovely.
The bottom line of this is a woman, who lives alone, MUST be self-sufficient to live in Mexico. Willing to schlep her garbage to the basura truck, climb ladders to prune trees, etc. etc. etc. BUT you know what - I wouldn't trade it for anything - living in Mexico, that is!

6 comments:

Steve Cotton said...

Hmm. I suspect that if I had a plant that caused as much anguish and damage -- to me, I would resolve the problem by letting it live a free and wild life -- outside. Maybe that is why I don't own a cat. It must be a beautiful plant to put up with all that you do for it.

Babs said...

Funny that you should mention that Steve, because actually there were TWO of those plants and one DID go outside but died. I don't know, I just want to see how darn big this thing is going to get, I guess.....silly huh? I must say the feral cat that now resides here, every now and then, named Velcro, is easier then the plant......ha.

Billie Mercer said...

Now if only we could have had a candid camera spying on you. That would have been THE picture.

Babs said...

Oh Billie! That would have added to the title "Little shop of HORRORS", ha.
B

rob said...

Have you considered putting a small piece of carpet under it I the pot) with enough sticking out so that you can pull it along the floor to its new position, without damage to the floor or of course yourself?

Babs said...

Rob, I'll take a photo to show you "WHAT" I was contending with...then you'll see the "dilemma" - but at least I only move it twice a year........with big pots that sit on the ground I have used that trick with towels, sheets never thought of a rug though......thanks for the suggestion.