Mickey Blue Eyes

He camped at our doorstep all night:
And he was there meowing the next morning:  

Pinchi Gato

I haven't done much gardening this week as I went back to work.

Sometimes when I come home, I harass the guys to have dinner with me outside, sitting on our camping lawn chairs next to our plastic cube-light patio table.   I love this table, when you come over I'll plug it in, but I need a real patio set.

We made friends with a gato today while we were outside having dinner.  He is white-orange, long haired and his is name is Mickey [mickey blue eyes].  Yes, in honor of my Hugh Grant boyfriend and Jordan's love for mobsters.  

Mickey is a little weird.  He is right now meowing at the door, he has been for a few minutes, but it's more like 20-45 minutes.  Mickey is persistent and strong and he never lets up.  If you can imagine a beautiful cat tweaking, that's Mickey.  He is fidgety and while you can pet him, he might turn around and snap at you if he doesn't like something. 

Mickey is a street gato, living the crazy life chasing birds and avoiding predators around here, but he has pretty long hair and he's tough.  He has the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen and his paw will slap you if you try to get up to walk away.   Soon, I will take a picture of him, but I can't now (even though he is crying at our front door) as he might return night after night to annoy us.  GEEZ, HE DOES NOT LET UP!  I am listening to him as I type.

Besides Mickey, we have a thief.  These perfect cuts are evidence:

HOLY MACKAREL, I AM SCARED.  I am sitting here typing and Jordan comes out to tell me, "Do you see, he is looking at you through the window!"   Mickey is freaking me out.  Apparently, he's propped up on the window sill and is meowing and making occasional hissing noises.  I do hear him, but I've been typing this whole time and didn't notice he is stretched out, standing on his two back legs, with the front paws on the window sill.  All you see is this tiny little face, but he's spooky now!  I gotta go take a picture.

Freed

No More Peanut Butter

So, I've decided I hate the peanut butter plant.  In our garden, it is growing over everything and I've learned its got another name, Kruidjie-roer-my-nie, which means "herb-touch-me-not". This website says it's toxic if you eat it, but people use it medicinally.  Instead of waiting until next month, I decided to trim a bit of it today, I couldn't wait.  At first glance, all you see are the thick ugly stalks.

I trimmed a bit, and mind you, the reason I had to wait was because I am no gardener.  I make a

note of needing the following:  1) Small rake 2) Hat for sun  3) Gardening scissors.  I cut away at the leaves, feeling a bit strange as I get to decide what gets to live, what has to go, and what gets to stay.  I cut away, until I uncover what lies beneath the freaky peanut butter plant.  Go ahead, laugh at my tools.

I don't know how long it has been since these pretty ones last saw the sky.  The peanut butter plant was hovering over them, I didn't even know they were there until pulling up a large stalk of it. It was like uncovering a treasure!

I got excited, cut and threw away almost all of the Melianthus major.  I missed a nice photo op. When I was sitting in the lawn chair drinking tea, I saw a huge lizard in the yard, about 3 ft away from me.  I reached for the camera, but it ran for its life.

I moved on and caught a glimpse of a palm tree, hiding behind and held captive by some vines coming over the fence.  

Clinging

Sometimes I find grass growing in a sea of cement and it amazes me. Today, I saw these little guys clinging to a rock in our garden. 

I's crazy how life can survive with so little.  There is no soil and you can see how the roots are spreading down from the rock, trying to find some nutrients.   These little guys sprouted out of nowhere. Multiple coincidences had to concur for this to happen.  As a payment for their modeling, I gave them a little water and put them back in the same spot.  I will check on them more regularly now that I know where they live.  

Succulent Beginning

The black tree, or purple crest aeonium, is the queen of our backyard.  

Someone planted interesting succulents here, but they have been long forgotten and find themselves in need of love.  Weeds and other plant types have invaded their terrain.  

The purple crest is exotic and frail in appearance, but it's quite resilient and struggles to maintain its dominance  A bright yellow flower is supposed to be its bloom and I can hardly wait to see it.

It's plump leaves store water for the dry summer and I see little ones claiming ground here and there.  There are other succulents in this garden, which will be featured in time.   

Right now, from a baby purple crest, the dew of the morning hangs on...