La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Some blooms and a lot of buds today. The hallway will soon (well, in several weeks) be aglow with aloe vera blossoms. The African spear (Dracaena angolensis) is sending up flower stems covered with buds which will fill the hallway with a sweet fragrance every evening. The bud stem on the orchid in the bedroom is 0.5 meters (19 inches) tall. I’ve already replaced the bamboo stake once. Another bunch of buds have appeared on the desert rose on the terrace, the one that is not currently in bloom. February 3 will be 11 blooming months. I’ve been waiting for its dormant period so I can replant it straight in the pot, but I think it prefers its own queer way.
I bought the cats a battery operated mouse in Brooklyn. You can see above how they responded for the first 15 minutes. Then Moose quickly bit the plastic ears off. It stops and starts on its own and, after a brief time, stops completely and I have to start it again. They’re no longer afraid of it, but they seem to enjoy just watching it (and me). Dudo brings it to my office door and waits. I would love to find them a toy that doesn’t require me to be part of the entertainment. I went looking for one of those flapping fish cat toys, but none of the three pet supply shops in town had any. I might have to order one online. But it’s likely Dudo will drop it at my feet anyway. Playmate, come out and play with me. (It’s a very old song.)
Algunas flores y muchos cogollos hoy. El pasillo pronto (bueno, en varias semanas) estará resplandeciente con flores de aloe vera. La lanza africana (Dracaena angolensis) levanta tallos florales cubiertos de capullos que llenarán el pasillo con una dulce fragancia cada noche. El tallo del capullo de la orquídea del dormitorio mide 0,5 metros (19 pulgadas) de alto. Ya reemplacé la estaca de bambú una vez. Otro manojo de capullos ha aparecido en la rosa del desierto de la terraza, la que actualmente no está en flor. El 3 de febrero serán 11 meses de floración. Hay mucho que esperar.
Les compré a los gatos un mouse que funciona con baterías en Brooklyn. Puedes ver arriba cómo respondieron durante los primeros 15 minutos. Entonces Moose rápidamente arrancó las orejas de plástico. Se para y arranca solo y al cabo de un breve tiempo se para por completo y tengo que volver a arrancarlo. Ya no le tienen miedo, pero parecen disfrutar con solo verlo (y a mí). Dudo lo lleva a la puerta de mi oficina y espera. Me encantaría encontrarles un juguete que no requiera que yo sea parte del entretenimiento. Fui a buscar uno de esos juguetes para gatos con forma de pez, pero ninguna de las tres tiendas de artículos para mascotas de la ciudad tenía ninguno. Quizás tenga que pedir uno en línea. Pero es probable que Dudo lo deje caer a mis pies de todos modos. Compañero, sal y juega conmigo. (Es una canción muy antigua).
• Pintarroja (o tiburón gato), común en las costas cantábricas. Esto fue captado aquí en Los Boliches y nos lo mostró Adrián en Mesón Salvador. Pueden crecer hasta 1 metro (3 pies 3 pulgadas). En una dirección, la piel se siente suave. En el otro, se siente como un rallador de queso.
• Tengo que adelgazar y limpiar seriamente la lanza africana. Pero le tengo miedo.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
The cats gave me a good laugh this morning!
sillygirl:
They’re so entertaining.
You are so good at keeping the cats entertained, and fed, the reasons they want to keep you around.
David:
Yes, I serve their purposes.
Love the video of the Mighty Hunters!
Debra:
I have four other videos. It was hard to decide which to share, but this one featured a balance of them both. There’s one that lasts a minute and half and it’s simply Dudo staring at the mouse as it circles and circles.
I have an aloe patch outside that desperately needs dealing with but like you with the African spear- those sawtoothed things terrify me.
You take incredible photos.
I wonder what your lovely cats would do with a real mouse?
And now, thanks to you, that very old song which I remember so well, is ear-worming me. “And we’ll be jolly friends, for evermore.”
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
Well, the cats have showed no fear of the birds that flew onto the terrace. Dudo caught one. SG, who usually handles these things, could not get it from him, so he called out to me. Dudo was in SG’s office with the sparrow in his mouth. He started at me proudly when I walked over to him. I said, “Dudo, drop it” and he immediately did. Maybe he had caught it for me. That’s when we decided to install the glass curtain on the terrace. I just listened to Playmate, Come Out and Play with Me. Did you know there’s a line in there: Climb up my apple tree? I’m surprised it wasn’t banned.
Yes! I did know the line about the apple tree. Well, I suppose in those days an apple tree was simply…an apple tree.
Of course there’s also the line about sliding down the rain barrel.
I was telling my daughter yesterday about how your cats bring you toys for you to play with them with. I said, “All my cats ever bring me is dead mice.” It’s true. I am glad to know that your cats still have their hunter-instincts.
Mary Moon:
If our cats had dead mice, they’d bring them. Poor things are stuck bringing me fakes.
As interested as the cats are in that toy mouse, I find myself interested in the cats’ interest!
Kirk:
I could watch them forever.
Wow, if that bud stem really was 5 meters tall (16 ft.) I think that could go into the Guinness Book of World Records!
TexasTrailerParkTrash:
Oops! I missed the point (0.5 meters tall).
When it comes to math, I’m the worst. I was quite proud of myself that I caught that! Lol
TexasTrailerParkTrash:
I’m so glad you caught that, and so quickly. Someone else might not have been so kind.
We use to sing that song in pairs on the playground, accompanied by hand movements! Memories, memories.
Kelly:
I don’t even remember how I heard it. I always assumed it was something my mother sang. But I vaguely remember it being a clapping ditty like Miss Mary Mack (Mack Mack)…
I think I’d rather swim with those sharks than face those terrifying aloe and African spear plants!
How about getting the boys a Roomba? That way, they can ride and contribute to vacuuming your condo at the same time, LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
Well, I’ve never been attacked by a shark and, apparently, cat sharks are nothing to worry about. I have regularly been attacked by the aloes and the African spear. Funny you should mention a Roomba: SG was just FaceTiming with his cousin. Her big dog had dropped a load on their wood floor. The Roomba was nearby and immediately went at it, spreading the poo all over the room before anyone knew what had happened..
I used to enjoy your blog but can no longer read it due to the white words on light tan background. I keep checking in case you do me a favor and change one or the other!
Cheryl
That looks like your own PC/phone settings, Cheryl, as I see it as black writing on pale beige. Jx
Jon: Thanks!
Cheryl:
I wish I could help, but this has nothing to do with the blog. It remains black text on a light background. It’s something with a setting in your browser. Have you tried viewing it in a different browser (Safari instead of Chrome or the reverse)?
Ha! Love the cats’ reactions to that mouse.
The desert roses are truly the “gift that keeps on giving”, aren’t they? Beautiful! Our Cymbidium orchid appears to be having a bit of a rest this year – no sign of a flower spike (but then again we did have two last year…] Jx
Jon:
I can’t even remember what this orchid’s flowers looked like. I’ll have to check an old blog post.
Your plants are in their glory! They will appreciate a trimming when the time is right.
Jim:
The African spear does like to be crowded, but it’s beyond that now. I’ll have to get out the hazmat gear.
Boud here. The cats keep looking back as if they’re wondering where the owner’s manual is. Or maybe they think you should be chasing the mouse, they’re not your errand cats.
My aloe has never ever flowered. But she’s a very good kitchen helper, for the numerous burns I manage.
Boud:
Our aloes are in long planters in our hallway, which is almost like being outside in the fresh air. They were first on our terrace, but they quickly grew too big to safely pass by. They’re now enormous.
Whenever the mouse stops, which is often now, the cats look at me as if to say, “Well fix it!” I bought them another toy mouse that has a pull cord. Pull it and it wiggles on the floor (for 3 seconds!!!). It goes. They watch it. It stops. They look at me. Way too much work. AND Dudo just brought it into my office and dropped it next to me.
That mouse is WAAAAAY too real looking! If I walked in and that thing was sitting on the floor, I would FREAK out.
As it is, I was mightily amused watching the furballs having fun with it 🙂
Judy C:
I like watching Dudo run away from it and then come back. And, yes, it does look kind of real.
I laughed at Moose biting the ears off the mouse. Awesome! (I would have thought Dudo would do that, actually.)
Love all the promise in those buds!
Steve:
Moose surprises us sometimes. Dudo is less aggressive with that mouse than Moose.
oh that was splendid! Cats being cats doing what they do best
Urspo:
They’re so entertaining.
Is that a little pair of plant testicles I spy?
Sassybear:
I thought they looked testicles, too!