Until the next drama....

Earlier in the year I sadly posted about the tragic loss of my beautiful Japanese koi fish, eight of them ranging in age from 12 years to 24 years.  All of them purchased as three inch fry and chosen for certain color patterns so each of them very different from the other.  At the time of their death most of them were over 12 inches and some were over 20 inches.  After raising them for so many years like most of you raise a dog or a cat we were very attached to our pets, each had a name and all were very tame and could recognize us over a stranger in the garden.  When someone new would come stand and look at them they would swim to edge and when they saw that it was neither MeMa or myself they would become very agitated and swim to the far side of the pond.
Only Athena survived and it was touch and go at that.  But survive she did, although it has been a lonely time for her as koi are very social creatures.  Fortunately for Athena there was one more survivor, a lonely brown tench which is a British species of carp.  I also tossed three small goldfish in as well.  They had been living in the small pond I have in the greenhouse.
We talked about purchasing more koi but decided that we should purchase larger fish as we would never see them grow to the length and age of our old ones.  I took last Wednesday off as in the morning I had to go into the hospital and be violated in order to see if the whole bladder cancer thing was still not an issue.  I don't have to be violated for another six months, so all is well.  So feeling quite good about myself, we went in search of some koi.  Keeping in mind that the last time I purchased koi was eighteen years ago the prices had tripled if not quadrupled.  I am just not prepared to pay three hundred for an eight inch fish.  As we drove up to the last place on our journey we both saw a sign that read "buy two koi get one free".  They had a pond full of very large koi but they had prices that ranged from 800 dollars to several thousand dollars that we quickly walked away from them.   We finally found our koi special, but they are not the large koi we envisioned purchasing.   However they are also not the small fingerling's that we purchased many years ago, they are at least another inch longer. We purchased two and got the third free but once again picked because of color pattern so they are all different from one another.

From the top left in this photo are two of the new koi then our sweet survivor, Athena and the orange fish at the bottom is one of the greenhouse goldfish and just to the right of Athena's big wagging tail fin is the third koi.   Athena is one happy koi.

My water lilies have flourished so the gate has been removed from the channel that connects the two sides of the pond and the koi have complete run of the entire pond.  Peace and tranquility have returned to Menagerie Manor.....until the next drama.

Just Saying, Dear

Just before we flew to Disneyland we had central air installed at Menagerie Manor.  I believe I mentioned in earlier posts that Oregon has been having record heat.  Heat in the spring that we would normally have in the middle of summer.  The entire month of June had been without a measurable drop of rain and July was following the same pattern.  My father moved into the house while we vacationed, he watered and took care of the animals.  He called us and told us that the air works good and he was enjoying it very much.

The weather in Anaheim was temperate, some of the locals said that it was cool for the time of year which was great for MeMa and I as we were expecting scorching temperatures and unbelievable summer break crowds.  We got the crowds but the scorching temps thankfully never happened.  We had a wonderful time on the rides and since we had no children or grandchildren with us we took advantage of that freedom.  When the crowds got to be a little much or we wore ourselves out running like a couple of kids, we then stole ourselves away and had a glass of wine or some other adult beverage and relaxed and just watched people.  We also did a couple of tours that MeMa signed us up for prior to leaving Portland.  The first was the garden tour which walked visitors through different parts of the park explaining gardening methods or took us on specific rides while our guide explained every detail of gardening in the park.  The second and the one we both recommend to any Disney fanatic was "Walking in Walt's Disneyland Footsteps", a fantastic tour that told about his life and dreams for Disneyland.  After a scrumptious lunch we were taken into the private Disney Family Suite called the Dream Suite.

Walt Disney died the year before the Suite was completed, but it was completed to his specifications and is now used for dignitaries and prize promotions.  In each of the bedrooms there is a button on the wall that is called the "Goodnight Kiss" and when pushed brings the room to life.  Magical things happen before your eyes such as paintings coming to life, music playing, stars twinkling all over walls and ceilings.  A miniature steam locomotive comes to life and rolls out of its display box winding in and out of dozens of miniature scenes from the park and as it passes each of them set up on the shelf that goes completely around the entire room they all come to life as well.

After six days we returned home and work.  I had divided some of my duties with the other staff and told them that it was imperative that these tasks be done on a daily routine.  And to some extent they were except for one, and it was the one that I told the individual, "This must get done."  Unfortunately it was not ,so I have that job to contend with for the next week or more.

This weekend we took some friends up to our family cabin for a lazy weekend of doing absolutely nothing.  Unfortunately it reached temperatures in the upper nineties and this afternoon it got to 100.

We did absolutely nothing but think about our central air that we really had not enjoyed much.

Its not central air but MeMa manages to have fun no matter the situation

Friend Jan and old grumpy (yours truly) trying to cool ourselves in tubs of cold water.
 Little Ninja our son's dog was not enjoying the heat either.

We are home now and the central air is divine.  Makes one wonder why we waited so long to have it installed????  Just saying dear!



Popeye, the Poop Purveyor

It is no secret that Popeye and I just tolerate each other, he is MeMa's dog and they adore each other.

Perhaps if he was not a poop eater things would be different........no.....the fact is he pee's on everything in the garden! MeMa says get over it, its a guy thing. My answer to that was, "You don't see me out there peeing on things do you"?

I prefer bitch dog's, they pee too but not on every plant in the garden or your favorite spade after you lean it against the wall while working on something else in the garden. I think he does it to show that his tolerance for me is getting thin.

It was suggested that we try the "raw diet" and along with it a whole slew of additives including pro-biotics. This was supposed to replace the essential enzymes that are missing in his diet.

He loved it, Sophie loved it, all was going great. But it didn't curb his unhealthy urge to eat poop, in fact it worsened the habit. Now he was eating the poop and the soil under it, digging great trenches all over the garden and pathways.

The evening of the second day he vomited seven times on the carpets, great piles of putrid stuff that almost had us rushing him to the veterinarian. Fortunately he stopped and so did the new raw diet.

We recently took him in for another thyroid check but the vet said no need as he is showing all the classic symtoms of Cushings Disease.  Hair loss, thinning skin, swollen belly, voracious appetite, insatiable thirst.  His skin is so thin and with the hair loss we now have to put sun screen on him so he can go outside and eat poop.  The Vet said to keep him comfortable and he could live a long life, keep him from getting any injuries as they will be very hard to treat and heal over.

There is a treatment for it but besides the fact that it is super expensive it is also very dangerous and the success rate is slim to none.  So now my tolerance level has come up a bit as the disease is what is causing the bad behavior issues.  He is still and always will be MeMa's dog, in her eyes he is Rin-Tin-Tin or Old Yeller.

While in my eyes he is still that poop eating dog.

Sleep Deprived

It is amazing how wonderful my water lilies are doing now that there are no fish to rip them apart, water lily "Texas Dawn".

Generally I sleep like a log, waking when the alarm goes off at 5:30 stumbling down the hall with all the dogs in front of me.  But for the past month or more I wake between 3:30 and 4:00 and try as I might I just can't get back to sleep, my brain is on overdrive so I just lay there knowing that it is too early to get up because those damn dogs will just hurdle down the hall in front of me thinking it is time for their breakfast.  Feeding them early would only mess up their schedule.  So shit, there I lay trapped in my bed by those f_ _ _ ing dogs.
Youngest son Ian and his family are in Alaska for a friends wedding, so his elderly dog Ninja has been added to the mix.  She has a very bad heart so goes into these coughing fits that are enough to scare the dead.  She is very spry for an old dog, eats well and knows that potty goes outside not inside.  When among our dogs she is the dominate little bitch she has always been.   So while I lay there I contemplate what is the reason I can't sleep?

Little Ninja

Reason #1
I will be retiring this October, this is the third year that I "Was going to retire."  The difference this year is that I have hired a financial wizard to plan everything for me.  It was more than a month ago that we met with him and there have been no calls back and no plan offered.

Reason #2
My lovely wife is extremely stressed with the closing and moving of her school to another high school and all the work packing up thousands of heavy text books and making sure they are safely housed in the new location.

Reason #3
My father has moved out of his house and is now living with my younger brother.  Our neighbor is a realtor and has committed to getting the house on the market.  The house is empty except for a neat pile of things that will be taken down to Arizona to my twin brother who really does not need anything else.  There is also a table saw in the garden shed that our youngest son Ian was planning on taking home, but he and his family are in Alaska.  My father who is normally very laid back seems to be channeling my late mother.  She would have had all that stuff hauled to the curb insisting that it all be gone.  So the table saw is coming here to my already burgeoning garage and then when Ian gets home it will be moved again to his garage.

Never got this posted....because things have not slowed down and there have been a few changes!!!

Reason #4
I went to start my work van and nothing happened, so I had the auto club take it to my garage. "Engine is ceased up can't even turn it by hand, no sense in putting any more money into it."  So I donated it to charity auction (Humane Society) and it is now a tax write-off.

Goodbye sweet prince

Reason #5

I took Vivian the Volvo out of her semi retirement explaining to her that she is once again my only mode of transportation.

Vivian the Volvo 36 years old

I made one trip and realized she needed some work, so off to the shop we went and in a couple of days Vivian will be sporting some new shocks front and rear and all her little loose things tightened up so that she will no longer rattle down the road, and I got it all at a bargain price of just under a thousand.

Reason #6

My father's house sold after it put on the market for only a few days.  It sold for twelve thousand more than the asking price.  That is all good but I have no work van and Vivian is in the shop so no vehicle to hook my trailer to in order to retrieve the table saw that is still in my fathers house.

Reason #7

We just spent a whopping bunch of money for a Central Air system to be added to this big old house.  Install date is July 2nd.  It is supposed to be over 100 degrees and high humidity this weekend.  Where is all that famous Oregon rain?

Reason #8

MeMa's little VW Beetle is showing sign's of major transmission troubles, so a decision has to be made to spend the money (several thousand) or once again have a car payment for a newer car.

Reason #9

July 5th not only is my 62nd birthday but MeMa and I will running with hundreds of children on the streets of Disneyland.  Just the two of us in our "Happy Place."

Reason #10

July 5th, just isn't coming fast enough.

2012

This And That

Physical Therapy is going well and slowly, this old gardener is getting back into the garden where he belongs.  I have missed out seeing a few things bloom but found a bloom or two to show off. 

Bearded Iris and behind it is a dwarf kiwi vine "Issai"

The great tomato give-away went well and all the neighbors are looking forward to a healthy and happy tomato crop.  My greenhouse is once again a summer home to nothing but orchids.

MeMa's favorite floribunda rose "Europeana"

Cinco de Mayo was a blast.  MeMa and I were invited to the "Librarians" house for a big bash. We felt quite honored to be on the guest list with a few of the other neighbors, as this party in the past was attended by lesbian couples only.  I think as the many years have past they finally realize that they have become such an accepted and valuable part of neighborhood life and that we have all grown to love them both and the life they have created together.

I have three large nursery trays of giant Zinnias that I started from seed before being housebound. They really need to be planted but I am not supposed to bend forward for any length of time. The other day while shopping with MeMa I was able to get these ornamental potato vines and tray of coleus to follow me home.

Two weeks ago MeMa and her fellow Vegas Girls took pity on this old gardener and we all drove east over Mt. Hood to one of our favorite casino's.  The unusually warm weather was enjoyable as was the company.   the food was tolerable and the winnings were paltry but a fun time was had.  We do our part to support reservation life.

The Friday before Mother's Day I decided to stay home from work and pretend I was retired.  I liked it, I think MeMa is worried I liked it too much........did I mention that I liked it?  Enough said about that for now.  I talked CCL's son Randy (I don't think he likes cats) into moving this stoneware pot from the driveway to the back garden.  I had a vision.....and a big blank spot that is now filled.  If you click on the photo you will notice the bronze figure doing a face plant on its concrete base with re-bar poking up at threatening angles.  It is a "self sculpture" our son Ian created after a period of his life when bad decisions were fairly common and parents were likely to be woken from a sound sleep to come rescue an injured son and take him to the hospital in the middle the night.  We all survived and are doing wonderful.
I always worried that one of the Little Terrorists would impale themselves on this symbol of his past life, so it never had a permanent home until my "vision".  The pot stands about four feet, the danger of impaled Terrorist over and I have a great home for that beautiful canna lily that followed me home.  Thanks Randy and good luck with those cats.

In the Center Garden I decided we needed some height, so I found this four foot Italian Cypress to fit the bill. I can hardly weight till it is twenty feet tall

My usual large bed of garlic has been reduced to two small rows this year. the smaller greens in front of the garlic are Cippolini onions.

The Pot barrier is flourishing

Dwarf Buddleia new on the market and non-invasive

Mother's Day went very nicely, had a great time with both our son's and their families.  The weather was perfect, my Bar-BQ tri tip steaks were doing great until Lucy took a nasty tumble off the swing. Steaks overcooked in all the distraction.  Lucy received a goose egg lump on the back of her head and then the swing came back as swings do, giving her a nice bruise on her forehead.  The swing was removed, tears replaced with continued laughter, food eaten as though Poppi was the best chef ever.

Since we have only one Koi left I decided to block off the passageway to the second pond so that my waterlilies can get a good start and fill their containers so that the fish can't grub them out by the roots.  Once sufficiently established I can remove the barrier and allow the fish to swim the entire pond

The waterlilies making good progress. They are planted in two fifty gallon tubs.

Rhododendron's Vulcan and Fatuosum Flora Pleno on the west path to nowhere.

Golden Chain

I stopped by my parents house the other day, the house we all grew up in and went our separate ways.  I was the first to leave, my father was the last to leave.  As I stood in the empty living room and looked at the blank walls I cried tears of sadness and joy for the lives lived well that started here.  Good foundations are hard to come by, thanks Mom and Dad.