Tag Archives: Pasiano

Virginia Creepers, For FOTD July 29, 2024

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One sort of Virginia Creeper
And here is Pasiano of the keen eye
Who is an expert at spotting the second sort of creeper––
And here is one more
To complete the day’s quartet.
Click on photos to enlarge.

Virginia Creeper is one one of my favorite plants as it quickly provides a complete cover over my terrace, and although it doesn’t flower, once a year for a month or so it does provide creepers of its own—these huge caterpillars that eventually turn into large moths that resemble hummingbirds so closely that I’ve only really ever identified one in the 23 years I’ve been relocating the larvae to my downhill lot. The caterpillars are so fascinating that I can’t bear to kill them, but in their larvae stage, they also produce bee bee-sized black poop pellets that cover the terrace and table and chairs below. If you want to see (and read) more about the caterpillars, go HERE.

Here is an image of hummingbird moth by Graehem Mountenay. I’ve never been able to capture one and have seen only one in 23 years. They must be present, though, judging by the dozens of their caterpillars that we remove from my Virginia creeper each year.

For Cee’s FOTD

Morrie

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Morrie

He displays such fierce bravado, barking at the man
who dares to try approach me. He’ll bite him if he can.
If he does not get his nuance, perhaps he’ll get his grasping.
If he can’t heed the exposed teeth, perhaps he’ll get their clasping.

If that human could but read the globes of Morrie’s widening eyes,
he’d need no communication in any other guise
from this dog that has decided he is his only rival
for his mistress’s affection. Every time, there’s a revival

of his barking and his lunging should this man dare approach me.
It’s as though he fears he’s coming with intentions to come poach me.
With everybody else, he is a charmer through-and-through.
He cannot wait to make a friend of anyone who’s new.

His emotions are a crazy-quilt of trying hard to please—
of greeting you with ball in mouth and jumping at your knees.
He cannot wait for you to sit to jump up on your lap
and insists on long ear rubbings before he takes a nap.

He’s every visitor’s best friend. Greets strangers on the beach,
and will bring a ball to anyone he finds who’s within reach.
Never will he wear out when chasing after balls.
He goes to bed when I demand and answers all my calls.

But why he feels my gardener of nineteen years duration
is a threat to me, and such a threatening aberration
that he flies to my defense whenever he is near,
is a mystery that I’ve not solved, and never will, I fear.

 

Prompt words today are bravado, globe, quilt, nuance and grasping.

Birthdays Dawn to Dusk

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Three hours at the doctor’s today, then returned home to a visit from John, my across the street neighbor, who brought me a birthday cupcake. Met Blue at Viva Mexico only to find neither of us have recovered from this curse.  We shared a meal and brought most of it home.  After eating even that small amount, I was so sick by time I got home.  Fell into bed with a couple of kitties as company only to hear a very faint trill.  Could it be the doorbell on the gate? 

Called out and no one answered.  Went back to bed only to hear strains of music.  Opened the front door to find Pasiano and family—his wife Patty with the hugest bouquet of flowers and Pasiano strumming the guitar. Ishamel, their six year old son, was singing along as they all sang “Las Mananitas.”  I’d bought Pasiano the guitar, made in the guitar town pictured in “Coco.” He had said he wanted to learn the guitar and I kept asking him how he was doing. Since the entire song was sung to him strumming the strings without any notes fingered at all, I take it that he hasn’t taken lessons yet,  but such a sweet gesture, and they were all giggling and so pleased with themselves. 

.  This is my third serenading since I’ve been in Mexico.  The first was on my sixtieth birthday, the second on my seventieth and the third, today on my 71st.  Such a lovely custom. Awakened by Yolanda’s family with flowers and a gift, flowers and a serenade by Pasiano’s family at the end of day. Nice birthday.  

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Now, to bed for the rest of my birthday. Had lab tests today and hope to find out tomorrow just what this is. Thanks for all the good wishes. Sure do like all y’all!!!

Plumeria, Papyrus, Bougainvillea and Pasiano: Flowers of the Day, May 9, 2018

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Pasiano hard at work with hose and broom, trying to maintain order in the garden.

For Cee’s Flower of the Day prompt.

Loop de loop

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Thought I’d have to do this job myself, but Pasiano took over immediately and did a beautiful job.

Loop de Loop

Every little hole drilled, every little loop
helps attach the walls for—our new kitty coop.
They’re tired of the inside. They want to get out.
They’ve got cabin fever—I’ve not any doubt.

They’ve taken over all my house—bathroom, sala, kitchen.
So many handy spots to hide while they’re mama-ditchin’.
They pulled down all my CD’s and ate my bird’s nest too.
So many great high perches. Always something new.

But mama’s running out of time. She has too much to do
to spend all of her time running this temporary (?) zoo.
Some outside time is what we need—these 4 kittens and me—
a little outside running place will set all of us free.

So Pasiano’s attaching walls over the side gate bars
to protect the kitties from dogs and speeding cars.
Although escape to the big world I’m sure they’d find sublime,
we hope the napa palms are too slippery to climb.

The particle board is all installed.  The kittens in fresh air
leap and climb and hide and play. They find it lovely there.
They don’t answer to their names, their naming is so new;
They are Kukla, Fran and Ollie and the white girl we call Roo.

Will the big cat come to visit, or perhaps a frog or two?
That would give them other interesting things to do.
As for me, I finally have some time to do some writing
with nothing climbing up my leg—scratching, mewing, biting.

Kittens are so precious, a constant fun delight;
but I can’t be petting kittens every hour—day and night.
They had two inside places. Now they have an outside other.
No one can tell who likes it most—the kittens or their mother!

 

Olie and Roo have a wonderful time rolling in the dirt, playing with palm fronds and trying to climb the slippery trunks of the trees. So do Kukla and Fran for a half hour or so, but . . .

soon I could hear their piping little “mew mew mew”s.  They’d climbed between the bars and were begging for me to open the sliding screen to let them in.  Within minutes, they were curled up in separate drawers in the bathroom, as was Ollie. Soon, only Roo remained outside, asleep in the sun, where she still is two hours later!

I would have shown you many more photos, but alas, my computer drive is full again and I can’t download any.

 

The prompt today was loop.