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| You want a piece of me? You want a piece of me? |
This afternoon the rain came down in torrents. I guess we have to live up to our reputation as the rainiest part of the country. We can average 70 inches of rain per year. After supper the dog and I ventured out into a cloudy but rain free evening. The temperature was 75 degrees and the the humidity was 97%. Fairly comfortable for August. I took a photo of a prickly pear cactus in my front yard as we left to go on our walk. The fruit is beginning to turn from green to purple. I have eaten the fruit from this cactus and it is very sweet. It does seem strange that a plant associated with the desert could do so well in this rain soaked area. One of the reasons it does well is because of curious people like me who are never satisfied to leave well enough alone. While out walking a few years back I found a big piece of cactus that someone had pulled up and dumped on the side of the dirt road. I should have known better but, I pulled off a couple of the circular pads and brought them home. I threw them in front of my garage and forgot about them. They kept on trying to grow there so I put one of them in a large pot for a couple of years. After growing too big for the pot I planted it in the ground. Now two years later it is nearly out of control. I think it knows I am reluctant to try and prune it due to those one inch spines. When they stick you it can hurt for a week. So take it from me, if you see a cactus on the side of the road with it's thumb out, keep going or it could turn into a painful relationship.
