CHAPTER 2
Whew back and safe.
You will never believe what happened.
I was walking through the city of
“Does he sell any cacti ? ” I asked. “No,” he said, ‘ He hates you to mention the topic . If you do he’s just as likely to shoot you on the spot. But he gives them away .However you need to know how to go about it,” he added. “How do you do that,” I enquired. “Well” he said, “you have to give him something he wants. Then he is just as likely to give you a monster cactus ” he said. “Oh” I said “Well how do you know what he wants”. ” Well ” said the frog seller “you have to figure that out as you go. But again if you ask him if there is anything he wants or needs he gets offended and you might as well leave cause he just clams up”.
It was closing time and I had some work to do back at my motel.
The next day after work at about 6pm I drove past ‘Cactus House’ again. This time I saw a tall older man about 67yrs in the garden with a shovel in his hand. I approached and said “hello”, but he didn’t seem to hear me. “Hello Jack”, I said , he turned and said “G’day”. I said “G’day I am David I couldn’t help but notice your cacti”. “Yer” he said . “How long have you had them” I said “Oh a long time he replied ” as he commenced to dig a hole.
“Did you grow them from seed ” I said uncomfortably ” Nup,”he said “if I did I’d be 88yrs old… somes from Arizona and somes from South America” he said with a tremor in his voice and stopped digging for a while . I said “Do you want a bit of help with the digging”.”Nup,” he said, “its something I gotta do for myself “.
He seemed a bit upset, so I left it alone
There was a strained silence and I said ” looks like you have all the cacti a bloke could want “. “Well” he said “some things are more important than cacti son” [I’m 57 ] . I nearly said “oh and ‘what haven’t you got”… but I stopped myself just in time. Then he said quietly, ‘I lost my best mate a couple of days a go, that’s why I gotta dig this hole, so if you don’t mind I better get on with it. Come again to morrow if you want’. “Sure” I said “I’d love too.”
As I drove away it occurred to me his dog had died.
All day I dreamt of getting him another Shitzu, which I could give him in the hope that he might give me one of his large but manageable cacti. I rememberd the frog sales man said his dog was a Shitsu like the one in his shop window. I finished work early that day and went straight to the frog shop where I paid $ 200 through the nose, for the old Shitzu.
Then I took this great big, smelly, slobbering, old dog around to Jack’s place. He was out side patting over the hole he had obviously dug during my absence. I called to him as I walked up:
“ Hey Jack, I thought you might like this old dog to keep you company” I was standing next to a magnificent columnar about 8’ tall with two large branches, as I spoke. I was bubbling with anticipation. I was fit to burst.
“Nup”, he said.
“Why would I want the smelly old Shitzu for? I just got rid of it to the guy at the frog shop …. its incontinent, farts, snores and howls all night “ he said .
“Thanks but no thanks” he said.
As I drove home to SWMBO with JACK’S dog, I was rehearsing how I could tell SWMBO that I instead of a new cacti I had come home with the owners dog .
My dreams had turned into a whole lot of Shitzu.
Regards,
DAVID
CHAPTER 4
I could not help myself.
Shitsu was dead, my car smelt, I’d given $200 to a frog seller and I had lied to SWMBO. Why? because I am addicted to Cacti. I needed to make amends to SWMBO, she collects Donkey figurines, and I remembered seeing one in the ‘frog sellers’ shop.
As I drove towards
I needed an explanation, from the ‘frog seller’ and what’s more I wanted to know what was in the hole Jack had dug.
By chance I drove ‘Cacti House’. There was no one to be seen.
I stopped the car and walked back. I couldn’t help myself. Once more I was drawn in. Drawn to the monsters at the foot of Jacks’ garden. “Hello, hello Jack… is any one home… hello ” I called.
I took more photos as I walked deeper into the property.
I found myself standing near the hole Jack had dug just a few days before. I looked down, something had caught my eye.
As I bent down I could see it was the arm of a red pair of glasses. Without thinking I bent down to pick it up only to find it was partially buried. I pulled at it and it came out. It was a complete pair of red framed sunglasses. A feeling of horror came over me, I felt feint. They were the glasses the frog seller was wearing just a few days before .
Just then Jack drove in to his driveway . He was driving a yellow VW ‘beatle’ with chrome over-riders, circa 1971 [ I know I had one].
As jack got out of his car he turned with out seeing me and removed a large greasy brown paper parcel from the back seat. I quickly slipped the glasses into my coat pocket as I called “g’day Jack”. He jumped with fright, causing me to have a near heart attack . I apologised, trying to explain why I was down among the tall cacti. [ I lie a bit these days, especially if I am near cacti ].
I said, “I was just passing …” he said, “Look David I am a bit busy right now, can you come back tomorrow. I said, “No, I have work to do, but maybe another day”. I just wanted out of the place, something was odd about Jack , he seemed nervous and I had the creeps.
As I turned to leave Jack stooped and picked up a beaut Cussonia and said, “ How would you like this David”?
I was Emu eyed, “Thanks Jack ” I said and before I could stop myself I said, “Can I give you anything ?” he said a curt, “no” and I quickly departed. I drove away.My head was spinning, my heart was pumping . “Bugger the frog seller” I thought I am going home.
I had a bonza little plant.
On returning I told SWMBO about how I met an old bloke called Jack and how he had given me the Cusonia. “That’s nice dear” she said .
I did not mention
What should I do ?
I think I have to go back and talk with Jack.
CHAPTER 4
I could not help myself.
Shitsu was dead, my car smelt, I’d given $200 to a frog seller and I had lied to SWMBO. Why? because I am addicted to Cacti. I needed to make amends to SWMBO, she collects Donkey figurines, and I remembered seeing one in the ‘frog sellers’ shop.
As I drove towards Bendigo I tried to convince myself I was going back to make amends to SWMBO. But my thoughts were increasingly of Jacks cacti and less and less of SWMBOS donkey as the kms rolled by.
I needed an explanation, from the ‘frog seller’ and what’s more I wanted to know what was in the hole Jack had dug.
By chance I drove ‘Cacti House’. There was no one to be seen.
I stopped the car and walked back. I couldn’t help myself. Once more I was drawn in. Drawn to the monsters at the foot of Jacks’ garden. “Hello, hello Jack… is any one home… hello ” I called.
I took more photos as I walked deeper into the property.
[img]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/baldric1000/2ndfolderPicture199-1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/baldric1000/2ndfolderPicture208.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/baldric1000/2ndfolderPicture202.jpg[/img]
I found myself standing near the hole Jack had dug just a few days before. I looked down, something had caught my eye.
As I bent down I could see it was the arm of a red pair of glasses. Without thinking I bent down to pick it up only to find it was partially buried. I pulled at it and it came out. It was a complete pair of red framed sunglasses. A feeling of horror came over me, I felt feint. They were the glasses the frog seller was wearing just a few days before .
Just then Jack drove in to his driveway . He was driving a yellow VW ‘beatle’ with chrome over-riders, circa 1971 [ I know I had one].
As jack got out of his car he turned with out seeing me and removed a large greasy brown paper parcel from the back seat. I quickly slipped the glasses into my coat pocket as I called “g’day Jack”. He jumped with fright, causing me to have a near heart attack . I apologised, trying to explain why I was down among the tall cacti. [ I lie a bit these days, especially if I am near cacti ].
I said, “I was just passing …” he said, “Look David I am a bit busy right now, can you come back tomorrow. I said, “No, I have work to do, but maybe another day”. I just wanted out of the place, something was odd about Jack , he seemed nervous and I had the creeps.
As I turned to leave Jack stooped and picked up a beaut Cussonia and said, “ How would you like this David”?
I was Emu eyed, “Thanks Jack ” I said and before I could stop myself I said, “Can I give you anything ?” he said a curt, “no” and I quickly departed. I drove away.My head was spinning, my heart was pumping . “Bugger the frog seller” I thought I am going home.
I had a bonza little plant.
On returning I told SWMBO about how I met an old bloke called Jack and how he had given me the Cusonia. “That’s nice dear” she said .
I did not mention Bendigo, the hole and I did not certainly did not mention the glasses that were still in my pocket.
[img]http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/baldric1000/2ndfolderPicture372.jpg[/img]
What should I do ?
I think I have to go back and talk with Jack.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Hello,
I have returned from a spot of work I had to do in Bendigo a large country town in central Victoria. It was once an amazingly wealthy gold mining town.
I was driving along and this caught my eye
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CHAPTER 1
I KNOW YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS
I know some of you won’t believe this , but this is how I came to be interested in cacti.It all started 50 years ago. I was born sadly with no arms or legs and half a mouth. My mother was struggling to support me on on a meagre income earned by selling recycled chewing gum in bright red wrappers with the words “your favourite old chewey” on the wrapper. Not every one realized the true meaning. One day on my 5th birthday we went for a drive out into the country. It was the first time I had ever been to the country and I remember saying to my mother. “ mummy I love you, I don’t know what I would do with out you. She replied ‘and I love you David’
We drove for what seemed like hours until we came upon a river where mother parked the car. She carried me in one arm and the heavy bag of goodies she had prepared late that night, in the crook of her other arm.
We had a lovely time watching damsel flies flitting from flower to flower by the water side, while large green frogs croaked out what seemed like the tune to “Divorce” by Tammy Wynette. It was beautiful.
As the sun dropped behind the hilltops the sky turned the most beautiful purple, green pink, with yellow spots and orange stripes. It was a lovely day. Perhaps it would have been the loveliest day of my life if it wasn’t for my chance encounter with a Trichocereus peruvianis.
Mother carefully wrapped me up in my blue stripped bunny rug and put me in the car. But sadly 37 and ½ miles from home mothers Ford Customline just would not start. Mother did not know what to do, the river was so far out of the way we had not seen any one all day. Knowing that I needed my sugar extract because of my propensity to hypoglycaemia mother headed of into the dark for help.
Before she left she placed me in an old half brick half wood shed which had been unoccupied for many many years. As she left she said not to worry and “ be mummy’s brave little man’’. Through my half mouth I promised mummy that I would be brave. As mum commenced to walk off she tripped and as I later discovered broke her pelvis and both legs . I called out are you alright mummy? I think she half heard me for she replied . “Mummy is alright I will be back as soon as I can”.
I was not to know that it would take mummy 4 years to crawl to the city.
I lay there day after day. All I could see was the windowless window on one wall. Day followed day. From time to time I half cried. I knew Mummy would not desert me.
Then one day looking out the window I saw some thing green . It was a Trichocereus peruvianis. At first I thought nothing of it because I was hungry. Who knows why but that cacti started to stray into my dark dank room. With time it grew down and across my poor body. I watched in awe as flower buds commenced to form. Then a small green frog jumped in to my room, along the cactus branch and it smiled at me . So I sang the words DIVORCE ,that I had heard all that time before, and the frog danced happily on my little starved tummy.
Then one night the flowers bloomed, they were huge , and they were beautiful. The little frog started to drink the nectar. Then one day for reasons I don’t now remember, the little green frog started to feed me that nectar. I grew stronger day by day, then quite surprisingly I grew two legs and two arms. I could walk.
The little frog led me out of that marvelous shanty to where I found my mother, close to death after 3 1/2 years in the open. She had only crawled 1/2 mile.I was able to carry my precious mother to hospital, where by chance my father was now working as a surgeon and he saved her life. As a result they got back together and love each other,They now live in retirement at the old shanty where it all started. The very same Trichocereus peruvianis is still there today.
I know you won’t believe me, but that is the truth.
That is how I came to love Cacti [ and frogs].
DAVID