Dear Editor,
As we continue in our self-quarantine, my determination to get a green thumb, no matter what, has begun to wear thin. I have several cactus that have been in the front yard of our house for years. Although beautiful, they have been a real stickler (literally) for our precious baby dog, Diego.
His daily routine included chasing doves, rabbits, quail, trucks, horses and people. His all time favorite, rabbits. These guys are fast and have sought refuge under these beautiful cactus in which he makes a head first dive to try and catch them. Then, we spend hours sometimes days, removing the needles.
We have tried fencing him out but soon discovered that we are not the only ones with determination. Alas, we decided to remove them and replace them with vegetation that are more dog friendly. So, rakes, loppers and gloves in hand, we set out to save our baby dog Diego from the prickly pear and long needles of our cactus farm. I started out with gusto for about 5 minutes.
Did you know those needles are really like needles? Every single needle seemed to find a spot on our skin. After a day and a half of sitting with tweezers, I QUIT!! Those suckers hurt! The gloves were useless and ended up in the trash because the needles are impossible to remove much less seen on the gloves.
I know, there has to be a better way, I haven’t found it being new to cactus removal. So, slow she goes. More thoughtful and strategic in the approach of the deadly cactus needles. In the meantime, baby dog Diego continues his quest and determination to catch a rabbit with his head first dives. By the way, did I mention the leaf cutter ants? These adventures continue.
Sally Morisset
Golden Valley
