Am in my garden bench, soft evening sun, light breeze, admiring my 6 or 7 hours of trimming, digging, transplanting, moving huge pots around. And enjoying the looong weekend. And waiting to go out for dinner with the in-laws from Penang.
Before you start getting ideas, it's my papaya tree which is desperate for love.
I hope you can see the very long stem sticking all the way out from the trunk with big bunches of flowers at the ends. This is the papaya tree at the back which has been desperately trying to get imprenated. This is a wonder of nature. I decided to chop it down this morning to create for space and less competition for the mango and naka trees next to it. JANTAN!
This one found lots of love. It's right next to my compost bins. You can see the flowers are sprouting just at the trunk.
And this is MJ.
We used to have a black dog named Johnny when I was a kid. He died and I remember we dug a hole in the backlane (which wasn't tarred) and buried him there. Then one time, some expatriates in Johor were leaving home (this was in the 1970s) and needed new owners for their cat. Their servant who happened to be our cousin, recommended us to the owners. So the owners bought big bags of cat food and gave us the cat. After a while, the cat ran away. I am not sure. I think it had something to do with the food we gave the cat after the bags of food ran out. Of course the old owners were distressed.
The last time we had pets was when my sis-in-law bought a pair of hamsters for Vivian's birthday. Hamster don't live long. I remember my son shed tears when they died. We gave them a burial in our garden (old house). Vivian has for a long time bugged us about getting a dog. When she aced her form five exams, I said she could have anything. Except a dog. Ah, taking care of pets is a big responsibility. Especially if you have to go outstation.
But Vivian is an adult now, so she can do what she wants. And she's training to be a Vet. So, what better training than taking care of your own pet?
And we are learning the pleasures and benefits of having a pet. Though still holding back a little. No jumping on the table. No sitting on the sofa. No sleeping on the bed. But he's really, really a pleasure. Cats are really very fussy. They don't poo just anywhere. On the car trip back from KL, he didn't poo at all but once in our house, Vivian put him on the litter box and he did his business. Cats are not like dogs. You can't train they to roll over and stuff. Vivian trained him to "sit", when offering treats (made from real duck!). Over the last two days, I trained me to come to me. "Come here MJ", snapping my finger and thumb (OK, I'm not very good at snapping my thumb). He will now come and lie down near me, expecting to be tickled under the chin and some gentle rub on the body. He loves my garden. Smelling the leaves, biting the grass, prancing and pouncing, as though his wild instincts are coming forth. Yesterday he caught a live dragonfly, played with it and ate it.
No, he's not getting leftovers. One reason is that the fur will not be so nice and fluffy. And it would be difficult for Vivian 'cos she doesn't cook when she's at the varsity. Ah, but he got a taste of my double-boiled abalone and herbs chicken. He absolutely loved. My wife gave him some dried fish (like ikan bilis) and he loved it too.
Cat love the high perch. The first night, we gave him a basket with a towel to sleep. The next morning, we found him high up on top of our old (broken) microwave oven (which is on top of the washing machine). So, that has become his sleeping place. He likes window sills. I guess it's the wild cat instinct to to take a high position to watch their "dinners".
Remember your parents might have scolded you and tell you to quickly wash your hands when you touch a cat? Especially a stray one? Well, I learned from Vivian that it is not all myth. Stray cats do carry a lot of diseases because of the places they visit. And pregnant women should avoid handling cat poo. There's some kind of bacteria in the poo which is a health hazard for the expecting mum. (Correction : Vivian says its not bacteria but parasites. You know like worms? I remember a long time ago when parents had to de-worm the kids. And when the kids next go to the toilet, there will be worms in the shit. Worms of course suck your blood; or more precisely, they suck the nutrients in your digestive system and the person turn all green; for lack of nutrients. Ok, I'm exaggerating. To de-worm the cat, you have to give the correct amount of tablet every month, based on the weight of the cat.)
And in case you are not convinced yet to have a pet, Vivian says the evidence shows that pets help to lower blood pressure. Yah, that's why I am soooo calm these few days. MJ, come here!
2 comments:
Prof you are more vet than an urban planner. made me interested to have a cat or dog but without paradise
O.O brian cried when his hamster died?? whoa....the sentimental side of brian
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