Bed bugs, Mostly Dead, a stubborn hibiscus, and what about Bob?

Ever have bed bugs? One can pick them up from the gym, a hotel, or even a friend. There’s no cleaner person than RM’s son, “the boy” yet while I was in the skilled nursing facility (aka the home) RM told me the boy had discovered bed bugs in his bedding.

Apparently one of his friends came for an overnight visit and as luck would have it, brought the boy tiny, biting bugs that would not stop breeding. Then RM discovered that bed bugs made it to her room as well so they both tossed their bedding and rugs and sprayed. They sprayed my room as well, just in case.

There I was at the home with an infected fake knee, and all I could think about was my frigging bad luck. And then, I had to hear about bed bugs. First, cancer, then a frigging infected fake knee with three surgeries done and two more to go, and I have the pleasure of returning to my home with bed bugs. Lucky, lucky, me.

Okay, I’m done whining. On a happier or maybe not, note, Mostly Dead Tree still lives. As you may recall, the boy cut dead branches off Mostly Dead with my hand saw (only 7 inches in length) and rendered Mostly Dead  half a tree. It was quite the butchering job. The half remaining grew new branches and lots of foliage. Only, the tree is still rotting. If we have high winds, or even heavy rains, it will break apart and land on the roof of the house. We really should cut her down. What to do, what to do…?

Remember Surely you should be dead by now hibiscus? Surely lives. I cut her back–down to the soil–yet she has grown and flowered. I am so over that plant. She has had every conceivable disease and insect infestation and I treated each and every one of them. She has been eaten by snails, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and rabbits and she still lives! She’s on her own now. We’ll see how Surely fares.

There’s another hibiscus that is a scrawny-looking tree.  It’s a double hibiscus. There are only a few blooms but they are stunning. I plan on cutting it back, though. RM will have a fit. She thinks it provides shade and privacy.  It’s just a mess.

That leaves us with Bob. I’m talking Bob the Mandevilla. It’s a climber and when it’s healthy, it has yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. However, while I was at the home, the boy was in charge of all the plants in the back yard. He failed to water them for 2 months. I had to cut back all the dying potted banana plants as well as Bob. It’s making a comeback.  I was hoping it wouldn’t. I hate that plant.

Now, you ask “How can you hate a plant?” It’s easy. Especially after trying to save it for so long. It just becomes a nuisance, a burden, vexing; a pain in the neck, an annoyance, a thorn in my side; a pariah, flora non grata, an irritation; takes a licking and keeps on ticking me off (I’m alluding to an old Timex commercial).

Next time, I’ll be covering some of my new plants, in particular: Azalea, Bougainvillea, Croton, Dragon Wing Begonia and several succulents. Most of the plants would be suitable as house plants.

 

He’s only mostly dead