Hey Buds Below

The other day, I stepped out of bed onto something squishy and prickly. (And, no, it wasn't pleasant.) It didn't feel like a cat toy. I thought it might be some kind of deadly, exotic insect — a giant puffer cockroach maybe — and I was about to die a horrible death. Then I thought it was something far worse than a deadly insect — maybe a cat turd covered in cat litter.

As it turned out, I wasn't going to die of puffer cockroach poisoning or even of cat turd tremens. I did, however, wonder if peanut cactus thorns carry poisons. Especially as I quickly stepped on three more.

We've had this small cactus (I've heard it called peanut cactus) for most of a year. Moose and Dudo have ignored it — after first approaching and feeling it prickle against their noses. The cactus sits on my dresser in a front window. It's been doing wonderfully.

WHEN IT WAS WHOLE.

Suddenly, Moose finds this plant fascinating. He pulls the stems off and carries them around the house. I thought he was simply being destructive (others might call it playful). But it turns out, Moose has taken up gardening.

NOTICE THE BALD SPOT?

I'M NO CRIME-SCENE EXPERT...
BUT THE CAT HAIR IS A DEAD GIVE-AWAY.

This morning I awoke to a bit of dirt on the dresser and two cactus stems at the base of one of Jerry's little mango trees. Moose is designing a terrarium.

MOOSE'S GARDEN.

IF HE HAD A THUMB, IT WOULD BE GREEN.

This evening, Moose was puttering on the terrace. 
I could swear I heard him singing: