June 18, 2002
Grotto News
Recent Acquisitions.
1) Seeds for Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantean)
The saguaro is the king of all cati - the undisputed champ. Made famous as a backdrop to countless westerns, the Saguaro is a towering spectacle. It can live to be over 200 years old. It blooms flowers and berries that the native people of the southwest use for jams. It is the state flower of Arizona, but that hasn’t stopped certain cretins from using the mighty cactus as a target for desert shooting -- perhaps due to the similarity of these old men of the desert to lost cowboys and Indians. A few years ago, it is reported, a man was killed when a Saguaro he shot toppled on him.
I've been assured that it will be impossible for me to grow a Saguaro in New York, but I think I can pull it off. The thing grows only around an inch a year, but can live for centuries. I fully intend to pass the dreaded thing on to my grandchildren.
2) Terra-Cotta urinating statue.
A coworker returned from a trip to china with a terra-cotta urinating toy. It is in the shape of a little schoolboy. You put him in a bowl of water and he fills up through the urethra. Then, when you pour hot water over his head, he urinates. It is a spectacularly useless and complicated toy - and I am sure it will promote many a hijinx in the yard.
