Planting Time

Puppy and Arya are nestled in their new home, tucked under a nice dark layer of potting soil where they can perform their amazing work of transformation.  It truly is amazing, and I wish that I had the equipment to record that transformation beneath the soil. Isn't it a wonder?

I'm anxious to see them grow. 

I held a service for the passing of Puppy the First.  She will be remembered well for her struggle for life, brief as it was,  She ended her days as she began, in a red Solo™ cup.

The puppies are here!

Puppy brother and sister have arrived.  There were three but one was DOA.  And now that I see two healthy mango seeds of indeterminate gender, I can finally admit that Puppy is way sicker than I have admitted to you or to me.


Okay, the truth is, Puppy died some time ago and has simply been rotting in her red solo cup.  It's high time she was given a proper burial.

I shall plant her siblings and I shall call them Puppy.  Because I don't speak Mango, I can't tell you what their real names are.  We shall call them Puppy and...I don't know.  I have to come up with a good name for the second one.  I'm taking them home to plant in the planter I have waiting for them.  It's a clay pig.  So Puppy and...um... Arya (YES, Arya!!!!!) will share a home for a while.

I like the name Arya.  Arya is one of the great survivors of the Stark clan.  She's tough, smart, and persistant.  I think those are good things for a mango tree in this hostile world, don't you?

Adopting

I've taken the leap.  I've checked pedigrees and put in my request for a couple of mango seed brothers or sisters from a good home in Florida. 

Really.  

I checked them out. 

On Ebay.

I kind of feel horrible buying mango children this way, but Puppy is failing and I fear she needs her own kind to help her make it. 

It's an excellent plan.  And a good mango mother does what it takes for her mango child.  Oh, Puppy.  You must make it!

Seriously? Does No One Want Puppy to Live?

Puppy had a difficult weekend, I fear.  Her water was...well, let me not go into detail, but I have changed it and she is once again swimming in clear clean water.  I fear she is a very sick little Puppy.  I am making strides toward getting her a Puppy brother or sister to keep her company, but it turns out you can't just  walk into the local hardware store and buy a mango seed. 

I just want her to have the company of her own kind, you know?  The world can be cold and cruel when you are all alone.  No wonder she is doing poorly. 

Puppy the Mango must live!  She will.

I think, though, that when Puppy gets a brother or sister, I'm going to give them a nice dirt home.  I fear the hydroponic thing may be the problem.  That and loneliness...

Send your cards, letters and well wishes to: puppythemango at gmail dot com

Puppy Gets A Bath

I don't know if Puppy actually NEEDS a bath, you understand, but she is looking...kind of sad.  I don't know what she SHOULD look like at this point, but it seems clear that things are not quite right in Puppy's world.  I think Puppy needs a sister or a brother.  I think I will work on that this weekend.

In the meantime, I decided to give Puppy a gentle bath.  This is to ensure that there is no stink, fungus or other yuckys getting in the way of Puppy's growth.  Now I think it just stands that Puppy needs the encouragement of another mango growing nearby.

So I shall work on this over the weekend.  Once again, Puppy will be alone with our ghost, so I may have to leave a note for the ghost.

Dear Friendly Ghost:

Please take care of Puppy. She isn't feeling well.  Maybe some encouraging words from you will help.  Thank you for watching over her while I'm away.                                            Puppy's Mother

So, there you have it.  The plan for the weekend....Say, do you remember in Peter Pan, when Tinkerbell is fading and everyone who believes needs to clap???  Maybe that's what we should do here.  But instead of clapping, we can all comment with an encouraging word for Puppy the Mango.  I will make sure she gets all the kind words you can muster, okay?  Comment away!

Puppy Dreams

I wonder what Puppy dreams there in her Solo cup home? Does she dream of sunshine? Of birds nesting in her branches? Does she see herself in full glory, tall and beautiful, uncurling her luscious leaves underneath a bright blue sky? Does she dream of flowering? Of bees buzzing about? Does she blush at thoughts of pollination? Does she long to be fertile and to tenderly carry her golden children to full growth?

As I play some Bonnie Raitt and Norah Jones for her, I hope her dreams are sweet.  I can't wait to meet her.  Hopes she pokes her little head out soon!

Trauma in the Puppy Cup

I'm not gonna lie...yesterday was traumatic for Puppy, and for me. I took the advice of all the mango growing experts on...ask.com (they would never steer you wrong, right?) and removed Puppy's seed from the pit.  Poor Puppy looks so fragile and exposed there, sitting in the water in naught but her birthday suit.  Letting her sleep in today.  Will check on her tomorrow.

The first weekend alone...

Puppy survived the weekend alone in the office.  Well, alone except for our resident ghost, of course. He seems a friendly sort, not inclined to mischief and such, but he does make himself known if you work late, which few of us will. We prefer to leave him the run of the place at night.

The night may be dark and full of terrors, but Puppy seems fine. Whew!!!!!

Anthropomorphism

In giving a name to my mango, I find odd things happening to me.  Is Puppy getting enough light? I wonder.  Am I changing the water too frequently? Not enough? Should I bring Puppy home for the weekend, or will she be okay in the office all by herself?

I may need therapy.

I think I see new growth. Maybe.

Maybe not.

I have a large oriental pot waiting for Puppy when she gets older, but don't tell her, I think she might be overwhelmed by my expectations for her growth.  One day at a time is enough for now.

The Beginning: Puppy gets a name

I have a mango pit in a cup of water, waiting for it to sprout and look madly about for the sun. In the meantime, it looks rather…gross, despite changing the water daily. It’s a small price to pay, I tell myself for the possibility of a mango tree. I can’t have these little experiments at home, Steve has thrown so many away that I can’t even count. How many avocado pits began to sprout and then simply disappeared while he shook his head and muttered at me leaving things to rot. So I have this one at work. I have the cup marked so the cleaning lady won’t toss it. It’s one of those iconic red solo cups that some people enjoy rather ironically, though I’ve never really understood why… One of my co-workers, whom I adore, has a real issue with anything that looks remotely off. She is a total germaphobe, who will not touch a bathroom doorknob without a paper towel in her hand, and flushes the toilet with her foot.

 

She laughs at herself, and her awareness of her own foibles is endearing rather than annoying.

 

I was changing the water and cleaning the cup before refilling the cup and returning the pit to its home. She happened to walk into the kitchen at that point and made a bit of a production out of it. “It’s rotting!” she shrieked. I smiled. “Of course it is. That’s what happens to many seeds before they start growing. The outsides rot.” I say it knowingly as if talking to a child. I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but I think I read it somewhere. She carries on for a bit, and after leaving her the kitchen, I snap a picture of my mango pit and email it to myself.

 

Soon, I have an email heading to her (and another co-worker, to make it look more real). The subject is “FW: OMG, cutest puppy/cat picture EVER!!!!!” The exclamation marks are crucial to making a forwarded photo believable, as is the “OMG”. I can’t bring myself to have a misspelling, although then it would be triple gold.

She is completely grossed (score!) and laughs for several minutes.

 

It occurs to me to make a sign for my little project. I tape my sign to a wooden coffee stirrer and attach it to the cup. It reads “I am trying to grow a mango tree. I call her “Puppy.”

 

I think Puppy needs a blog. And daily updates.

 

When Puppy has lovely mangoes dangling off her lovely branches, we’ll see who's laughing then…. You would think that things such as this would take a lot of time out of my workday, but truthfully, they take almost no time at all. I’ve gotten so skilled at these kind of things I can do them almost without a second thought. I’m not sure if that is something to brag about, or if I should hang my head in shame. Probably the latter.