Night Blooming Cereus

Greetings Dear Reader,

We have a skunk.  He is not a pet but he has graced our home with his presence for the last four years.  I have only seen him a few times. In the summer I smell him as he wanders the yard hugging the edge of the house.  In winter I see the pads of his passage in the snow.  We have named him Cereus after the night blooming flower; one of my favorite.  He even has his own Face Book page.

I think that skunks are very adorable creatures.  He is not a nuisance and the smell is tolerable.  A couple of recent events have brought Cereus to the forefront in our lives.  The first is the arrival of some other wildlife in the neighborhood. 

A pair of Great Horned Owls has taken up residence in a large tree near our house.  I also find these creatures amazing.  I have taken up a seat on our stoop at night a few times to watch them.  They call back and forth and I saw one take a rabbit right in our yard.  The difficulty is that the Great Horned Owl is a skunk’s primary predator.  For Cereus sake I hope that the owls did not see him as a bonus to moving into the neighborhood.  I would prefer both the owls and Cereus to have long and enjoyable lives.

The second event that propelled Cereus into the spotlight occurred last week.  Our friend Present visited.  She brought her young dog, Josephine.  Joe decided to introduce herself to Cereus.  Cereus decided to pee in her face.  The smell permeated the house, Present, Christmas, and Josephine as well as my car.  I was nowhere near the event but the pungent aroma invaded the office where I was writing. 

This is the first time since Cereus has joined the menagerie around our house that he has caused any difficulty.  A friend told me to get rid of him.  I think not.  Just because he caused a problem is not a reason to disavow him.  He is a beautiful creature who brings the reality of some truths to light.  Why should I reject a part of creation just because I find it displeasing in some way?  In four years of residence he has only caused this one problem.  It was not his fault; he was only doing what he was created to do.

I think that Cereus is a treasure and has lessons to teach me about my own flaws or even the things that others see as flaws that are actually are part of who I am.  Josephine is OK thought a bit orange from the tomato bath.  Christmas and Present recovered.  My car is all better thanks to Fabreeze®.  All said it was a worthy adventure and reminds me that just because friends can be inconvenient at times is no reason to love them any less.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."