Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today to talk about some kind of different stuff, on this lazy, dry afternoon in mid September. You may remember me from such posts as “Shedding Light”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose. I know this makes my posterior looks larger than it really is, but lately I’ve been enjoying lying under the kitchen table, close to the guy I live with, when he’s typing away at the laptop or watching TV.
More plants are up here than there were last week. The Madonna lily, Lilium candidum, is up, though there are more bulbs than just the one shown here. The others are taking their time. 
You plant these bulbs pretty shallowly, and earlier than other lilies, because they produce leaves at this time of year (I guess it’s not necessary for me to say that); the leaves can get tattered by winter cold but more will grow in spring.
And there are colchicums. Here’s ‘Innocence’ again.
And Colchicum cilicicum. 
And ‘Faberge’s Silver’. 
Pretty neat, huh? There are others in flower too, but some of them have earwigs in them, and who wants to see earwigs?
Which brings me to the title of today’s post. You were probably wondering. Or maybe just grossed out and didn’t want to read anything about cockroaches.
You know how people are always giving advice even when it’s not wanted? Like always? Well, after the guy I live with’s wife died, people said he should get rid of all of her stuff, which really rubbed him the wrong way, partly because of the unsolicited advice, but also because he likes having a lot of her stuff around the house.
Including the magnets and things on the refrigerator doors.
Yes, some of the magnets and cards could be straightened.
Yesterday, while the guy I live with was vacuuming the rugs in the kitchen, he heard a crunching sound and discovered that a couple of the magnets had been knocked onto the floor, and one, a big cockroach magnet, was broken in two.
I wondered if everyone would be jealous of this big cockroach refrigerator magnet; the guy I live with said “Probably”. I mean what else would you want crawling on your refrigerator door?
The truth is that he had never noticed this particular magnet before. It’s made of wood, and was probably something his wife made by gluing a magnet onto it, not an actual refrigerator magnet, but of course it became one when a magnet was glued onto it and then it was stuck on the refrigerator door.
There are lots of things like that in the house, still. It has been over eleven years since his wife died, but the guy I live with is still finding various objects of mystery, you might say.
Also just yesterday, he was downstairs looking for a DVD to watch (the DVDs are all downstairs in a closet), he just happened to look on the very dusty bookshelf and saw a couple of things which he had never opened, and so he looked, for the first time ever. 
There was some kind of extremely pleasant scent in that bottle with its glass dropper, an essence or something. Vastly nicer than the perfume that’s been in the air for so long.
And then that little box to the left of the bottle was opened. (Not very much in focus, I know.)
This was even nicer. I could smell it on the guy I live with when he came upstairs; he said it was either dragon’s blood or amber. Those were two of his wife’s favorite scents. He knew the difference between the two but couldn’t remember.
There are all kinds of scents in the case in the studio next to the bedroom. The guy I live with hasn’t checked out any of these. (Another picture not in focus.)
I can’t describe the way the studio smells, but the guy I live with said it’s like entering a room that’s been closed for ages, and getting whiffs of something redolent. Not only are there bottles, but also the scents of some candles, old incense, and books.
So, anyway, that’s what happened yesterday and today. Yes, opening a little bottle and a little box made the day interesting for him. “Too bad there wasn’t a genie”, he said. I think squirrels are much more interesting but the guy I live with said he’d like to find more bottles filled with mysterious, fragrant substances. Or maybe a genie.
And I guess the cockroach can’t be fixed, and is going to be tossed.
I’ll leave you with a kind of Blair Witch picture of me, on my midnight walk.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
I love all that stuff, Mani, even the cockroach. I was wondering, how is your weight? A bit portly? No? We got a lecture from the vet. I wish I could smell those scents. We used to have some. You’d put a metal ring on your lightbulb and then a drop of the oil and it would scent your room. Now, of course, the LED bulbs don’t give off heat so that doesn’t work. Instead you can buy a cartridge of chemical and plug it into your outlet. And why do people give unsolicited advice anyway? Well, I’ve probably been guilty of it, but nothing that crass I’m sure. I’m just sure.
Oh, the guy I live with said you wouldn’t have believed the advice he got after his wife died. Well, maybe you would.
He said a lot of people seem to think that any sentence is a request for advice. The book he got, Nonviolent Communication, says “Ask before giving advice or reassurance”, since those things are considered not listening.
The doctor never said anything about my weight when I went for my physical in April. I could lose a couple of pounds. The guy I live with could stand to lose a lot more than that.
There are really a lot of scent bottles downstairs. Before it was a Whole Foods there was a store in Denver that had a little counter with small glass bottles and stoppers, filled with scents like amber and dragon’s blood. She liked those better than regular perfume (which is not the same as the stuff coming from next door). There was a little bottle of nag champa here, to be dripped on to as light bulb, but the guy I live with spilled the whole bottle.
There is still a tiny, old bottle of Ysatis by Givenchy in the bathroom.
All of it getting more concentrated as time goes by.
Oh! I have old perfume too, and Ysatis is one of them. Pretty bottle and still smells good. It’s 35 years old. I had to look up Nag champa. Besides advice, people tell you how you “should” feel, according to their standards. Usually people who’ve never experienced anything remotely like what you are enduring.
It’s true; people always give advice about things they’ve never experienced.
Nag champa is a pretty wonderful scent. Not overpowering. The guy I live with has become extremely sensitive to “fragrances” in the last couple of years, but this one is nice. Natural.
The most common nag champa incense is Satya Sai Baba, in a blue box, but the formula was changed and it doesn’t have the same smell. Shanthimalai is a really good nag champa incense. Red box.
The nag champa votive candles made by Crystal Journey are also very nice.
I do not like that cockroach, not at all! Too realistic! Thank you for no earwig pics. I would rather have that cockroach on my refrigerator than the earwig infestation I had in the garden a few years ago.
If you think your butt looks big, you should see Boo’s, my not-purebred Border collie! He has his father’s heeler butt, and they are wide!
Stuff on a refrigerator is fun, it makes it seem like a homey house. My son keeps putting up our set of “cat butt” magnets, and I keep taking them down. Funny, but very tacky!
(Yet, I’m the one using the word “butt” twice in this reply!”
The guy I live with says it’s my ultra-fluffy pants that make my rear end look a little too large. Really it’s quite slim. My pants have to be brushed constantly and you can see that hasn’t been done in a day or two.
The cockroach is pretty realistic, so I hear anyway, but you should see what’s out in a cardboard box on the garage workbench. It was (note tense) real. Not going to show it, though. Maybe for Halloween.
There was a Simpsons episode where there was like an educational video, “Earwigs, eew”.
Mew mew mew that sure ISS an eye catchin titel fore yore mew post Mani an yore Guy!! LadyMew sorta shivurred…an then shee got cureeus…mee too! That was a kewl magnet…that cockroach…An findin THE jar an box soundss wunderfull too!
When LadyMew lost her huzband Paul hee did not have anythin much…..LadyMew gotted his faverite T-shirt an still has it an wearss it on Mistur Paul’ss Birfday an his Leevin date. Hee used to wear Jovan Musk Fore Men so LadyMew has a bottle of that an when shee REELLY missess him; shee spritzz’ss sum on herself…
AS for huzband Kevin shee was so angry ’bout him committin suicide shee gave efurrything away xcept for his denim shirt. Shee told mee once her anger subsided shee wished shee had not given all his thingss away…..shee said it was a ‘knee-jerk’ reeaction an yore Guy wuud understand…..
Shee keeped ALL fotoss tho’ an has her fave foto of Paul framed inn bedroom an THE weddin foto of her an Kevin framed inn bedroom. They are there with fotoss’ of her PawPaw Henry an Brothur Dale an all her catss so shee can see them ferst thing each mornin an last thing beefore sleep….
LadyMew iss such a ‘row-mantick’ issn’t shee???
An peepell meen well with advice butt each purrson dealss with loss an Leevin in their own way….no one reelly said much to LadyMew (they were afraid she’d bit their headss off!!) 😉
Love yore ‘Blair Witchy’ foto Mani…happy trailss mee frend….
**purrss** BellaDharma an (hugss) LadyMew
There’s isn’t anything wrong with keeping things. There are urns in our little bedroom, on the dresser and bookshelf.
All of the things you do sound perfectly healthy to us.
Meow meow tell yore Guy LadyMew iss reeleeved hee understand. Shee wanted thingss of Paul’ss butt there was hardlee anything left.Hee had a few clothess an his toiletriess. But no horse head bookends or any itemss; they all had diss-appeared beffore hee went to Hospital last time. Even THE sweater hee wore was gone. Only THE Route 66 Skull with Angel Wingss T-Shirt was left…..even his jewelry was gone.
LadyMew sayss that was ironic as losin Kevin shee was too upset to look thru; hiss itemss…Ironic fore sure.
One thing shee has are her memoreess an shee tellss mee storiess ’bout them both an playss ongss an singss along…at leest shee doess not cry as much anymore…..
The guy I live with tells me stories about the way things were here, all the time.
Mew mew mew our Hu’manss love to reemyniss don’t they?? It iss livin hisstory. An fore mee, mee understandss how mee gotted to tHE Purrfect Pad (with ‘angel’ Purrince Siddhartha’ss help).
Maybe the guy I live with keeps trying to tell me how good it could really have been here. Even though it’s pretty darn good right now.
I hardly ever get left alone, for one thing.
You know Mani mee LadyMew does THE same thing!! Shee tellss mee how there were nice treess out front an ‘angel’ Aunty NYLABLUE had 2 condoss’ connected an shee wuud bee out all day under THE Blue Spruce tree. Shee sayss it looks like ‘Bommed out Bayroot” here…not sure what shee meenss. Mee lovess it here. Mee even as s “Sunbrella’ fore mee Condo. Our Hu’manss are so funny…..mew mew mew…
Well, it was the same place here then, as now, but with another human, and there were two purebred border collies (three, for a little while). The guy I live with misses having someone to talk to every day. And to cook for. And go on walks with. And watch The Simpsons with. Things like that.
Mee heerss you Mani…LadyMew sayss shee missess Mistur Kevin alot beecause hee was guud to her an tooked guud care of her. When shee cuud not walk hee wuud carry her even up THE stairss to see Docktur. An hee rented a wheelchair so shee cuud have her own wheelss to go out. An hee wuud take her to his Baseball gamess an set up wheelchair an shee wuud have her own seat. An they used to watch “AS Time Goes By” British comedy rowmance an “Midsomer Murdurss” together an play Backgammon.
Sumtimess when shee iss watchin “As Tiem Goes By’ mee seess teerss roll down LadyMew’ss cheekss butt mee purrtendss mee not see them.
Ladymew told mee shee wishess shee was more like mee an not so sennysitive…mee thinkss Hu’manss were not made to bee alone!
You may be right. The guy I live with misses watching The Simpsons with his wife.
Mee sorry yore Guy iss sad watchin his show alone…LadyMew lovess THE British 60’s show “Heartbeat” an mee will sit with her on on her when it iss on Furiday nitess!
‘Angelss’ Grate Aunty Mingflower an Aunty NYLABLUE an Unkell Siddhartha Henry ALL watched this show with her so it iss a tradishun here….iss nice to carry this on fore LadyMew….
Traditions can be important. There are a lot of them here. Some seem kind of odd to me.
Mee thinkss tradishunss help our Hu’manss cope! Efurry nite beefore bed LadyMew kissess her fingertipss an then touchess ‘angelss’ NYLABLUE & Mingflower’ss ash boxess. An she all so has 2 wee litess shee putss on.
1 iss inn front of ‘angel’ Unkell Siddhartha’ss foto an 1 on floor for mee an wee play Lazer toy. Aftur wee play shee ternss both wee litess off an shee kissess Unkell’ss foto…
shee iss a furry *kissey* purrson!! An last butt not leest, shee blowss MEE **kissess**…..iss furry sweet….
Kisses are excellent. And I agree, traditions are important, though we’ve broken with tradition by going on walks at eleven at night.
Mew mew mew soundss like you broke with tradishun to start a mew roo-teen Mani!! LadyMew said walkin out at 11benty Pee Em can bee furry soothin…shee used to do that many yeerss ago. Sumtimess shee goes out on patio an just sittss on bench lookin up at THE sky…shee sayss iss ‘good meddycin fore THE Soul’. Does yore Guy feel like that ’bout walkin at 11benty Pee Em too?
Well, it can be a little creepy. Loud noises in the underbrush. That sort of thing.
Mew mew mwe loud noisess are scarey fore sure! Yore inn countree so there wuud bee more nosiess…an Coyotess! They scare THE furss rite off mee…mee doess NOT miss dodgin them at nite or skunkss too!
At leest yore Guy can purrtect you 😉
Sometimes I don’t understand why I’m pulled away from something interesting but the guy I live with says it’s for my own good. Stinging things, or spraying things. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Sum thingss can bee stinky ro can hert us Mani!!!
Iss guud yore Guy an mee LadyMew are viggylant!
**purrss** BellaDharma
Very much so. The guy I live with is super vigilant. Sometimes.
Same here Mani! LadyMw has eyess inn THE back of her head!! Shee iss furry viggylant beecause they are sum ‘not-nice’ peepell livin inn our buildin 😉
The guy I live with mostly has to watch for dogs running around without leashes.
I do prefer the wooden cockroaches, although you’d have to tell me twice that it’s not the real thing. The scents are a nice find, she had interesting taste. I’m sure they’ll say the same of me someday but I suspect there will be a trash can to the side while they’re saying it.
Lol. I suppose that might happen here, with all the little things downstairs. But you should see the pile of papers and stuff in the upstairs bedroom. Gardening magazines, all kinds of things.
I suppose we’ve already said, but the guy I live with donated most of his late wife’s bug collection (including non-bugs like butterflies and moths) to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Over a thousand items.
Well, fragrances are more appealing than a broken cockroach. I saw a few real cockroaches in the Los Angeles region, and they were really really big! That is unfortunate that the cockroach magnet must be discarded nonetheless.
The guy I live with worked outside in telephone repair and installation, ages ago. He definitely saw cockroaches. Lots of them. There was this one apartment complex, that had been refubished after being condemned, and, well, never mind….
Cockroaches use telephones?!
No, they don’t.
You wouldn’t believe the sheer masses of cockroaches we saw while working in the elevator shafts of public high rise housing complexes in NYC during the 1970’s….. thanks for the memories.
The guy I live with could tell a story about a time he took his wife to a pizza place here, that he said had a lot of “atmosphere”, but when the “atmosphere” crawled across the table, she wanted to leave.
Dear Mani, I can tell your butt’s not so big because I have a couple around here to groom every night. Tip for the guy you live with, but def not advice: I find the brushing goes easier if it happens every night. We’ve got New Dog Sashi around here we must accustom to grooming indignity so he knows it is routine. And darn New Dog has taken to peeing on MY side of the bed, we think in excitement of good ol’ Petey entering the room and the harassment to come. Do you, Mani, have any counsel – not advice! – to offer? Oh, you definitely do not have to show that huge downstairs cockroach, Halloween or not Halloween. Assurance that the broken one is wooden only goes so far. The scents, each and all, are intriguing, ancient and earthy, and mingled together — oh, my. Oh, my for the lovely colchicums too, especially Innocence. Does the guy you live with hold a flashlight or wear a headlamp for your midnight rambles? You are a lucky dog.
Thanks; no, I have a super elegant posterior which the guy I live with does brush. Just today he was talking about taking me to a groomer. I liked that pretty well, last time.
I’m not really one to talk about indoor tinkling. When I was little I tinkled on the bed upstairs, sometimes right after the guy I live with had put on fresh Pottery Barn sheets. Sometimes more than once, and so the sheets had to be changed again. I stopped, eventually, and learned to go outside. It just happened.
Good thing the guy I live with bought a new mattress a couple of years ago, huh?
‘Innocence’ is pretty great, but there’s an even better white one, which may open tomorrow. Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’.
I am pretty lucky, for sure. The guy I live with got a Slonik headlamp from Amazon. Around twenty dollars. Rechargeable battery.