Without a hula.
Aloha. No sways today! (1935″Mutiny on the Bounty”trailer/USPD: pub.date/Commons.wikimedia.org
A day without hula.
Without a whisper of sways.
Not a swish. Not a sigh.
No mesmerizing motions. Wiggles and giggles put aside.
No annoying guffaws of “Hey, what’s under there?” (Questionable comment for just about anywhere.)
No Don Ho singing the Hukilau Song.
Only chainsaws.
Standing patiently, eager for spring wardrobe change, the hula dancing palms excitedly chattered among themselves. Trying not giggle when tickled by the tall ladders the landscape crew nudged up against them.
Oh, it’s time. Plenty warm enough now. They nodded.
Palm still in skirts. Probably shy. It’s like putting on that bathing suit the first time each summer. ©
As Mexican Fan palms grow, they gently fold their lower fronds down like layering petticoats under long hula skirts.
These hanging fronds form warm overcoats against winter’s chill. Little birds tuck themselves in to stay warm…along with roaches and mice, possibly.
So we don’t have to be asked twice when the palms feel comfortable with going a little more bare and flashing a bit more of their stems.
Wary after the unexpected recent Bush League Assault, we were a bit nervous about doing this spring’s palm clip job. The frond stems are barbed and sharp. No doubt used as primitive weapons somewhere if you slashed across time.
So we hired a tree crew to do the trim and to haul off the sure-to-stab-you fonds. (Somewhere there’s probably a palapa welcoming a new covering of fresh-cut fronds.)
Wooo! Breezy. Feeling like Marilyn Monroe over the subway grate. ©
Now more like flappers than hula girls, the Mexican Fan palm gals are rather giddy. Like kids who happily shrugged off their shoes and school uniforms on the last day of school.
We’ve apologized to the perplexed squirrels who are suddenly finding their regular routes cut off.
Fond of fronds.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Don’t worry little bird. We’ll have shelter draped for you again by winter. (1921.Marilyn Miller.The Tatler.Johnson/ USPD: pub.date/Commons.wikimedia.org)
Production note: The entire Staff of the Realm is a bit under the weather right now (sneeze, hack, cough), which is stressing RC Cat out tremendously as Staff is so slow/unresponsive to multiple wake-up whacks on the head in the morning. (“A tidy realm is a realm running on schedule”.) As a result, post schedule may be disrupted for a bit now and then.
Palm tree on pointe? Tropicals grow fast here. Ours were 2 foot tall palm orphans rescued from the trash and 8 years later are now almost 2 stories tall. Trimmers need their ladders.©
Just liked this image. Mirrors the ballerina’s fluffy skirt? Who’s copying whom?©
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
No soft cheek pats or coddling of the Staff – head whacks will surely put the spring in their step that will see them in tip-top servitud-y shape in no time! (Dear Staff, hope you’re feeling better soon.)
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RC does relent at night and offer nice warm snuggles and soothing purrs (although her healing efforts are rudely interrupted by coughing). But mornings? Breakfast time means breakfast on time. Slug-a-beds beware. Thanks for commiserating
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Oh my, it’s hard to get good staff (probably milking it anyway). I rescued a palm from my porch before the freeze. It’s in my bedroom with sunshine and occasional misting. However, it’s not so happy so in another week or two he will go out to greet the sunshine and I’ll see if it was worth the bother!
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The orphans are so loyal! Once palms get established, they seem pretty happy to be left on their own. I love the way the fronds clatter in the wind. (and they don’t shed leaves – big plus for me). Ours got huge quickly. (which is good – Molly would be trying to rearrange their location otherwise…) We took a chance with these 2 – it was a bitter cold Dec late afternoon when we spotted them – the garden manager pretty much put a mercy price on them as snow was expected (and it did) and he couldn’t save them all…and these guys have barbs.
Now I have 2 pampered miniature palms indoors in the foyer – and they are constantly looking pathetic – but can’t go outside because they bleach out and go limp. No more full priced fancy plants. Thanks for planting a comment!
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Get well soon! As RC needs a full staff. 😉
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RC is sure this is all caused by staff frolicking outside too much. And she is a tad annoyed by the nightly bedquakes from coughing. Thanks for dancing by.
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Needless to say we don’t have any Mexican Fan palms here in Ohio…
Sorry you’re sick. Hope you feel better soon!
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I kept dodging these germs, but didn’t fan them off enough, I guess. Thanks for catching a waved to this shore
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Last time I recall you being sick, you showed us a picture of these little pink knitted slippers that Molly had chewed. i hope you’re wearing them to keep your toes warm. Ha!
That is a neat story about the palms. i didn’t realize that they had to be trimmed So sad that they would have been discarded by the vendor. I’m glad that you saved two anyway. It is good that RC is administering loving at night. This will definitely accelerate the healing process.
Oh as an aside Phil, i just did another guest post at Cordelia’s Mom http://cordeliasmomstill.com/2015/04/06/death-guest-post-by-paul-curran/comment-page-1/#comment-10003 i would be honored if you had the time to drop by for a read. Thank You.
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Everybody around here has this stuff – it’s like playing dodgeball with germs. (Germs: 1,000,000,000, me: 0.)
Was in a bit of a haze/sickie denial yesterday. Left out the “chainsaw” line in the post and too many mixed metaphors. Sigh. Did a bit of editing this morning, so at least I know it’s in order now.
Those little palms were right place and right time – the Lowe’s plant manager had remaining stragglers huddled by the door – he had only so much covered warm space and spiky palms are always the last to know. We offered a pittance for one and were surprised that he said if we’d take both for that, he’d agree..and then said he just hated to see plants get killed from neglect. I try to buy plants there as they really do seem to take care of them (and before plants are too far gone, they are put in a extreme discount corner…which we check frequently. They’re just depressed and need a home!)
Yesterday I saw you mentioned a new post in one of your comments in another blog – will roll over to read shortly (thanks for the heads-up.)
Now as I sink back into the couch – an energetic as possible wave of gratitude for your visist
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What a cool connection. I love how your brain works. It’s true. That palm top looks like a hula skirt, and the swishing sound of them would be similar too. You amaze me.
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But darn, I left out the Don Ho and chainsaw lines (had to go back and edit them in… no one cares, but me – but you know how it is!) Palms make the most lovely sounds – especially in strong winds – it’s a clatter. Freaks the German totally out. Molly, just jumps around looking for flailing squirrels. Thanks for swaying over to leaf a comment
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I’m sure RC will have you all right as rain soon enough. As for the palm, she is looking much more flirty, isn’t she?
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Molly swears the palms are swirling and swirling in their short skirts now.(and it’s so much easier to see the squirrels) Been dodging these germs for weeks as it seems everyone around has this stuff….Molly said we should have sat around outside more and avoided the people…she may be right. Thanks for wandering over to watch the palm waves
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Please feel better soon….send a big hug! “hey what’s under there” is the question of all questions, no matter if hula skirts, palm fans or scottish kilts :o) It’s amazing that such questions make the world go round :o)
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Oh, Easy, you are right. It is a world-wide universal question. Inquiring minds just have to blurt it out. Managed some sleep last night (The cat is very annoyed with the nightly bedquakes from coughing. And Molly gets very annoyed with the cat being annoyed. And the schedule has been messed up annoying both of them: normally the cat sleeps on the bed at night and Molly sleeps on it – tummy to the ceiling under the ceiling fan – during the day.)
Paw waves and thanks for the hug. Always helps
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Sorry to hear you’re sick. It especially seems to happen when the seasons change, although with our pollen being so bad it’s hard to tell who’s sick and who’s just got allergies.
Loved hearing about the palm trees – I especially liked that last photo! It really does look like a ballerina’s fluffy skirt.
Nancy
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On top of some wretched upper respiratory thing going around, this is one outrageous allergy season (and I had been doing so well.) You don’t know whether to stay inside (with all the coughs around) or go outside with all the sneezing. Molly votes for outside and she insists on walking staff. Walks do provide some cheering up this time of year.
The palm girls are quite giddy today with lighter frocks. Next, they’ll be wanting their own blog. Thanks for twirling along
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Feel better soon! There’s something about this time of year. My bronchitis is slowly getting better every day, but now I have a sinus infection and allergies are kicking in. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
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Trying to encourage tonsils to stop this from developing anything else. We must get well – there’s too much to do (and people stare when there’s a lot of coughing!) More oranges! Less oaks pollen! Thanks for gathering up a frond comment
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Didn’t know that about palm trees, trimming, etc. But then, I’ve never lived where they grow.
Feel better soon. My money’s on spring allergies.
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You can leave the palm skirts on, but critters do love the mess. When you cut the lower fronds, the top pushes out more green ones and the palm grows taller faster. Mexican fans grow without any help along freeways and untended places. Nothing seems to bother them – not even hurricanes – my kind of plant. My money’s going to be in tissues, cough drops, and Zurtex. I was doing so well, darn. Thanks for wafting a comment over
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Sorry you have the yuckies. It won’t last forever, I promise. That was a great rescue, don’t you love free trees? We got a sago Palm when I was a teen, and of course it fell to me to trim it. Never saw any rats, but the earwigs sure liked it.
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We are one of the few houses without a sago palm in the front yard. Apparently the builder loved them/got a deal on them – but this owner had one in CA at a previous house and hated the darn thing. Sagos are very poisonous for dogs, so it’s just as well. Molly has a habit of munching and sampling landscape….or grabbing it and moving to a new location. Ew. Earwigs. Yuckie. I hate those things.
Lots of hot tea, finally able to sleep some, and a bit of sun today seems to be helping. Fingers crossed. Thanks for trimming up a comment!
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