A Man’s Best Friend

Ask any pet owner. No human activity gives greater satisfaction than caring for another living being that depends on you for its health and well-being. It’s a big responsibility but the rewards are enormous. That’s why I have a bonsai tree. When I gaze into her leafy plumage, my heart swells with love.

Other people keep cats, dogs and parrots. And those are nice, but, “only God can make a tree.” Besides, keeping cats, dogs and parrots uses up way too much time and money. Bonsais ask for little and give much. They never howl at the moon and keep your neighbors up all night. Bonsais won’t rub up against your leg and leave their fur all over your trousers. They won’t scratch your furniture or shove spit soaked tennis balls into your crotch. I once knew a man who went everywhere with his parrot riding on his wet, stained shoulder. The kids all called him, “Mr. Guano.”

A bonsai doesn’t ask for much — sun, rain, pruning twice a year —  tops. Maybe some plant food on occasion. I know, you’re thinking, “It can’t be that simple.” Okay, I’ll level with you—there is a little more you need to know. For example, most bonsais do best if you let them ride out the winter somewhere cold, but not so cold that their roots can freeze. Garages work well. Tool sheds too. Sometimes they don’t survive dormancy. But on the plus side, once they’ve dropped their leaves, it can take months before you realize that they’re dead.

If you can’t be bothered with all that, then stick with a tree that doesn’t mind living indoors. A narrow leaf ficus makes a good pet. But watch out for spider mites. They kill! My sweet pet, Chia, got into some spider mites. Her leaves turned yellow and fell off. I buried her in the trash this morning. Will I miss her? Gosh, no, she was just a house plant. I’ll buy another this afternoon.
My instant, new best friend. Just add water.

Writing personal histories for young people

How to Write your Life Story
Ralph Fletcher
Nonfiction 102 pages
HarperCollins Children's Books. 2007

More is not necessarily better. This little book, aimed at a young audience, has a universal appeal. Fletcher discusses focus, form, and other aspects of telling a personal story. He also addresses ways of triggering memories. He advises writing about sad as well as happy experiences. Fletcher's samples of writing about sad events give young readers permission to process sad experiences through writing and also remind older readers of the therapeutic benefits of writing.

Tell your life story.

Dzur

Dzur
Steven Brust
Fiction, 285 pages

This book begins, harmlessly enough, as Vlad Taltos, fresh from fighting the Jenoine and losing a good friend, risks a meal at his favorite restaurant. Though planning to dine alone, he soon finds himself in the company of a Dzurlord and Mario Greymist, the Jhereg assassin.

The Jhereg want Vlad killed, but Mario isn't there for that reason. Mario comes on behalf of a mutual friend—one concerned about a political situation involving Cawti, Vlad's ex-wife.

After a brief sojurn to Sethra Lavode's fortress on Dzur Mountain, Vlad returns to South Adrilankha to remedy the problem. Along the way, Vlad meets old friends, makes new enemies, and comes up with a few tricks.

Vlad Taltos would deserve a place beside the hard-boiled detectives of fiction, except that he's an assassin, not a detective, and resides in Dragaera, a fantasy realm.

About three-fourths of Brust's prolific writing is set in Dragaera, a land the ruling Dragaerans, a tall long-lived people, grudgingly share with the shorter, short-lived Easterners. Like other Easterners, Vlad Taltos is a member of an oppressed minority. Unlike most Easterners, Vlad holds a title in House Jhereg, and has several prominent Dragaeran friends. Not only is Vlad unique, he may be the only living Easterner to have spoken directly with the goddess, Verra.

Brust's Khaavren romances span centuries, while his Vlad Taltos novels span mere decades. The Taltos novels are shorter, and faster paced than those concerning the long-lived Dragaerans. Both series are well done, but it might be best to start with the Taltos novels before savoring the Khaavren romances which introduce some of Vlad's Dragaeran friends and provide the overall back story.