Chip chop chip chop – The last man’s dead.

Designed by Dr Joseph Guillotine, a man described as kindly and who wanted to make execution more humane (bless his cotton socks). The guillotine quickly became a symbol of tyranny during the French Revolution. Victims were placed on a bench, face down, and their necks positioned between the uprights. The actual beheading was very quick – often to the gathered crowd’s disgust – taking less than half a second from blade drop to the victim’s head rolling into the waiting basket. However, debate rages over whether the quickness of the execution was humane or not, as many doctors put forward the notion that it could take up to 30 seconds before the victim lost consciousness.
The Agave “Guillotine” is leaning over more everyday.
I have the same concern for my head support post every time I walk under the now intimidating pitch of my Agave tower. Casting a “Film Noir” shadow over the yard, everyone who ventures under it’s blade throws a glancing look up to the top of it, and in doing so, are of course imediately blinded by the intense Texas sun. I do not look up anymore, nope, not me.

I just wear a mining helmet and a welding mask for the Texas sun, I also adorn a rather unweilding large shield
on my back when I have to traverse under it. This has recently become rather irritating on so many levels.

Another Agave angle. I have noticed that the “pups” are really easy to pull off the main beanstalk now. This must mean either the pups will soon start dropping, or the whole Agave is about to uproot,(timberrr!) causing the beanstalk to fall-scattering the youngsters.
The babies have also started to develop serrations along their edges.

Fee, fau, fum,
I smell the blood of an English man,
Be he alive, or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.

And speaking of bones. . .

I use these Cedar carcassas all over my yard. I find them particularly good for supporting postrate Rosemary. Eventially the Rosemary will totally cover the cedar support, this is a great way to add a lot of height to the plant. I love the way these wizened, gnarled old limbs look very gothic and aesthetically fitting for a Texas garden.

Here is the baby elephant. And here is the deer/horse/gazelle/whatever, it is a stick!
The bleached quality reminds me of driftwood on a beach.

As Carlin once said:
“Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time”.

Other Interesting things right now:

This self-seeded sedum is growing on a few decayed leaves.


A forest in the valley.

Three plants that push on through the heatwave, Palm Grass…

Sago Palm . . .

and a sweep of Mexican bush sage and lemongrass.

The circular succulent “moonscape” bed continues to fill out and sporadically bloom.

Stay Tuned for:

“Everything is Falling Apart”

All material © 2009 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by  late  (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.