The other night coming in from work, I tossed my collections from the day (paper work, keys, phone, jacket, usually some sort of branch or piece of bark or both, etc.) onto the kitchen table, and headed for the nearest glass of wine I could find. Luckily one was available for me in my kitchen, and I perched on the counter simultaneously picking dirt out from under my nails, sipping the Sangiovese and retracing the events of the day in my head.

“Did I remember to plant that last chamomile?”. Yep.

“Was everything watered?”. Yep.

“Was the hose turned off?”. Probably.

“Do cupcakes and wine make for a sufficient dinner?”. Let’s find out…

Then I remembered my marimo friends, and how I have been a bit neglectful of them the past few weeks. It’s hard running hugecorporations, being a plant blogger socialite, and making time for your botanical BFF’s! Conveniently, the marimo are self sufficient and fairly low maintenance friends. I can breeze in for a visit with them, catching up on what they think about the latest episode of the Real Housewives or we can debate about the debt crisis. They are flexible with topics and conversation. Marimo (or Lake Balls) are a species of algae (Aegagropila sauteri), usually found (and harvested from) Japan. This underwater algae, exhales oxygen which collects as small bubbles entangled in their “fur”. When enough gas has accumulated, the marimo rises to the surface. It breaks the water with a gentle plop and rolls around languidly until most of the gas has escaped. Then it sinks to the bottom for a little R&R and to collect more bubbles. This is one of the ways it keeps it’s round shape as it grows.

Apparently, when you order these marimo from a bootleg site that no longer exists anymore and most likely stole my identity online they can be accompanied by a snail. A few weeks after I got mine, Mildred appeared. Her and I have become fast friends, and she happily rules the balls – never to escape or terrorize anything. (More on Mildred in another post…)

It’s nice being so well understood and loved by low forms of plant and molluscan life.

After we decided who was the most wretched beast on the last Real Housewives episode Ramona, and agreed dead Bees should be used as a form of American currency, I bid my marimo pals adieu for the evening, and retired to bed.

Mildred and the Marimo

BAPP-ers admiring Mildred and her balls