As a daughter who loves her elderly parents and is concerned for their safety . Her oldest brother agrees that a cactus now about 4 feet tall with huge thorns should not be on a rather weak table between the two chairs they occupy for several hours per day, but he is several states away and cannot address the cactus woe in person. However, the younger brother has made light of the situation and compared it to a jade plant that only needs to be transplanted to a larger, more sturdy pot but in his opinion the huge cactus poses no problem to the elderly couple, each of whom have various ailments that could easily affect their balance and of course, people in their 90's typically are more likely to stumble accidentally.
The cactus needs to be removed from their home, as such a large, hazardous cactus cactus would never be allowed to be in any 'senior care' center, as anyone who has worked in a senior care center should know.
For whatever reason, the elderly parents are choosing to believe their youngest son, who has said that simply transplanting the cactus into a larger container will miraculously remove the hazard that is perched between their chairs potentially doing more damage than a statue of a camel would do. The cactus prevents them from being able to sweep behind their chairs safely and if they would have given me permission to move it or donate it to the local high school. I would have done so..... but they didn't believe my warnings and chose to believe the son who does not see them when they go to bed at night, is not their when they wake up in the morning, and is not being realistic enough in a lousy case scenario.
I call the cactus ' cruel Richard', as it is very inappropriate, unhelpful and hazardous in it's current position. Why did I bother to report this? To cover my bear clan instincts, not cover my youngest brother's ass. Of course, if my parents never get injured by the cactus, I would be thankful but if they do get injured by the cactus, my youngest brother who didn't recommend the cactus be relocated to another site will be causal in any harm done.
A jade plant typically will do no harm, but a huge 4 foot high cactus in a rather small 10" pot does not belong in the primary living area of parents now in the 90's. If I do a 'follow up' report, it will be when my youngest brother comes to his senses and recognizes a hazardous condition that should be eliminated as soon as possible.
Maybe the song about '96 tears' isn't a joke, but neither was my warning that 'cruel Richard' does not belong in my parent's living room. 🌵
Strongs H2392 has been reviewed for the 7th time by me while the 4500 series of the מ is being studied for the first time. Some men think retired coppers don't know anything about practical safety precautions, but such men are often armed with more expensive guns than they will ever need.
What's my advice? Don't appease siblings when they are erring in either a very arrogant manner or ignoring a hazard in a very apathetic manner. You should already know that children do not need to be elevated to 'LORD' status.