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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JUNE 2020 11 By Clare Mendez, Resident The son of a long line of champions, Rocky is a 21-month- old silver miniature poodle. You may have met him while on one of his daily walks around the paseo and other common areas. He averages about four miles per day. Puppies like playing too. Fetch is one of his favorite games. Rocky came to live with Frank and Hilary Ross when he was just 12 weeks old, on October 31, 2018 as a birthday gift for Hilary. As a little pup he was almost all black with a silver nose and he becomes more silver in color as he gets older. Those fluffy salt and pepper locks are groomed regularly and trimmed monthly, but Hilary said she has no intention to place Rocky in dog shows. In fact, as he ages and settles down a bit, they hope he will become a therapy dog for young children. Currently Rocky is being trained to sleep in his own bed but still sneaks into bed with his masters when they are fast asleep. The Ross's said they are frequently asked where they purchased Rocky. He was bred by Ash's Mystical Poodles LLC out of Pahrump, Nevada: www.mysticalpoodles.com By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident On March 10, just days before the Clubhouse closed, Garden Group members attended a bonsai workshop led by Bill Coles, our resident bonsai expert. As Bill will be the first to tell you, it is pronounced Bone-sigh, not like the shout from a bomber pilot (despite the title). Attendees brought their own plants, and Bill walked us through methods of pruning, wiring and training the plant, all with the intent of creating a miniature tree. It helps to think of your little plant as a tree seen from a long ways away. A bonsai can be created from almost any plant material, including succulents. The plant remains small through careful branch and root pruning, and by planting in a shallow tray. The Japanese word "bonsai" actually means "tray planting." Generally, a bonsai tree is expected to live as long as its parent tree, but there are instances of many bonsai trees which live for 100 years and many which live for more than 500 years. Like us, they grow better with age. Bill told us that if we ever attend a formal bonsai exhibit, it is considered impolite to ask the age of the tree (but you can ask how much it weighs). Pearl Arbor Day – Bonsai! Pet of the Month

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