Ha - nope I restrained myself! First time in weeks...hehe... I ordered back in the fall from a lady in California that has a greenhouse and sells lots of succulents. The soil is actually pretty good, has a good amount of perlite in it and some bark. I can tell the plants are getting pretty root bound now but want to wait until spring to repot, mostly because I have to do it in the garage and don't want them to freeze. These little guys are in 2" plastic pots, all rooted cuttings. I have two other Crassulas other than my gollum Jade. One is a string of buttons. When I got it it was flowering but then it stopped because of whatever reason. I have it in a Southern window and it loves it. It never wilts and grows at a decent rate so I think watering it every week or two is working for it. The other one is a Crassula marchandii, not a popular Crassula at all and only one other member in the C&S group has one, though Norma knew what it was and said it is a hybrid. It's pretty finicky. I actually started a thread on it if you are interested, I'll post the link. The cutting I got from her had bloomed because I could see where the flower stem was and it was removed. Now it is splitting into two "branches" there which is exciting! So I think I'll keep that one around as pathetic looking as it is. It's one of mine that really likes the water. From her I also have a Sempervivum and two dumb Hens and Chicks (I don't like them, and they do not like me either, they started to stretch out and are fine now in a southern window but they look ridiculous with a neck and compacted head on top - I want to get rid of them but feel like I'm doing something really bad by tossing a living thing out). I ordered a "surprise" mix and didn't have a say in what I got, I just told her to keep in mind that I live in Illinois and they'll be inside lol. The Haworthia too of course that I mentioned. Two Aloes (I think one is a marlothii seedling, the one in the pure oil-dry and the other is a variegata which needs a lot more water than the marlothii right now, its leaves started to fold on me). One thing that's weird with my Aloe variegata is I swear it eats the dirt. The dirt keeps disappearing. When I bought it from HD it was healthy but a lot of dirt was missing. It was pretty much only any dirt that was stuck to the roots. Brought it home, threw in C&S potting soil laying around to hold it over until spring, and it ate it up again. It's bizarre and I don't know what the heck is happening to the dirt, but about 1/3 to 1/2 of it disappears. It clearly has a brain and knows it wouldn't do well in it! So I am obliging to its wishes and will not add anymore dirt for now. It's a really slow grower, both Aloes are. Hopefully they step it up a bit now that spring is coming - we have bulbs starting to poke through the soil already. I also have a Hoya compacta and a Sansevieria. Hoya is a rooted cutting so that won't do anything for years lol - the Sansevieria just sits there I swear it doesn't grow. I think that covers it. I really want a Gasteria next. Someone in the C&S forum had a pot full of Gasteria offsets and it looked really cool, and I guess they do great as houseplants. Here is a link that might be useful: Crassula marchandii thread

Westelle, this is why he had to retire early and he's got an appt with my neurologist. He couldn't find any of his specialists to take it seriously or pinpoint what does it. Whatever causes it has not showed up in any of the tests they've run on him. All the ABC tests and they did that one that they check the heart & neck arteries. All were fine. He has dizzy spells but this is the first time he's passed out since we moved to this house 1-1/2 years ago. One of us has to be able to drive so we take care, we don't leave town often and on 'bad' days we don't even leave the house. This is another reason why we moved to town, to be closer to doctors. We can't afford for it to be reported because none of the countless doctors he's seen have any idea what it is, they put down dizziness. He's even been hooked up to a heart monitor for a week reading his signs 24/7 for the cardiologist, nothing, though I remember him having dizzy spells during that week. We even kept record of his blood pressure 3 times a day for a month for that dr. If it can't be diagnosed and fixed he can't get to see all his other specialists up and down the state. In the mean time we have to live with it, along with all the other old injuries he has that he needs surgeries for. I'm sorry you've got that flu/virus, DH has it and so does the son here in town. DH has now given me the cold part of it, I'm hoping it doesn't mutate into anything more. I've survived 3 bad colds recently from grandgirl by taking Airborne every time she's been here freshly ill. Then DH gives one to me. Before Airborne grandgirl would get me sick every time she comes down with something and she's well in a week and a month later I'm needing antibiotics:) I hope you feel better soon though, it takes awhile for the antibiotics to kick in and do their thing. I like the saying 'Getting Old Is Not For Sissies':) I also like the one that says, 'You Go First'. DH is 10 years older than I am:) Did you ever get your loom set up? If so do you have anything made? I can't find the thread where you were talking about what you wanted to do. But, I was curious if you ever got it all set up and got anything made for I think you said your sideboard first? Maybe when you're better if you haven't yet, that will cure your ho hums left over from the holidays and not feeling well:) I have yet to get any crocheting done, but I also just put all the cement and things away just before Christmas and have been trying to feel better after the new med the doc put me on. I've been reading a lot but not doing anything creative right now. Feel kind of guilty about being so lazy, but this last year was a very busy year. We only got an inch of rain here BTW, not much of a storm but it was windy! Hey Brenda, I hope you're feeling a lot better by now also. This is rotten weather to not feel well in, makes it worse. But I've also have the opinion the dark skies make it easier to stay in bed and not feel as guilty about...

What a oool pic. I saw tadpoles in my pond yesterday and got so excited, lol. I didn't know toads eat fish. I wonder if thats whats happening to my goldfish? Uh, oh. I love them because they eat bugs. Didn't think about the little mosquitoe fish and the goldfish. My silver and black one jumped out last night. Stupid fish. Boohoo. Jim you can just dig him out a little mud hole under that drip and he will probably hang out there. You could put a broken pot upside down beside it for him to get in the shade. I have had the same one in my lotus pot since right after I put it in and its just mud with some water on top.

"Yffterday I refeeved m'box frmmm Mliffa,...effclooff me...(chew-chew-slurp-swallow) - Ahem,...there, that's better. Forgive me,...I received Melissa's (mellovesgardening) box yesterday and as I'm sitting here typing this I've been sampling the totally tasty sugar free, Splenda-sweetened, variety flavored "Jelly Belly" jelly beans she included (plus *regular* sugared ones as well for Elly & Roy (told Roy they're "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans" from the wizarding world of Harry Potter)) - So, shall I tell you, now, about the rest of Melissas's marvelous box conents?! Yes?!! Right, then,... Seriously, I'll tell you what, Melissa may be a newbie, but she certainly packs a great swap box!! Item #1) A neat little hollow ceramic guy,...green with blue sneakers. Muppet representation of a green thumb critter, perhaps? Anyway, he's kewl (there are even small white shoelaces hot-glued to the sneakers) and he was stuffed with sugar free Life Savers candies and a folded-up surprise packet of Rye Grass seeds (cleverly sneaky, that!). The Life Savers have since been removed to a zip-bag and now the Muppet green thumb is next to our computer, loaded with Q-Tips. Useful, yes, although arguably not nearly as much fun. Item #2) A wonderful tin of "Badger Balm - For Hardworking Hands" organic hand balm. Elly and I are both using this already,...mostly Elly. Nice stuff! It's made-up of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beeswax, Castor Oil, Aloe, and Birch & Wintergreen essential oils. Smells good, not greasy. Feels great! :) Items #3) Candy-candy-candy!! Woo hoo!! For me: Sugar free chocolate crispy caramels, sugar free Life Savers, sugar free Jelly Belly jelly beans. For Elly & Roy: Sugar sweetened Jelly Belly jelly beans, Laffy Taffy. Items #4) Seeds: Holy criminey! Tons! Rye Grass, Radish: German Giant / White Icicle / Early Scarlet Globe, Bean: Kentucky Wonder, Anise, Turnip: Purple Top White Globe, Brussel Sprouts: Catskill, Parsley: Moss Curled, Pea: Burpee Early, Eggplant: Egg Tree, Spinach: Bloomsdale, Printemps Lettuce, Cilantro, Tomato: Prudens Purple / Big Rainbow / Pepper: Sweet Banana / Poblano. - Basically an entire garden's worth! Thank you so much, Melissa and Bryan! - Oh, and on a weird, fun note, (LOL!!);...tonight we were at our favorite local mom-n-pop store and in my pocket I had a small zip-full of the green plastic Easter grass you packed your/my box with. I went into the back room and seriously asked our friend, Gloria, if she wanted some really good "grass" (aka marijuana), to which she shot back "No!" But then I persisted "This is the best stuff, though! (pulling it out of my pocket) I know it is, `cause I bought it off the Easter Bunny!" Then, of course, she cracked up, realizing she'd been had! LOL!! :D So, thanks for that fun, too!! :D What a great swap/mnf-interaction this has been!