Winter is insanely busy apart from a couple of weeks around Xmas, it is the busiest and hardest time of year. Seed sowing picks up pace after August, then there is leaf raking, clear-up, pruning fruit trees, bulb planting, bare root planting, wood stacking (sympathies, Lyn), fencing, building, garlic and beans to go in, wood chipping, then veggies start after Xmas in a frenzy. Summer, its just weeding and deadheading and watering - easy, mindless stuff. So yeah, I usually have a lot to ramble on about on this forum (and do.....at length, in the company of plenty others). As a rule though, we tend to spend far less time evaluating our mistakes and the vast majority of posts are invariably situated in some sunny uplands of next year's promise....frequently tipping over from fantasy into completely delusional.

French Lace Cookies The cookies are easy to make but a bit attention demanding, read the instructions before you get started so you are familiar with the process. Heat over to 350 degrees and move rack to top of oven. Line 2 large cookie sheets with aluminum foil and have a flat tray covered with wax paper prepared to cool the cookies (a cooling rack will not work as well for these, I use another large cookie sheet) One batch makes approximately 3 dozen cookies. Mix - 1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter at room temp 1 slightly generous cup of finely ground nuts (walnuts, blanched almonds, hazlenuts, or pecans - each gives a slightly different taste to the cookies - for the plant swap I used my home grown walnuts with a small amount of pecans) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1 level tablespoon flour Chocolate chips (though you can use any flavor such as white chocolate, butterscotch or anything that appeals to you, though you can also leave the cookies plain) In a heavy pan, preferably a cast iron one, combine all the ingredients (I usually add the flour to the nuts in my food processor as I grind them up) except the chocolate chips over a medium low heat. Stir constantly until the mix becomes a thick paste, like cooked farina or oatmeal. Don't let the mix boil, just get thick. Turn the heat off. Using two teaspoons make rounded little balls of the mix and drop them onto the aluminum foil and flatten each ball slightly. Only bake one pan at a time, and only make 6 to 8 cookies at a time, spacing the cookies far apart, as they will spread. The first time you do this you might want to make a test batch with just 2 cookies to see how far they spread and how fast they cook. The cookies take about 6 or 7 minutes to cook. The biggest problem with these cookies is they burn very easily, so you can't have your attention distracted or do anything else whilst you make these. Once the first batch is in the oven get the second batch ready. After a couple of minutes baking, turn the cookie sheet in the oven so they cook evenly. If they are cooking too quickly (browning too much at the edges before the centers cook) turn the oven down to 325. Check the cookies every couple of minutes. Reverse the cookie sheet as you feel necessary. You want them to be lightly browned with bubbles over the entire surface of the cookie, don't let them get too brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and drop 3 chocolate chips on each cookie. Let the cookies sit in the pan and the chips melt. Start the next batch cooking. After a couple of minutes spread the chocolate gently over the top of the cookie using the back of a spoon. (don't forget to rotate the batch in the oven.) Move the cooked batch of cookies on their sheet of the foil onto a flat surface to cool completely and when they are cooled (this only takes a few minutes they cool quickly) carefully peel them off the aluminum foil and place them on the wax paper lined cookie sheet or tray. The cookies are very fragile so be careful. Place the tray with the cookies in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. When you have a single layer of cookies finished and the chocolate has hardened, cover them with a layer of wax paper. Start the second layer on top of the first and continue to bake, spread chocolate and cool. Use a paper towel to smooth out the used aluminum foil and put it back on the cookie sheet to reuse. I usually have a third piece of aluminum foil in use so I have one batch in the over, one batch with chips melting/cooling and one batch being made into balls ready to go in the oven. I know these instructions sound complicated and too detailed, but hopefully they will save you the burnt cookie learning curve :o) -Rosalinda

Dear Alexandra, Thank you for your advice. That video was very informative. I don't have a "melocactus" (what the video owner has); and now I need to research what mine is and if mine is a "desert cactus" or not. When I watch YouTube videos or research online, I get quite confused as they always talk about seasons (winter, spring, etc.). Where I live, we only have two seasons (sun and rain) and that makes me wonder how to treat my cacti. Should I water deeply and let dry fully between watering? Should I water often? When are my cacti "growth seasons" and "dormant seasons", etc. But I guess I just need to wing it and see if my cacti grows, etc. -- Dear Pagan (fakechuchi), Your comment made me feel so much better. I'm an optimist and would like to think my cactus is "fine" as well! Ha! I really have no idea but I'm truly trying my best. Thank you. -- What I did: I put the cactus back in it own small pot. Pot has drain holes. I used very gritty cactus mix that I made. I planted it back up dry. Not too deep (I can't plant deep anyway because it doesn't have a lot of long roots). It's standing up fairly well.. No need for support for some reason (the body is quite firm, you see). I put chopsticks on the sides (I made sure not to hit roots) in case it tilts over when the sandy mix shifts. I won't water until.. I don't know when.. Until a few days? Or weeks? I don't know.. when I see any sign of growth I guess. Or when It seems so weirdly dry.. It's indoors now, by a NE facing window. So let's see how he goes. Wish me luck!

Ahhh Cori Ann, I share your enthusiasm; the late fall flush is so nice to observe especially after a late summer hammering by CLM! I use a combination of sprays, powders, shovels, guns, and an assortment cloths, lamps and screens (for freezes). - that is - when I can get to it. Some of it works only some of the time so I may just shut the windows and not look until February. BTW: if your Meyers are not pushing new growth of a pretty, dark reddish-tint color (during the main growing sessions), they are not getting enough food.