Hi Hilary, I didn't say less light in any of my posts. I usually try to get my cactus as much light as possible... Direct sunlight if I can. Even when I'm trying to callous a cutting. In the dark or dim light, the cactus cutting will not dry out much and will not be so eager to send out roots to find more water. As for peanut cacti having short round joints... not always... just the new joints. I had one that had joints that were 6-8 inches long... some a bit longer. But look at the difference in the areoles and the placement of them and the lenth of the spines in the following pictures. The Peanut Cactus has shorter, stiffer spines than the Rat-Tail and they're white as opposed to yellow. The first is the Peanut cactus the second the rat tail. Now look at the areols on your larger pieces of cactus? And by the way, the larger size is probably more like how large all the branches should be. :-( And another Peanut Cactus And the Rat-Tail cactus Which looks closer to yours? How about this peanut cactus? Here's links to both cactus on Desert-tropicals.com. Read the description/"Growth Habit" of both. Echinopsis camaecereus Disocactus(Aporocactus) flagelliformis I still think it's a peanut cactus... Which way are you leaning now? :-)

If you really want to in-depth information and analysis, look at hiring an (IH) Industrial Hygienist. An IH will inspect and analyze conditions of the home or workplace for potential health hazards. This could cost one or two thousand dollars for a home inspection but if itÂs a competent IH, they should find the problem if there is one. I have seen mostly false alarms when people have a heightened awareness to environmental issues like this. It usually pops up when they see something on TV or in the newspapers or get bad advice from ill-informed people in the community. DonÂt get me wrong, there are plenty of sick buildings out there and I have seen many of them. The problem is too many look to building issues when nothing can be seen and ignore obvious issues that are glaring. Not trying to be a smart ass but your catÂs age is a glaring one IMO. Now if all your cats were four and five yearÂs old, different story. Also if your cats were adopted, who knows what they were exposed to in their early years and these diseases can take many years to develop. My favorite example of ignoring the obvious was an office building in DC where all twelve floors of the HVAC system had to be cleaned because one office worker started a panic about everyone working in a sick building. The woman was in her 50Âs and was complaining of severe headaches and joint pains after being in the office all day for her new job. The woman smoked two packs a day, was over 350 pounds and supposedly had a drinking problem but she still insisted the building was causing her symptoms. The HVAC system was dirty and needed to be cleaned anyway but the womanÂs symptoms didnÂt go away after the building was cleaned. DUUUUUHHHHH???? Ed McMahon was one of the most notorious to start the "toxic mold killed my pet" lawsuit which turned into mass hysteria about mold and pets. Ed McMahon sued his insurance company for 20 million dollars because a contractor apparently didnÂt clean up a broken pipe in his house properly. Mold developed and EdÂs dog died soon afterwards and nobody had an ounce of evidence the dog didnÂt die from natural causes. Ed settled out of court for 7.2 million dollars and itÂs well known that Ed probably did it because he was broke, not because his dog died. In my experience, the list of false alarms is far, far longer than the list of legitimate sick buildings. Look to obvious answers first such as diet, life style and use of chemicals around the home. Address the basics first because they are usually the problem. Then look at gas operated systems as they are an easy fix if not functioning properly. After all that, if you still have problems, dig deeper for mold, radon or other environmental issues. If you want peace of mind, find a good IH but itÂs going to cost you. After he/she is done however, I wager youÂll need to start at square one anyway because the IH didnÂt find much. Good luck,

tuscanlover - Thanks for the kind words. I wish your daughter the best with her 6 year old. They are learning so much today about Autism and how to work with it in the schools. It is so much better now then it was when my son was a student and they didn't know what the heck was wrong with him. And the general public is more aware and less likely to stare or make rude comments like they use to (though some people will never learn). I am sorry to hear about your move and the loss of your and DH's job, house and all. That is really tough to face at 55. My dad went through a similar thing when he was in his late 40's. In 1961 he was transferred by his company from Mass. to Illinois. He moved the whole family, bought a new house and less then a year later they closed that division. It was a very tough time for everyone. My mom missed her family terribly and we almost moved back to Mass. But then my dad changed careers completely and became a stock broker and made more money then he ever would have at his old job. He left my mother very well off when he died in 1987. And she still is very well taken care of by what he left behind. So when I see the grey clouds, I try to find the silver lining. As to whether I am still sane or not, my DH might debate you on that fact. ;>) Clare

iluvcats ~ The Kirkland Super Premium Puppy food has the following ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearl barley, egg, beet pulp, chicken fat, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, dried brewer's yeast, millet, potasium chloride, salt, choline, chloride, carrots, peas, kelp, applies, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, salmon oil (a source of DHA), rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine, manganese proteinate, manganese oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganse sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxinehydrochloride (Vit. B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement and folic acid. Everyone knows that rice is far more digestible than corn or wheat. I don't see how this is a bad thing. Crude protein - 28% min. Crude fat - 17% min. Crude fiber - 3% max. Moisture - 10% max. Calcium - 1.2% min. Phosphorous - 1% min. Zinc - 225mg min. Selenium - 0.4mg min Vitamin E - 250IU min. Omega 6 fatty acids - 3% min. Omega 3 fatty acids - 0.5% min. Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) - 0.005% min. It's true that this isn't listed a human grade food but most folks simply cannot afford to pay huge prices for that kibble option. Before the onset of commerical kibble dogs and cats have been a part of families. They used to feed table scraps. Perhaps that wasn't so bad in the day when nothing was processed food and everything was grown fresh. I am pleased with the ingredients of this food. The dry kibble that my cats eat also has excellent ingredients. I wonder if I could find out who makes the dry food for Kirkland. Robyn