First, let's hope the sick pup is ok, and the ck-up turns out fine for the rest of the litter. I haven't a politically correct bone in my body, and I do think that 'Indian name' is much better for the yarn than 'native American' name, so that's what I'm using. I do think how I got my Indian name is sort of anticlimactic to how my brother got his; HIS story has traveled the world. It's better told in person or on the phone, but if you promise to put your imagination to work in places, I'll do my best to do it justice in its writing. I swear on my life that the story is entirely true. A group of about 5 guys that hunted and fished together regularly, somehow, over the years, came up with Indian names for each other that came into being as a result of some occurrence or combination of occurrences that happened while afield. For example, my son's Indian name is 'Two Deer Spook Me'. He got his Indian name because he fell backwards off the ladder he used to climb into his elevated deer stand when two small bucks appeared as he ascended - then subsequently descended in an unceremonious pratfall. I was saddled with my Indian name one day on a wild river while fishing for steelhead trout. About 2 miles downstream from where we had set camp, I began to experience some pretty severe abdominal distress. I found myself in sudden need of getting the waders that were nearly up to my neck, somewhat lower than another important body part that is a major player in times of this type of distress. I probably don't need to explain any further, other than to mention that my waders were poorly positioned for desperate times. Just knowing that my Indian name will forever be '$hits His Boots' probably allows you to fill in all the blanks and picture that awful day. Ok - those were cute, but now to the main story. I think 4 of the 5 of us were together, hunting on some vacant acreage I keep for that purpose near the Lake Huron shore the day my brother got his Indian name. It was opening day of the MI rifle deer season, and as is our custom, all the guys had exited the woods after dark and were gathered at the front of the property in a clearing by the main road. We were relating the day's experiences, telling lies about how big and how many the deer were. Imagine the group talking quietly as they borrowed warmth from the hissing Coleman lantern that cast lively shadows against the backdrop of the dark woods. There were two guests that day, so 6 people. One of the guests, Jim, the BIL of one of the regulars, had a severe stuttering problem; the more excited he would become, the worse the stuttering. Now I said you had to help me out by using your imagination, so as I spin this story, you have to imagine the look on Jim's face and the escalation in his stuttering and gesturing. I'll do my best here. Everyone had told their story at least twice, and were prolly starting on the third go 'round as new embellishments were thought up and added. My brother Fred, nickname Fritz, Indian name 'Glove Finder', had noticed that Jim was only wearing one glove. FWIW, it was an el cheapo brown jersey glove. My brother casually reached into his pocket and came up with an exact match to Jim's solo glove. He grinned a big grin and held it between his thumb and index finger, swinging it side to side like a hypnotist's watch on a shortened chain, and with a smug look on his face that accused Jim of being foolish enough to lose a glove on such a cold day, he chided, "Hey Jim, did you lose something!? I found it by the trail in (to the woods) this morning." Jim fell completely apart. He laughed and coughed and wheezed as he tried to speak. He got "Oh my God" out ok, but the rest went something like this: "I-I-I-I was ou-ou-ou-out in the wo-wo-wo-wo woods th-this m-m-mornin' ........ an-an-and I I I ha-had-had to t-t-t-t-t-take a sh-sh-sh-sh-shi-$hit, and and and I di-didn't h-have a-anyth-th-th-thing t-t-t-to w-wipe mys-s-s-self w-with, s-s-s-so-so I u-u-u-u-used my g-g-g-glove!!" Then we ALL fell apart ..... except for poor Glove Finder, of course. He didn't think it was as funny as we did. I don't know why, but he gets soooooo ticked at me if I tell that story when he's around. It IS a perfectly good story .... I think. Oh - I actually abbreviated Jim's stuttering. It took him much longer to actually get it out, than it took to type even the condensed version. And that's how, that night, in that clearing, brother Fritz got his Indian name. Al

I've never tried AVs side by side in gritty and 5:1:1, so I can't say. They should be pretty easy and happy in the 5:1:1 though. If I wanted to grow the very best AV I could produce, and had to choose only one soil, I'm not sure which I'd choose. If I chose the 5:1:1, I think my decision would be influenced more by what everyone else uses (it's closer to media labeled "AV soils"), rather than what I already know works well for the plant. I think, if someone is trying for the first time in either the 5:1:1 or gritty mix, the 5:1:1 would be the easier choice, but I can't say one or the other has more potential. I think its pretty accurate to say 5:1:1 for annuals and gritty for perennials, as long as we know there will be some exceptions - particularly when we have fast-growing perennials or plants with naturally vigorous root systems; those, we might want to consider putting in the 5:1:1 mix - especially when a yearly full repot is in the plant's best interest. Al

It has been so dark here, I feel like it is wintertime in Berlin, Alaska, or some place like Coastal Washington.. The heavy stuff is going to our east. We have only had 3.5" since monday night when it started but the air is totally saturated heavy, still and fecund to the max. I am getting cabin fever.. Every mile to the east is wetter. It rained another 5 inches at my friends house last night and this morning east of austin and it is raining there cats and dogs now. I got my rain boots but can't find my umbrella. Our huge SXSW music festival is getting started last night and will end on Sunday. 1600 Bands, producers audiences file in from all over the world. Obama is here . Can you imagine the madhouse in town!!! What a dumb idea to have the president here for a big shindig now during a bigger shin dig.. I am not going anywhere today. Good for our rain tanks. they are at 20,000 gallons and shooting the stuff out of it. I think it clears up tomorrow here.I am being visited by a concrete electronic musician from London , later this weekend.Sister's friend's friend's son. One always gets drop ins during this festival.Even the homeless camps are overflowing with hipsters. I could rent out my shed for a thousand dollars but I just give it away.

The jades and other sucs I've propagated in gritty mix have done the best, with maybe a tie with 511 mix. I generally ignore them until I remember, and then give them a thorough soak. the only thing that has gone wrong, in the past when I just started, was that I had too much turface, not good enough drainage, or some missized particles that created a blockage at the drainage. I eliminated those problems, and everything is fine now. However, when I do soak them, I let them drain thoroughly on the drainboard before setting them back in place. but it should be pretty easy and maintenance free. Like I said, I water them if and when I remember, which is rarely.