On ric-rac (Selenicereus) watering: my understanding is that it's a jungle cactus, like Disocactus, Hylocereus, Schlumbergera, or Epiphyllum, and does need to have fairly moist soil during the summer when it's actively growing. Not sure about the ric-rac spines; what I gather from reading around is that the flower, should you ever be lucky enough to get flowers, does have sharp spines around its base, which could conceivably be dangerous, but I don't see any evidence that the plant is otherwise likely to hurt you. Aglaonema 'Maria' is just one more variety of Chinese evergreen; the care is basically the same as for any other one. There are at least three "swiss cheese" plants; Monstera deliciosa has large leaves which eventually develop slits that extend to the leaf edges. Immature leaves of deliciosa may have holes without slits, though usually the slits and holes develop at about the same time. M. adansonii (sometimes M. obliqua) usually only has perforations, and does not develop slits that extend to the leaf edges. The third plant is one I can't actually think of the name of right now, but it basically looks like a very small M. deliciosa, and has leaf slits even when young. So it sounds like you have adansonii. As far as I know, adansonii is a pretty standard tropical: let the soil surface dry somewhat between waterings, bright indirect light, warm temperatures, humidity. I haven't had one personally, though, so somebody may jump in and correct me.

Wow, well that's thick alright. I may simply mean that it will take a while longer to start rooting. I have a propagation book at home that describes propagating these plants and I can look into it. As I recall, the book instructs us to take small segments (4 inches or more) of the plant and to imbed it sideways into a bed of sand/peat mix. I'll have to go back to the book for further instructions.

I'm not Linda, but I have her recipe. I thought I'd go ahead and share it with you so you could make it Right Away, just in case she doesn't see this by the time you need Blue Cheese Dressing. It's the best I've ever had. I'm going to go ahead and post the ''story'' she had to go with it, so you know of her true culinary genius. ''Funny....I had a salad for lunch with my blue cheese dressing. The story goes is that there was a restaurant in Tiffin, Iowa where lots of people went after an Iowa game, and their blue cheese salad dressing was legendary. Their salads were enormous....they stood a leaf of iceberg lettuce up at the back of a salad bowl and filled that bowl full of chopped greens and dumped on easily half a cup of blue cheese dressing, made with Maytag Blue of course!!. Every time I went there I tasted the dressing and wrote down something I noticed about the dressing...Mayo based....sweet and sour, thin enough to coat every leaf, parsley...and a "bite"....horseradish. Finally my DH and friends said! That's IT!....here's the recipe...I recommend doubling it....or quadrupling!'' DonnÂs Delight 4 oz Maytag blue crumbled 1 cup of mayo ( I use Kraft) 3 oz ( about 1/3 cup) milk or cream 2 tsps sugar 2 tsps dried parsley 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice 1 ½ Tablespoons cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon fresh grated onion 2 Tsp Lee and Perrins worchestershire 1 tsp horseradish ½ tspoon garlic powder. Mix gently so as to leave some lumps, and serve over a green salad or on sliced tomatoes or cukes and onions or as a dip for raw veggies. Serves about 6 to 8

I've never had the cheese balls you mention, but I have this recipe in my files. I haven't made this one, but another that was similiar and it was good. Becky Lompoc, CA * Exported from MasterCook * Nut Cheese Ball Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Appetizers Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- shredded 8 ounces swiss cheese -- shredded 1 Package cream cheese -- (8-oz.) softened 2 Teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 Teaspoon paprika 1/2 Teaspoon garlic salt 1/3 Cup chopped nuts Place cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, cream cheese, worcestershire sauce, paprika, and garlic salt in a bowl. Beat until well blended. Shape mixture into ball. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Roll ball in chopped nuts. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate until serving time. Serve with raw veggies or your favorite crackers. Brandie Posted to Frozen Assets on 11-4-02 by Diane Geary dmgsilversmithing@keyway.net - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -