You guys (incl. gals) are making me laugh! Good thing! What I like on a forum. Love this, Laura: You guys must hate all the "I bought a darn cactus and I have not a clue what it is" posts. Don't you just want to ping a rock off my head? As the others have said, no...I enjoy identifying plants. Keeps my brain cells working. =) I think all remarks have been in fun. There are, on rare occasions, posters who are mean-spirited & say nasty things. But, for the most part, we like educating & being educated about all succulents! So, no need to be paranoid, Laura, as we were all newbies at some time & can relate! Mrlike2u, pretty plant and pot!! Thank you, Rina, for turning the pic upright. =) Jeff & Dzitmo have a way with words (among others). Not always easy for me to decipher, but fun to read! Sometimes, explanations are in order (as seen above). If you're not sure about something, just ask! A hybrid E. obesa seems likely (as Jordi, Geoff & others indicated). Do you have any closer (clear) pix of the blooms (cyathia)? RoRo This post was edited by rosemariero6 on Sat, Jan 5, 13 at 13:19

Judith, there are quite a few new people here, you should post the link to your album here again so the newbies can go see all your great bunnies and how you use them in arrangements. You really have some nice big ones and cute little ones, I always enjoy seeing them. And I still remember all the "escapades" of "Stud" or was that "Spud"? He's Kathleen's cute bunny and was quite a naughty boy until he went through rehabilitation! LOL For the newbies here, you can probably still find the posts about him in our archives from last year around Easter time. I have to say that bunnies always catch my eye too. They are just so cute and just add that element of fun to a tabletop, mantle, or even on the floor. Luvs

I would not likely accept that kind of help. I would find another solution before letting a stranger follow me home. Take the parts out of the box, maybe. When I found myself with a box too big to fit in my van (a ping pong table), I called a neighbor with a truck to come get it. I don't depend on the kindness of stranger, but I'm grateful for some good neighbors! I would be more likely to offer help than accept it, but even then the need would have to be evident and a situation where I knew I could safely meet a true need. My friend went to a lot of trouble to help a woman motorist who had run out of gas on one of our local streets. My friend hunted down a gas can from another friend, filled it and took it back to her. The "stranded" woman was local (had local tags) alone (no kids w/her- that might matter to me), professionally dressed and driving a Mercedes. I was surprised that my friend went to that much trouble. Given the details, I would have assumed the woman had a cell phone and AAA/roadside assistance and let her solve her own problems. If I ran out of gas, that's what I would do. I would turn down help if someone stopped.

Thanks, Rach. Here's the update to the story, some of which I believe I've posted here in the past. Hugo (as a friend named the pitbull) had a rough road. His neck got re-infected twice, and had to be re-treated. Treatment involved removing more dead skin and tissue each time. Good thing pit bulls have extra flesh around the neck! Then, Hugo got parvo virus. The vet had held off vaccinating him while his immune system was so weak, and he was still fighting off infection while his neck was healing. The parvo involved a several day stay at the emergency hospital. But he recovered. After Hugo's recovery, I had a professional behavioral assesment conducted. Hugo did pretty well, and I decided to keep him. I hired a private dog trainer to work with me and Hugo, since I had never had a dog other than miniature poodles as a kid. After several months - and about $3,000 dollars later on vet bills and training fees - I came to the conclusion that having a dog, especially a rambunctious dog like Hugo, was more than I could handle. Not only was he more than I could handle, but I realized that someone else could give him a better life than I could. I knew that I had to be very careful about who I gave Hugo to. Pit bulls are abused so often. Also, even though Hugo is a sweetheart, he is a handful. He now weighs 57 pounds of pure muscle, he's stubborn, and has a very short attention span. He chews absolutely everything. He ate through his metal crate. I knew that he'd have to go to a home where people had patience and time. Lots of love. I knew it might take me a while to find the perfect home. I sent out emails to all my animal contacts. After a week or so, I got an email back from the dog trainer who conducted Hugo's initial behavioral assessment. She knew a couple who were interested in meeting Hugo. That weekend, Hugo and I went to meet the couple and their dogs. The trainer was also on hand to facilitate introductions and to assess whether this would indeed be a good match. It went well. Hugo stayed. He now has a large fenced in yard (the fence was 4', but after Hugo jumped it a couple of times, they raised it to 6') three other dogs in his family, and dog friends nearby. Hugo has people who love him and enjoy working with him. I've visited several times, and am enjoying the open adoption "birth mother" role I'm playing. Thank you, everyone, for your support. CarrieB