A lady with a great sense of humor! Love those BB's & snakey looking things on poles or post?tree stumps? Wonder what they are made of,look like rose wood or cherry wood maybe. Jan

never read it ... what is it about?

It's a scale, scrape it off. It should lift off easier on one side.I'm 99 percent sure. I've studied this pear in an IPM class. It's very dark so it may already be dead but you don't want to take the chance. It could have a colony of eggs underneath it. Here is a picture of scale though a much worse infestation it looks like you may just have a stray. Theyre are different types so they can look different. Google image "scale pest" and you can see more pictures of it. They will usually flake off pretty easily, though I've seen scale stuck on much harder. Sometimes there can be a scar where a scale had been which looks like a scale but yours looks like the actual pest itself.

Oh that’s good🙂. You just have to be patient. Yours don’t look too bad, they’re just dehydrated. Be sure the soil is fast draining, pot has a hole, and you can give yours a drink if you haven’t. Normally I like to wait to give succulents a drink after repotting, especially cacti. But yours is a jungle cactus, which is a whole different story. Shipping can be super stressful on plants, but from the looks your cactus should be fine. Keep it warm, in bright filtered light, and water when dry. Like I said above succulents turn all sorts of colors when stressed. Keep in mind succulents don’t perk up over night, sometimes they will, but usually they take their time. It could take a month+ before they look hydrated, but it could take less. Keep your eye on them. I’m sure you will since you’ve been looking for this plant for 30 yrs. Now with your mother’s plant. I do know Epiphyllum can get black black spots. Here’s a link.