I have white hyacinth bean seeds too if you want some. Was the passion fruit you tasted completely ripe? Different varieties have different tasting fruit. Even though some are edible they aren't that palatable. Edulis, mollissima, quadrangularis and laurifolia are some that taste quite nice. Sweet but tart, reminiscent of tangy Hawaiian Punch. Some of those datura seed pods are kind of weird, especially the metels.

That usually means that the rosettes are water starved due to dead roots or stems. Your plant needs to have the rosettes beheaded in order to correct abnormal growth from inadequate light. Leave less than two inches of stem, then let he cut ends dry in air for a few days, then plant in dry porous soil, at least 75% inorganic materials like perlite, pumice, gravel etc. Your current soil looks terrible, mostly peat which should be avoided. It will take a few weeks for the cuttings to grow roots. Do not water until you see signs of growth. Give lots of light, your plant is etiolated, growing abnormally, making ID difficult. It's probably an Echeveria or Graptoveria, or a hybrid. Brad

I think this was a laugh a minute! I am still laughing! ***Mike*** The first thing I saw was a dog face when I looked at the pic. I never saw the duck eyes until later! I think it looks like a cross between a Siberian Husky and an Afghan Hound!!! LOL!!! Actually it reminds me of a rottweiler. I was thinking it was a dog decoy instead of a duck decoy!!! Joyce

Well, Stevied, thanks for your concern about "hijacking" my thread but I think we would all be better off if it morphs into a discussion of how we can all (male and female) be more sensitive in communication with our significant others than if it remains a narrowly focused thrashing out of my little problem. After all...I've already relegated that to the "last week's annoyance" category. Some might say that I've swept it under the rug...I prefer to think I've moved on. And I think I might learn a lot from a man who is willing to think a bit about these things. A different perspective, doncha know? I suspect that part of the problem your wife has with your attempts to communicate stems from old hurts. She may be expecting repeats of earlier disappointments and such. It's hard to imagine that a husband who would make such a sweet, humble attempt to understand and change would be rebuffed. There must be some issue lurking here. Have you asked about that? You say that you still can't help her feel better - well, apart from the fact that one person really cannot be responsible completely for the feelings of another - have you asked her to break things down for you into really small, doable bits? If you find that you just don't know what to do or say, could you say, "Honey, I can tell that you are hurting and I hate that and really want to help. What do you need me to do or say right now? What am I not getting about this? Do believe me that I want to understand and am not trying to be thick...I just don't quite see it and need you to help me understand how to help you. I'm hoping that if you walk me through it a few times I'll start to get it on my own." Any woman who would reject that must have a LOT of mistrust left over from somewhere. And those issues will have to be dealt with before progress is made. Also, apology has its valuable place. If you react in a way that turns out to be mistaken, apologize! Right away you can say, "Whoa! I think I read that wrong. You were serious, weren't you? I'm sorry I didn't get that. Let me back up and try again cause I really didn't want to hurt your feelings." And you may need to start out by assuming that it's ALL important for a while. Rather than putting all the burden on her to announce whether you should really pay attention or not, how about just assuming that if her mouth is moving you need to get in gear? I seriously doubt that she will be as annoyed on account of you taking something seriously when she was kidding as she would if you ignore her when she is trying to get your attention. You say that you want to help and you just can't seem to figure it out? Well, take the time and trouble to just pay attention to everything she says for a while and see if that helps. Really listen every time she speaks, take a few seconds at least to try to see what she is really saying and if you don't get it ask her to clarify for you. If nothing else, it should be a huge compliment to her that you are willing to pay attention to her. We really do teach others how to treat us. Heaven knows what I'M thinking...I seem to always teach people to take me totally for granted and to ignore my needs. When will I ever learn NOT to do that? Or HOW not to do that? But it's always easier to give advice about someone else's problem than to figure out our own or to take advice when it applies to us. So why shouldn't your wife teach you what she needs? If you are as willing to learn as you appear to be, I think she would be making a huge mistake not to jump at the chance. Guys like you don't grow on trees!