Milovan Djilas. He was a Yugoslavian author from Montenegro who was part of the early Communist Party and then a Partisan leader during the war. He later turned against Tito and ended up in prison. He wrote several fascinating books about his experiences before, during, and after the war. He also wr...

We just paid for our nice weather. A foot of heavy, wet snow. This is the ally I live on. When that line came down it knocked out our electricity and heat for about four and a half hours. http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/2500_100_1417_t_1.jpg This is my main trail. But not today. http://www.c...

Naturally, the western part of the state is now in a blizzard warning and we're in our first winter storm watch of the entire season.

Just a course general purpose sand that I got at Home Depot. They said it's safe for mixing with potting soil and it says so on the bag. A good nursery may have a better choice though.

I use that stuff more or less as a base. I make a mix of approximately one third it, one third perlite, and one third sand. It's the best mix I've come up with yet.

The record high for Lincoln for this date is 60 degrees. Today I saw it as high as 73 on the computer after I got back from 17.6 miles on the bike. I've never been out on a bicycle in January in my life, but this year I've been out twice for about 30 miles and there was a third warm day I could have...

We've had probably less than three inches of snow all winter and the temps have been way above normal. It's supposed to be in the low 60s tomorrow. That's warm enough I may go for a bike ride if I have time.

I didn't get any, but I rescued a couple from HD for myself and gave them a good home.

Thanks, guys. Your help is always appreciated.

The card I emailed out this year. It's the entrance to the family ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. I took it while I was out there in November and did it up in HDR to bring out the colors and textures.

I can't go into that place without checking the $2.00 tray. This one has thirteen ribs and a hook on the center spine. I have it identified as Ferocactus herrerae. Anything else it could be? http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/2500_P1060681_1.jpg A generic looking mam. Any guesses? http://www.ca...

I bought these three plants from the $2.29 tray while at Home Depot yesterday. Anyone want to take a shot? 1) A small gymno of some sort. http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/2500_P1060658_1.jpg 2) Kind of cool, but no idea. http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/2500_P1060654_1.jpg 3) I couldn'...

That porcupine didn't make any effort to move. It was in the open and eating something. It would look up at me from time to time and then go back to what it was doing. I was the only person in the park at the time and I guess it felt safe. It was cool thing to see and get that close to. I got close ...

I just got back yesterday from a short trip to the sandhills region of Nebraska, where I have family. I found this porcupine in Smith Falls State Park about fifteen miles east of Valentine, Nebraska.

Sprouting isn't a problem for me. It's keeping the little buggers alive once they come up. I'm still experimenting with soil, lighting, and other variables.