It’s a Dog’s Life

The thermometer has been hitting 100 and more; the wind, for once has not blown even any hot air for relief, and scorching would be an apt adjective for what it feels like to go outside, which none of us cared to do, the “us” here referring to Bill and me, Mari,...

Agave Lechuguilla

Hellen and I came home with a start of this agave a bunch of years ago when we visited the McNay Museum in San Antonio to enjoy a Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit. I was just getting serious about my cactus collection and was anxious to add new specimens and at the time...

National Museum of the Pacific War

We went to Lake LBJ this past weekend, and one of our main reasons for going was to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. Caroline, Neil, Colten, his friend Carina Reyes, Korben, Ty, Bill and I all piled into Caroline’s Tahoe and made the...

Consider the Much-Maligned Prickly Pear

To many people, if you say cactus, they immediately frown, wince, envision prickly pear, and want no part of any cactus. Which is a shame, because the opuntia family gives us beautiful flowers, and with conscientious pruning can be kept from taking over your garden...