u/Gaufri3r

Some of my favorite shots of the blooms my collection has produced recently.

1. Wayetii

2. Callistophylla

3. Densifolia

4. Polyneura

5. Linearis

6. Caudata

7. Pubicalyx

8. Pubicalyx

I was fortunate enough to win a heavy duty work belt during the Contenders event this year, thanks to you all! I already had one in DS Natural and I'd been planning to put an order for a brown boot, so I decided to get one in Tan Oiled Latigo to compare. The Latigo is a bit more red and darker than the DS Natural which has a bit more orange. Good thing I decided that I prefer DS Natural because Latigo was subsequently dropped from the regular offerings. They are very similar other than the slight color difference.

I ended up gifting the new belt to my Father who was very impressed with it and is becoming a new fan of Nicks. Thanks again to all of you for the votes!

I bought this as a Hoya Cummingiana in 2021 but it seems like it was mislabeled and is actually a Densifolia. I don't have good pictures from the day I received it, but I did take a picture when I started to trellis it on a floor lamp I had in May of 2023.

It has grown explosively fast, particularly in the last year where multiple strands grew another 3-4 feet and have started to wrap around my light fixtures and other hoya near the ceiling. This plant has my favorite flower smell of all Hoya so far, it's a unique cent for a flower that reminds me a bit of a sweet spice cake. It's another Hoya that's great for beginners if you have the space to handle it and it flowers all the time!

I'm sure that title generated some groans and eye rolls by some in the community. I myself am guilty of being a bit quick to judge some of the posts about people suffering from a squeaky pair of boots. Bear with me though, while my love for Nicks boots was tested over the last month, a simple solution resolved the problem for me. I want to share so hopefully people can find it when they run into the same problem.

It all started with the first squeak a couple months ago, the right boot of my Falcons. A couple days later the left boot started and the next week the right boot of my Striders. It wasn't just an infuriating squeaking sound, the boots became less comfortable with an unstable feeling underfoot, vibrations, and a significant increase in temperature. I was shocked by how quickly things unravelled with two pairs of boots that had served me so well with daily wear for 6 months straight. The problem in all three boots was around the ball of the foot. I can't say for sure what it was, but it felt to me like the glue had failed between the sole and midsole. It felt like I was walking on a bit of an air bubble that was being squeezed and refilled on each step and the two layers were rubbing each other. The trigger may have been extreme dry weather (sub 25% humidity) for several days in a row. A return to normal humidity did not fix the damage though.

I tried talc powder and saturating the soles with boot oil, the most common recommendations on this forum. The problem only got worse. I was ready to give up and take the boots to a cobbler to get them re-soled despite having plenty of life left. Finally, I came across a comment on a post somewhere on this forum. The commenter mentioned that another boot company recommended filling squeaky boots with warm water, letting them sit for 30 minutes, and then wearing them for a long walk.

It seemed extreme and I wasn't convinced it could work, but I was desperate so I gave it a shot. Last weekend I filled my Falcons with warm water, waited 30 minutes, dumped the water out and put them on. They immediately felt more stable and comfortable despite being wet, I took a few steps. . . and the squeak was gone!

I walked around the house with them for 15 minutes until my wool socks were feeling pretty damp and then I changed to another pair of wool socks before taking a longer hike outside. They were back to being as comfortable as ever. I've worn them multiple times this last week and the problem hasn't returned, they are my favorite boots again. I tried the same thing on my Striders today and the squeak disappeared as well! Hopefully this fix lasts a while so I can keep enjoying these great boots until they are ready for a re-sole.

Polyneura grows so fast and develops into a lush cascade. Perfect for spots where you have room for a large hanging plant. It also flowers prolifically with enough light.

It survived a year-long war with mealy bugs (lady bug larvae delivered me a final victory) and it got so big it pulled itself off an 8 foot ledge and shattered its pot. Luckily it didn't do too much damage to itself. I've got it in a much bigger pot now just to give it a solid base. It outgrew my high light area though, so I'll probably have to make some adjustments to get a bloom this year.

I highly recommend Polyneura as a beginner Hoya

Not all variegated plants are better than their fully green sisters, but Ficus Elastica "Tineke" is a stunner that quickly grows into a statement. This one grows over a foot a year so I've had to take cuttings from the top twice. She's developed an explosion of growth points over the last year with 6 new large branches coming off the main trunk. I had to improvise with a spare wood plank I had lying around to create a nice support for her.