I am an avid cactus collector, with a particular fondness for the trichocereus, ariocarpus, and myrtillocactus genera. Prior to my move to Oxford, my greenhouse in Austin was home to many a monstrose, crested, or otherwise 'mutant' cactus cultivars, although the more glaucous, non-mutant T. peruvianus clones and smooth, symmetric T. scopulicola clones began moving in at the tail-end the 2022 growing season. While certainly erratic at times, the weather in Zone 8B was kind to me for the most part (see: the February 2023 Texas freeze), and I certainly miss the generous Austin growing conditions. I've adopted a few T. bridgesii hybrids in Oxford, and I'm looking forward to filling and nurturing another greenhouse wherever I land after my postdoc here ends. If permitted, I will talk about cacti at length - a warning...!