Thanks to Don Wiss, Kris Kyes, Mary Copeland, and James Crocker for suggestions on preparing cactus leaves. Before receiving these suggestions, I experimented by simply cooking them up with vidalia onion, pineapple and yellow peppers to eat next to my eggs yesterday morning. Very good. For almond butter fans, I discovered that it's great on apple slices for an after work snack. The stuff is expensive; has anybody tried making it? I get raw almonds and imagine that the biggest problem after roasting them and throwing them in the vitamixer would be to get the stuff out as gooey as it is. The kind I get lists unblanched roasted almonds as the only ingredient. Had some great paleo chili this evening with antibiotic free beef. No half a loaf of bread with it like the "old days; " just bean free chili and a giant romaine and pepper salad with cantelope for dessert Tomorrow is my fiftieth birthday and I will have to politely peck at some of the sweet carbs my faithful secretary will no doubt prepare. It is the thought that counts! Rick.