XJ-13 by Alien Labs: Strain Review

~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

The XJ-13 smoke is of an unusual flavor. It tastes sort of fruity but it's also soapy. One generic description of the strain said the smoke had a finish reminiscent of chamomile. I admit I had not thought of chamomile—my palate is not that sharp—but I must agree. Not quite fruity not quite soapy not quite medicinal but herbal with a mouth-coating finish reminiscent of sipping a cup of chamomile tea.

This is Arizona, this is Tucson. I am in the casita. The fan is going, the door is open (screen engaged), 29% relative humidity, 81°. It does not get much better than this! To be breathing so much wild air, so much fresh, outside air is a treat, a privilege—even if the pollen count is a little high.

A delivery from that online retailing powerhouse has arrived. Need some erasers? How about some fresh Boveda packs? A tube of dog toothpaste? You can't have the 2-pk of screen door roller wheels. I need these to replace the cracked and worn-out wheels on this sliding screen door that lets the air in but keeps the bugs (and other critters including rattlesnakes) out. I often leave the glass door slid open with nothing but the screen keeping this casita secure all night. Sometimes with music going. This casita is one of my happier, one of my happiest places. If you have not seen me here, you have not seen one of the better versions of me lo these last five or ten years. Come on out to Tucson, the water's fine!

The casita (view from roof of house).

12:39. Anyway. I am toggling back and forth between maintaining some useful level of focus on this written page while also giving myself some leeway to float away and if necessary get a little whirlpooled by a worthy topic or stray thought. If there is some other direction my subconscious, my memory, or my unconscious self wants to take me then I need to be willing to consider letting it lead me.

I'll tell you this, though. These Lucy's Warblers have been the bird of the trip and it's not even a close contest. The are more heard than seen; their omnipresent scissory warble is all over this town, from up here in the foothills down to the running path along the dry wash cutting through the middle of this bright, dry, hazy mountain-desert town. The Gambel's Quail, always a fan favorite with their cat-like calls and their drooping black forehead dongles, have also been especially vocal and prevalent this time around. Sometimes they stay quiet and stay hidden—maybe during the hottest months, or when coyotes and bobcats are especially close, on the prowl. I will try to type... 12:43...

...14:00. It's been a solid hour and a half writing, typing, blogging. I powered through some entries. Now I'm interested in a drink. It's time to w(h)et the whistle.

I never got too high or too low with the XJ-13 this time. Its effects were in line with a Sour Diesel high. I experience a heavy feeling but beneath that upper crust there's a level on which the most of me is motivated, focused, and foraging. I wouldn't call the XJ-13 a "conversation starter" strain for me, but these days what strain is?

I'm signing off once again from Tucson. Tucson, I love you, but we can't keep saying goodbye like this...


This is just an excerpt. Click here or on the photo of that sunset over the mountains for the full post. Thanks for reading!

Tucson Stash Bags

~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

March 24, 2026, 15:29

Dateline Tucson. More specifically, the Catalina Foothills. We have arrived here once again after a long drive from Missouri. I wasted no time in retrieving my stash bags from their spot(s). They are three big zip bags. What's inside!?

Bag A
  1. Four Boveda packs, what remains of a 10-pk. I had an unopened 10-pk back home that I meant to bring out here but I forgot it, so these will get plenty of use.
  2. Some old Biscotti Pie from High Noon Cultivation, which I bought in Albuquerque last year.
  3. Some old Garlic Breath, also from New Mexico but I'm not sure where or when. Maybe R. Greenleaf in Ruidoso.
  4. Some old Permanent Marker from New Mexico
  5. Some old Gushers x Grease Monkey from High Noon Cult, which I bought at the same time as the Biscotti Pie. Neither were as good as High Noon Cult's Butterscotch Bacio. These four New Mexico oldies are now totally expendable.
  6. A 1050 Pelican case holding three unopened Arizona eighths (purchased last time but never opened):
    1. XJ-13 by Alien
    2. Prickly Pear by Grow Sciences
    3. Biskante by Alien (second time buying Biskante)
Train on view from I-10 near Steins, New Mexico, just east of the Arizona border
Bag B
  • A large Mason Jar holding:
    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. A large Mason Jar holding:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. an opened jar of Guava 2.0 from Connected (Arizona)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. an opened jar of Gelonade, also from Connected...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3. This is just an excerpt. For the full post, click on that photo of the Black-throated Sparrow on the prickly pear above...

    • Strawberry Pines by Somatic

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    3.28.2026, 16:05

    This Strawberry Pines hits pretty hard, pretty quick. It's a bit of a spitter but not untasty. Something of a stupor, a stuporous feeling, a drowse, marsh-mallow-y. I'm listening to baseball, have been for four or five hours. It's the fourth day of the season. This is Mets-Pirates, tied at one. There had been zero extra-inning games so far, then: Rays/Cards, A's/Jays, and now Mets/Pirates.

    "New York is challenging the out all at home plate," says the umpire, his voice fed over the stadium's loud speaker.

    I'm not sure if writing is helping or hurting. Two straight outs at the plate. That was a squabbler, a fielder's choice. Soto to first, Young out at home. Force play. Nowhere else to go. No tag necessary, just step on the plate before the runner arrives. Fly out to right. To the eleventh!

    Most of the gram of Strawberry Pines I bought in Clovis, NM en route Tucson by way of Ruidoso, NM. I smoked a bowl of Strawberry Pines while in the pines of Ruidoso.

    I'm baked. Staring off into the distance (the wall). Now the Red Sox and Reds go to extra innings!

    We are in Tucson, Arizona. I bought this Strawberry Pines in Clovis, New Mexico. The grower is Somatic. The dispensary was an R Greenleaf. They have a lot of flower by the gram. Yesterday I had a different strawberry strain—Strawberry Pancakes—from High Noon Cult. Then I had a Mezcal Melonade, also from High Noon Cultivation. I can't say anything specific about either of those strains but I went to bed content; had my first vodka of the day as a nightcap, on the bed stand. That's been a good place for it.

    The Mezcal Melonade is an indica. I smoked it right before going to sleep. I suppose I slept pretty well for a few hours. Then my sister-in-law arrived. I was up for a few minutes. It was not unexpected. Yet, awakening, there was a sense of confusion, surprise—what's this now? what's that light? Is someone here? Then back to sleep, a legitimate sleep, until 3 or so—what was five my time (or what had been my time in Missouri for the last two weeks, until DST kicked back in). Multiple time changes, changing time (poem below)...


    This is just the beginning of the post. For the rest click here or give that spiny saguaro above a click...

    Pacific Pie by Flora, a Strain Review

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    7.10.2027 (sic), 17:27

    Pacific Pie. Tasty. Had that aroma. I'm down to the last gram of the eighth and it's still aromatic. It's lemon-dessert tasty. Not the Durban tang but more of a GMO lemon delightedness.

    Never had flower from Flora before. The jar was a little short but then again it was over a year past packaged date. And still this tasty! Makes me wonder what it would've tasted like fresh.

    The lineage of Pacific Pie is Georgia Pie x Apples & Bananas. (Source: Grow Diaries, link)...


    This is just part of the post. For the rest click here or click on the photo of that Spicebush Swallowtail above...

    Silver Spoon by Connected

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    June 22, 2026, 16:45

    What I just smoked was a joint of Silver Spoon with some kief dust added to it, the kief scraped from the basement of my grinder.

    I have smoked more than half of this eighth of Silver Spoon from Connected—purchased in March in Tucson, AZ—but this strain has never really 'done it' for me. From here in western St. Louis County Missouri, I took one Silver Spoon joint back west on our most recent drive to Tucson. I smoked that Silver Spoon at the Chiricahua Apache Plaza eat of Deming, New Mexico. I had driven us to Chiricahua from Ruidoso, NM, my wife took the wheel from there. I burned one with only the skies, the mountains, and idle semis around. We got back on I-10.

    Stopped at Chiricahua Apache Plaza east of Deming, NM, April 2026.

    But despite the sublimely stark scenery, the Silver Spoon never hit. Maybe I expected too much, maybe I was too tense despite not being in the driver's seat. A few years earlier a Grape Stomper pre-roll I bought in Roswell delivered unquestioned effects along a similar stretch of I-10. Then earlier this year, a Super Boof Lost Farms gummy had me putting pen to paper along the same exact stretch of interstate. Folks on the AZ Ents reddit speak highly of Silver Spoon, so what's up?

    Expectations are hard to meet, they act like walls, like obstacles. I remember that wall deck I used to have, playing Magic: The Gathering with my brother. What happened to those days? Wandering days, nothing stays, we're all in plays, now shortening days while a woodpecker brays and this old towel under me frays.

    Hah. Maybe the Silver Spoon is working for me after all. I have no reason to doubt the AZ Ents page. I recently commented on a post that ranked the "25 Best Arizona sativas" post, a useful morsel of intelligence that was authentic i.e. real, not artificial. Artifice, artful. Not arty, not painterly but implying some trickery, cunning, equivocation, sleight of hand, legerdemain—not the whole truth. In other words, not fake—as opposed to all of this other new, modern content that we are getting so ex$$$$ited about. Who owns these AI stocks? Maybe AI itself owns the AI stocks, drives them up. Maybe it really is a new species, borne of us, the first species flowing down (or up?) the family tree from Homo sapiens.

    Silver Spoon. And kief. Just a sprinkle. It helps "take things up a notch." LOL, famous last words... [16:59]


    There is more to this post. Click here or on the photo above...

    Jokerz Stash by Abundant Organics

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    May 25, 2026

    Best I can tell, Jokerz Stash by Abundant Organics is the same strain/lineage as Jokerz Candy or Joker's Candy. There might be some sort of naming rights conflict in play, leading AO to put a slightly different name on the jar. From Compound Genetics, the cross is Gummies x Grape Gas. (Link to lineage chart here)

    Upon grinding, the Jokerz Stash proved aromatic. I detected an herbal aroma, perhaps clove? As I put hemp wick to the grind, I discovered a candy taste and a lingering menthol flavor/sensation. It was a tasty smoke from a glass bowl. I haven't had any alcohol yet today. [15:22] I have been hungover or blunderbussed from yesterday.

    The Jokerz Stash has me putting pen to paper but that's always going to be more likely when it's earlier in the day and/or I haven't been drinking. Food for thought, buddy! And by buddy I mean me.

    The high is not racy but there's a stimulating buzz allowing for focus. The effects do include some arousal so I'd consider this in the category of aphrodisiac strains. There was a quarter of a gram in the bowl. I thought I might sit down and type but I'm wavering on that.

    The Abundant Organics super-eighths always seem to weigh in above the 4.5g labeled weight.
    A jar of Jokerz Stash from Abundant Organics, Tucson, AZ, May 2026.

    This has been a pleasant smoke so far, a really nice smoke mid-afternoon. I had been listening to a baseball game, Reds at Mets. The Reds were up 7-0. Earlier I listened to the Cubs lose, again. Then I heard the Brewers finish off the Cardinals.

    We are out in Tucson, Arizona, visiting my in-laws. Somehow I have managed not to roll any joints so far this trip. Rolling joints takes time, for me it does. I have a system that works for me but it can be a tedious process. It's nice to have those joints at the ready, though. No dugout/box, no glass to worry about. If you're done and ready to move on, you drop the joint, rub it out, and you move on. Simplicity in smoking, there's a lot to be said for it. I do like this bowl, though. I bought it in Belleville, IL and packed it away (unused) for the drive out. It's got a nice, deep bowl.

    I'm in the casita, a detached office that serves as a useful and pleasant remove. It's one of my favorite places in the world. There's an AC window unit but I have never needed to use it. Sure, it's 91° in here but the relative humidity is 20% and there are blinds on the window and on the sliding door, so there's very little sun getting in when I want to keep it out...

    For the full post, including a primer on making ice in the desert, follow the link or click on the lizard photo above...

    Heat Seeker by Tical

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    5.17.2026—Dateline Farm

    Partaking in some Heat Seeker flower from Tical. The cross is Dosidos x Zkittlez.

    I'm sitting outside on the stoop of this old farmhouse in the middle of Missouri. It's just past sunset, the light is going. Contrails are still visible despite being far away. Ephemeral, catching the last of the light. It doesn't feel humid. It's because there's a breeze. It's 74% relative humidity, 77°. The breeze keeps the humidity from setting. Does a breeze ward off dewfall? Now the breeze is calming down. I'll have to go inside; the flies are bad. The windows are open to screens but I've had the front door propped open all day.

    I arrived here at 9:30 this morning, stopping only for gas. I filled up my car as well as a five-gallon container using ethanol-free gasoline that ran $4.99/gallon. Subaru 2 has a bigger tank than my first. $97, yikes. Invest in what is important, choose wisely, respect what endures.

    I mowed for four hours. Dry sneezy, snotty, dusty, dirty. Someone out there now shooting.

    A coyote strikes up! Not far away. The coyote is just across the road, much closer than the gunshots. One hundred and fifty yards, but with many trees in between. A few stars now. The breeze returns. The little plastic windmills spin. I've got Marlins @ Padres on radio/cell, Padres lead 7-3. Frogs sound off from the direction of the creek. It's a pleasant evening except for a gnat trying to drill into my ear.

    That Heat Seeker was some nice bud. Pretty grind. Very aromatic as I was grinding it up. Nice bag. I have two or three more Heat Seeker joints rolled up, the rest of the bag is gone...


    For the full post click here...

    Thunderdome by Green Dot Labs, a Strain Review

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    Jar Opening, 3.30.2026, 16:11 mst

    Tamper-proof ribbon. Otherwise no wafer seal but there might be a different type of seal under the lid. The bud is super spongy and dank with a garlic aroma. The eighth weighed in at 3.68 grams. It looks crystal-y and passes the eye test. Let's grind.

    First or Second Session, 3.31.2026, 17:30

    Thunderdome doesn't seem to be a pen-to-paper strain.

    Some bite, some rabbit hole. I walked out and took photos of cacti. I was feeling that warm glow, the magic hour of a good bake. The light is muted because it is cloudy, has been for hours, rained off and on, never heavy. Small cells pop up, drift, morph.

    I have not had any vodka yet but I have had some tequila, maybe one good marg's worth. Some white wine, half a glass? Now a Grolsch.

    Not quite baked. The flower had that green taste, the colors green and white. The taste of crystals. Not unpleasant but the last flower I smoked that tasted like that was bag appeal, this taste, then "eh" for effects.

    I burned one of these joints last night before dinner, then another one afterward and I hardly remember eating. The lid bills this flower as "catastrophic gas" resulting from a Candy Cake x Garlic Banger cross. It must have come on slowly, then all at once. I don't have days to give away—who does?—and still. There was some vodka involved last night, and some box white wine. I'd have to say boxed white wine is probably the strongest drug available at the local supermarket.

    I slaughtered myself on boxed white wine first on the night of January 6, 2021 and then again the next night, driving back to St. Louis from Tucson with my dog Hugo. We were in Tucumcari on January 6, didn't even check into the hotel where I had a reservation because a large group (road crew workers) were partying all around outside the only pet friendly room the Best Western ever offered there. We went to a nearby La Quinta. I remember taking Hugo out to do his business, in the dark cold wind on a day where we had taken a major detour through New Mexican silver mine territory because I got off at an exit from which the on ramp back to I-10 was closed. Lordsburg. It was a long day, The Capitol had been attacked, and it was probably one of the first nights when I lost patience with Hugo, and he with me.

    The next night we were in a weird Baymont Inn in Wichita, KS when that scumbag senator from my home state was among too many who stood to oppose the certification of the election. Getting sloshed on what was left of the boxed wine, drinking straight from the skin was the right thing to do.

    Where was I? The Thunderdome is building like an anvil cloud. The Merlin app is offering me some interesting new suggestions. Nashville Warbler? Bushtit? Bushtit would be a new one for me. I'm not confirming it but now I'm on the lookout. Grolsch down...


    For the full strain review click here or on the photo above...

    707 Headband Live Resin Chews from Lost Farm

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    4.6.2026, 16:07

    Background buzz ... for five hours. A mood fortifier. Peaceable, functional. Some of the best get-through I've found. These might be my desert island edible as of right now. Almost like they are a medication that helps me stay calm while simultaneously fueling me.

    Lost Farm is a brand under the Kiva umbrella, which I found by way of Camino. I don't know what's up with Camino these days. They were a go-to gummy a few years back. My wife really liked the Pineapple Habanero gummies, which we first found in Arizona. These days it appears Kiva/Camino/Lost Farm does not operate in Arizona at all.

    Initially Lost Farm was offering single-strain gummies, which appealed to me as a strain-curious flower guy. I recall the Lost Farm Ice Cream Cake gummies being particularly good. Indica. I tend to shy away from indica flower but I have found that I like indica edibles, assuming they do not also have CBN in them. (I have no problem with CBN but I consider those to be sleep-forward gummies, not something to take during the afternoon when I am looking for background buzz and fuel.)

    When I bought my first pack of these 707 Headband chews, I did not even realize they were individually wrapped. I didn't really even understand that they were chews not gummies. What do they mean by "fruit chew?" One words: Starburst. That's what they are, that texture, that consistency. They sort of melt away in your mouth in a way that a gummy could not. You can chew them but I mostly let them dissolve.

    I bought these 707 Headband more because I was interested in the particular strain they're derived from but they do taste good. The flavor is "grilled peach." 707 Headband is apparently a classic strain created by crossing Sour Diesel, OG Kush, and Master Kush. I don't see any type of Headband strains on flower menus anymore, with one exception. UpNorth Humboldt had Headband flower on the Illinois menu earlier this year. I didn't get any, which I now regret. Thing is, I never have enjoyed the effects when I've smoked Sour Diesel. It's always just made me feel tired and stoned, which is pretty much the opposite of what I'm looking for...


    For the full post, follow this link or click the photo above...

    Sovetskoye Shampanskoye -or- Wana Yuzu 2:1

    ~ johnbrandall ~ Leave a comment

    Dry air of the desert, a new drug, a new touch I almost wish I never knew. But I do know and now that I'm back in MO/IL I walk around in the deep humidity and memories of the desert stick to me like sweat.

    The phone is charging. I find myself grabbing for it—tossing and turning, checking pockets, surfaces, creases. Where could it be, I just had it, didn't I? Oh that's right. It is a few mere feet away but useless when not in my hand. I am drowning or, no, I want to drown in it. I want to throw my face into that pool. I cannot breathe out here on this terra firma my gills have questions, those questions need to be answered, and the answers are all inside. By the way, do you know what time it is?

    Are these 2:1 as in 10 THC: 5 CBD, or 20 CBD: 10 THC? I cannot recall but when I have my phone again I will look it up and get back to you. You got the answers? We all got the answers. At first I said just give me the questions and I'll look up the answers myself but after a while there didn't seem to be any point to that charade either. Place names in stories I can't quite understand but maybe if I knew where this bridge was or what former State that city was in I could figure out who was working for who, and why...


    For the full post and a few extra photos, follow this link...