Snow Dead

I admit it's not as catchy but I hope it stays that way. I don't want anything else catching cold. I have gotten a positive identification on my cactus plants, two of which will probably not make it. They were so pretty too.
Anyhow, what lived will still live and what died will rot and I quote, "on it's way to being black slime." I always wondered where black slime came from. Can anyone tell me where a gelatinous cube comes from? That can't be a natural shape for anything.
I talked to a relative who lives a bit south of me about my lemon tree and he assures me that it should produce within the next year or two. his trees are about ten feet tall and they produce so well that he doesn't want to trim the limbs except for the ends. Unfortunately several of his other trees died recently and he had to chop them down. So is the cycle of the tree.