Hi Jim: thank you for the link to Charleston Tea Plantation ...I'll definitely order some for Christmas ... I love the taste of green tea. Hubby drinks coffee, but that doesn't appeal to me. A friend sent me a link to how tainted foods from China are, such as contaminated vinegar with anti-freeze (lethal poison). A grandmother in Vietnam was healthy until she turned 98 years old and drank wine tainted with rubbing alcohol ... she became blind & sick and died afterwards. http://www.wired.com/2011/08/china-food-risk/ Pets are also affected by tainted foods from China. From Wikipedia about the 2007 pet food recalls "By the end of March, veterinary organizations reported more than 100 pet deaths amongst nearly 500 cases of kidney failure,[1] with one online database self-reporting as many as 3,600 deaths as of 11 April.[2][3] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of several thousand cats and dogs who have died after eating contaminated food .... the actual death toll could potentially reach into the thousands.[6][7] Overall, several major companies have recalled more than 5300 pet food products, with most of the recalls coming from Menu Foods.[4] The contamination was caused by melamine in the affected foods. The Chinese company behind the contaminated wheat gluten has initially denied any involvement in the contamination. Reports of widespread and possibly intentional adulteration of Chinese animal feed with melamine have raised the issue of melamine contamination in the human food supply, both in China and abroad.[11] On 27 April, the U.S. FDA subjected all vegetable proteins imported from China, intended for human or animal consumption, to detention without physical examination, including: wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn byproducts, soy protein, soy gluten, proteins (includes amino acids and protein hydrosylates), and mung bean protein.[12] In a teleconference with reporters on 1 May, officials from the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture said between 2.5 and 3 million people in the United States had consumed chickens that had consumed feed containing contaminated vegetable protein from China.[13] Current research has focused on the combination of melamine and cyanuric acid in causing renal failure. Reports that cyanuric acid may be an independently and potentially widely used adulterant in China have heightened concerns for both pet and human health.[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls Dr. Oz TV-show tested high arsenic levels in major-brands apple-juice, such as Mott and Minute Maid, with China as their supplier. http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-oz-investigates-arsenic-apple-juice The Wall Street Journal has a list of foods most imported from China, here's an excerpt from below link: "Chinese imports dominate some food categories to a striking extent. In a testimony before a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May (pdf), food safety expert Patty Lovera noted that China accounted for 80% of tilapia, 51% of cod, 49% of apple juice, 34% of processed mushrooms, 27% of garlic and 16% of frozen spinach consumed in the U.S. in 2011." Here is a link that might be useful: Wall Street Journal on foods imported from China

Thanks-taking photos from the car was necessary because of the ticks-I just brushed the grass with one hand and instantly had a tick on it. I looked at the photos after I posted them and decided that the Blue Grosbeak must be a juvenile male..I thought it was too early, but obviously not; most females only have blue on their backs. But, hey, I've never photographed ANY Blue Grosbeak before

LindaC, I don't care where the artist lived, or why he painted anything. I just want to know if he will paint the cabinets. I didn't say it was fun painting cabinets, I said I was going to do it. I hate to paint and I hate to decorate even more than I hate to paint. I do like white. It's clean, it's easy and it goes with everything. Plus, I want to sell the house. I told Elery that if there was going to be any color, he'd have to choose it. Then the realtor informed me that most people don't want color, they want neutrals so they can cover them easily and choose their own colors. That's why they call it "realtor beige". the high point of tearing out that wall was finding out that under that butt ugly striped paneling was drywall, so I don't have to build another wall, just paint the one that is there. Well, that and getting rid of the wall that I hated. Striped blue, brown, gray and cream. Ugh. I'm excited about FINALLY starting to do something about getting these houses ready for sale, I just hope they sell quickly so I can move the heck out! eileen, I'd like the interesting little cafes, although I don't usually eat breakfast, it would be lunch for me. I like to wander off by myself too, but that drives Elery nuts, he's sure I'm lost or mugged or eaten by some animal that I just had to get a little closer to. But he's not interested in the seals or the sea turtles on South Padre. he wants to sit and relax and by gosh, I need to learn to relax too. It's both funny and annoying. I can tell you how cold the water was and how the sand felt on my bare feet and what the coffee was like and how many people had dogs and what kind. I notice the breeze and the smell of the flowers and iguana on the rocks and that the aloe is blooming. To me a thousand sunsets are all different but 152 paintings of people I don't know are all the same. I believe that nature is a far more talented artist than any human could ever be. I can't tell you about sunrises, though, because I'm not a morning person. (grin) So I'd LOVE to see Big Sur and Monterey and Point Lobos. And in about 3 days, I want to go home. Annie

Another recommendation for Upton Tea Company. They have an excellent selection and their shipping dept is awesome. The package arrives in two or three days. DH likes flavored iced tea and drinks it all year round, so I order various flavored teas from Upton, i.e., apricot, black currant or mango. I make it in a coffeepot. They sell iced tea makers but I think a coffeepot works just as well. I like brewed hot tea, especially Nilgiri and Irish Breakfast. They have so many types, it boggles the mind! I'd love to try lots of them.