More than likely what comes off that tree is Lichens and not moss, although both are first stage plants Ma Nature grows to add organic matter to soil so higher order plants can grow in that soil. Lichens grow on trees where dust from the air accumulates in the bark and traps just enough moisture for those plants to grow. What is knocked off by the birds can be left where it falls, mixed into the soil, or picked up and composted.

Tricia, coffee is still grown in Hawaii, and I had local coffee when I was there (which I loved), but I have not been able to find Kona coffee beans here in California (but I haven't looked that hard). You can get Hawaiian coffee beans on line, however, and I might do that at some point. It's definitely true that many things we consume are not grown here or cannot be grown here. I planted a banana tree thinking I would get bananas because the worker at the nursery said I would, but it turned out to be an ornamental tree. I had a fruiting banana tree in Houston, but of course the bananas were seasonal. In Cordoba, Mexico (west of Vera Cruz), coffee and bananas are grown together so that the banana trees will partially shade the coffee plants. The same method is used in Guatemala around Antigua, and so one field will have two different crops at the same time. The coffee in Antigua was the best I had ever had until I had Kona coffee in Hawaii. But it still upsets my stomach! I saw a lot of sugar cane fields on Maui but was also told that Texas produces much more sugar cane than Hawaii. The sugar refining plants closed in Hawaii, and the sugar cane grown in Hawaii is now processed mainly in Crockett, California. You can visit a closed sugar refinery on Maui, which we drove by countless times but never visited, since I've seen those in Texas. There is a sugar museum on Maui as well, and we also skipped that. Lars

Happymary: I myself am frequently astonished at the incredible amounts of $$ people spend on remodeling. Truthfully, when I see some of the posted pics, many of the expensive new kitchens, baths, etc. look much alike, not much individuality evident. Anyway, I am in the central TX area (N of Austin). We are in the process of remodeling an old TX farmhouse while living in another house that I am also trying to update in preparation for selling when the other house is ready to move-in. DH and I are both "of an age", and he will be eligible to retire in 4 years if he wants and he is adamant about not having a mortgage or similar payment post-retirement. Perfectly understandable. I teach part-time so we live modestly and frugally. We bought the TX farmhouse for cash (due, in part, to the sale of DH bachelor house) plus savings. We are financing our remodel with our savings, too. Thought about a construction loan, but are trying to do the pay-as-you-go thing. We are acting as our own GC (another cost savings) and the crew doing the framing are also doing the metal roof on both the new part and existing house. DH will do the electrical himself, as he is skilled in that area although we probably will hire an electrician to check his work at the end. After the framing, roofing, and electrical are done, we will re-evaluate our finances to see the next step, likely plumbing which could get complicated as we are doing a rainwater collection system that will be pumped back to the house for use in the new bathroom. We don't want to deplete our savings entirely for our remodel as everyone needs an emergency fund for those unexpected expenses (car, medical, hail damage, etc.) Much work on the existing house needs to be done, but we've prioritized our primary objectives (that is, what absolutely needs to be done before we can move in), then our secondary objectives (sadly, the awful, but functional, kitchen fits into the second category). Absolutely, do not bankrupt yourself to do a remodel. Sometimes there are creative and innovative ways to make your existing home more pleasant and livable without spending a great deal of money. I reiterate what many on this forum have said; be creative and research, research, research. By the way, the place in Gonzalez is called Discovery Antiques and they are quite pricey (cater to the Yuppies in Houston and Austin, I think). A better bet is the Habitat for Humanity Re-Stores. I've been to the one in Austin on Comal St. and surely there must be one (or more) in the San Antonio area. They often have the old longleaf pine flooring, solid wood doors, and other materials that have been removed from the tear-downs of old houses in the area. Also, salvage yards, if visited frequently, can provide a lot of materials. I recently bought 10 boxes of white Daltile subway tiles for $7/box (each box covered 10 sq. ft.) at a salvage yard. I redid the bath surround in my current house with those. IMO, especially in light of today's housing market, no remodel is worth going into debt for.

My latest inspiration is 2 fold. The first is old pattern quilts (I search on ebay.com under quilts). If I can get a good picture of the item I can use it to make a similar pattern. The second is the need for lighter summer clothes...I buy fabric when it is on sale and usually get a good 4 - 5 yards. I like to make skirts and tops. If there is enough extra fabric scraps I like to make sleeveless tops as well for the hottest of days. My other idea to use up dress fabric scraps now that I am growing my hair is to make matching hair scrunchies with the fabric and elastic. Anything else, if suitable gets into the quilt stash for future projects. I don't like retail prices and given my yoyo weight, I like to incorporate a LOT of elastic into my patterns so I can get more mileage out of my clothes. Really happy to hear you are looking at your sewing again. Sometimes simple, shorter projects perk me up again, like placemats or new curtains, table covers. It's amazing what a small colour change with fabric can do for your mood. Keep us posted on your activity and holler if ya find a lump of fabric screaming at ya! Cheers, McPeg