Wow, I got a special mention! Is it because I'm a guurrlll?
I initially came to TD to ask for some travel advice/directions, then I looked at the travel pic threads. Now I enjoy reading the construction threads because of the pics and the banter.
It also gives me an idea of how the male mind works, since this seems to be a "macho" forum - there are more males than females.
Re: your loofah, did you know that it's called loofah because the plant's scientific name is
Luffa cylindrica? Although I'm not sure if that is loofah, or what we call "patola". It may be the "upo" (bottle gourd,
Lageraria siceraria) or the "kundol" (winter gourd,
Benincasa hispida). But these are all relatives - bottle gourd, loofah, cucumber, watermelon, melon (cantaloupe). We have a song in my language wherein there are so many vegetables.
Bahay Kubo Veggies Scientific Names
The "patola" mentioned in the site is the angular one (
Cucunis acutangulus), but we also have the rounded ones (
Luffa cylindrica). When I was small, my mom used to plant loofah for an experiment, and we had to eat loofah for weeks, until we almost choked.
The loofah doesn't really grow on trees. It's not a fruit tree, it's a vine. Here, people grow them using trellises as support. Your loofah was a social climber and used the tree to rise in the social strata. Cheers