Blog Dog

May 30th marked the official adoption of Margo.  After going back and forth between shelters, not agreeing on one, debating pros and cons of life... we settled.  Margo was found in the dumps of Saint Martin 4 months ago by the rescue team.  She had been living at the shelter ever since and thought to be around 10 months old.

The shelter called her "Choupette" meaning something obscure in French and which is also the name of Karl Lagerfeld's cat...  I had to change that immediately.  (Since all my pup picks were denied for being too big,  I at least got to choose the name.)

She is full grown but you can tell she has puppy instincts left in her.  Like the tendency to pee when she is afraid or excited.  Margo has yet to earn entrance into the living room.

We took her on a test run for a few days to see if she could handle the boat life.  The future didn't look so promising because she was so afraid of everything. We couldn't even walk her with a leash or play with us.  But she's smart and a quick learner.  To all our surprise, Margo championed the sailboat experience (even though she was scared) and thus we initiated our 2nd Mate the next day.

It only took two days for her to not need a leash, run next to me, jump in the water and start swimming.

Also, she is not barky or whiny or aggressive or hyper.  We are on to something with this one.   A dump dog might just be the best one I'm to raise. 

ilovemyislanddog.org

Plant A Better Life

Week one back on the island.  A reset of sorts since I've decided to settle in...  it's officially time to upgrade the standards of life.  Focussing on sustainable living and eating.  Welcome to my porch and kitchen.

Being on an island of Dutch, French, English and German speakers, seed packages come in various languages.  So to avoid any confusion,  Andi has so thoroughly given them name flags with each country's translation.  The French garlics don't seem to get along with the German basil, however.

My avocado after a month of sitting in a jar of water.  Finally greeting us!  Now only about six more years till she fruits.  Patience is a virtue, they say. 

Plants increase happiness- fact.  And if food also makes me happy, surely food grown from the earth will double up on that happiness.  So win/win, yeah?  Plants and vegetables rule this house. 

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Slow cooked spaghetti squash with steamed broccoli, fresh basil and topped with a light peanut sauce (roasted sesame seeds, finely chopped peanuts and amino acids- soy replacement).

Slow cooked eggplant and carrots, seasoned with cayenne, curry, salt, pepper and turmeric. Topped on a bed of sautéed spinach with homemade chia tortillas.

"Mexican Cauliflower Pizza" (cauliflower, egg, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper) with tomato sauce, kale, onions, peppers, and black beans.

Homemade gluten free (+ wheat germ) chia tortilla wraps with homemade hummus, cucumbers, kale, carrots and beets.

It's a lot of the "homemade" business, but when you live on an island that imports everything and uses the Euro... it starts to make sense.  Not only do we save money,  but the foods are much less processed, contain no added sugars, preservatives, or any bad additives that make foods taste so good and last so long.  Health is life, so make it the best possible.