Exit stage left, here come Earl!

Wow! we got off island just in time! While on St. Croix Earl was projected to go further North. That hot sea water sure can add vigor over night! Mom would have crapped had she known that thing was out there.



Anyway, we had a great time and Mom was able to see the entire island and was amazed how large it is. Remember, all she knew was our Caye Caulker love affair. She could only imagine another wee island. No image on a map had any meaning. Hell, she's 88! Now she can't believe how big the island is. Yes. quite the trip. Need to get the property chopped again so will wait till after the blows, might be some time though.

Lemmon Pepper Sauce

So lets get started

Cooking the grindings

Blended sauce

Blended Sauce

The good stuff!

F'n cat, now he won't move so I can finish the bed

Freak'n cat woke me at 4:30 this morning! gonna kill the SOB one morning if I can catch him in the dark. F'n lil shit! So I had plenty of time to make my Hot Lemmon Pepper sauce. These little chilies are so tasty. They have a slight citrus flavour to them and a medium hotness. Susan says they're hot-as-hell but that's her. They say these chilies originated in Equador or there 'bouts but they are pretty and tasty. The bushes are large and spendly with loads of fruit, a pretty plant. I had a bowl full of chilies but after I ground them down I ended with a packed cup full of pulp, seeds and all (tiny seeds).

1 C. pulp

3 C. vinegar

1 T. Kosher salt

1 tsp. cane sugar

bring to boil, reduce heat simmer 30 min, or there 'bouts

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum and blend all 'till smooth (this stuff keeps it from seperating, keeps all the little bits in suspension). Can be omitted, will just need to shake alot.

Let cool and bottle, ENJOY!!

Now for some ripe/rotten mango and yogurt.

Cheers!

When is a buffalo is not a buffalo, or is it?

The thing lounging beside our first cabanna on Caye Caulker was a "vat". that same thing if lounging on St. Croix would be a "buffalo". Silly me. For months I had been looking for a plastic vat/cistern. Then I find some at a hardware store yard I ask about price for item and they don't know what I'm talking about. I show them, "Oh, de buffalo. Oh, dat $1475.00 for de 1000 gal one." "Oh de buffalo" I say. ok, now I am trying not to think or say vat, but buffalo for vat is hard to say. Dat one expensive buffalo any way you look at it.

This experience was a month or so ago but it's taken that long to find a vat/cistern/buffalo picture from our Caye Caulker times. How great they were!
No cabannas on St. Croix but a small house. Maybe: Cassa Conch. Can't be too small because of G.D. covenants! WTF! A G.D. civilized island?" And wear shoes in stores??? WTF!!! Good thing I don't go into too many stores and I do own a pair of phlop phlops or two.

A Buffalo.

Pepper Pick'n time

What little yellow ones?

How 'bout this one

Are these ready PaPa?

Time to start making pickled peppers and hot sauces! Busy weekend, fore we leave for St. Croix early Monday morning. "The boy" has the cat and garden watch while we are gone. No problem, his garden has been great this year as-well. He's making sauces too. Way to go "J". these garden boxes a fantastic since they bottom water the plants, so efficient. I still had to use regular pots and some bottom water pots from W Mart, not so good, would not recommend, but got some pots from DeerBusters that were made in Canada that worked real good. they have a decent size reservoir, these I will recommend. can't wait to plant some Mango's and other great tropicals and coconuts too.

Cheers!

Scuba Cat

Bucky seems to ready to go. Please! take me with you. Our brave and fearless Bucky has become a "bedroom cat" he's a freekin PUSS! Since he went outside for a couple of days, probably got his ass kicked, he stays in the beedroom away from Maxie the other heathen. And Bucky is the bigger if the two. I think he's getting worried about us going to St. Croix and him having to coexist with Max for a week. Jeremiah will be tending the patch while we be gone and he aint gonna pamper this puss! So, take me with you Dad, I will figure-out how to work this thing. Shit, I'll even eat a rotten mango or two. Please!!!

School time yet?

Maria and me discussing global economics. It blows! Bubbles make it easier to understand. Is it nap time yet?

Wow, what a summer. Now when does school start? Soon, I hope. I have had a a great time watching the grandkids while their parents worked. Yes! All employed! So now it's time for school to start and give me and Maria a break. Maria should start her school/daycare this year too. Especially since we will be moving to St. Croix soon.

We are headed back to St. Croix on the 23rd and taking Mom to see where she will be moving to. Let her get a sample of a big island and the life there. ther'sa K-Mart all should be good. We'll see.

Man has it been hot here in Charleston these past few months, much hotter than I remember, now August and the "dog days" this will be fun. I look forward to the island breeze.

Cheers!