Ramblings

Bye, Sweet Little Mocha

Yesterday our little Mocha died. She had a seizure in the morning that she just didn't come out of. She had been diagnosed with kidney and liver failure and had heart problems for years. How could a little dog survive with so many vital organs going out on her? She did her best to fill the void that Latte left - the little dog spot. Their energy is so wonderful to have around. Now they are both gone and it's the end of a wonderful time in our lives. They will forever be alive for us as they taught us so much.

Mocha had the best temperament ever and was the kind of cuddly dog that gives so much comfort and joy whenever they are needed. She also had a feisty side that was full of confidence and she stood her ground in our house. Her walk had a bounce displaying her confidence. She loved the comforts - soft pillows, cool tile, and chicken treats from Trader Joe's. Every evening she hung out in the kitchen until we gave her a treat. If we forgot and went to bed, she would wait until we went looking for her.

This evening we will be taking her ashes for a walk on Kailua Beach, a place she loved with a passion.


 

How NOT to multitask

I have not been updating my blog because of mutitasking and not prioritizing stuff. I'm trying to not to beat myself up about it. Here's an article on it from a blog I frequently read. So much is appropriate for the times. It's crazy devices, social networking, and just internet stuff. It's fun, but I need to find the middle way.

http://zenhabits.net/2007/02/how-not-to-multitask-work-simpler-and/

May desktop wallpaper

We were on two programs - one in St. Martin and one in Palm Beach. Had a blast. I posted our desktop wallpaper an wanted to share the photos taken on those programs. Here's the link: http://www.eyeoftheislands.com/RLSGalleries/May09/May09.html If you want to be added to our mailing list, please let me know by commenting on this post. I'm happy to share!

Dinner tonight

Even though I'm so not a vegetarian, I frequently enjoy a vegetarian meal. Tonight was one of those nights.

Saturday is my Farmer's Market day. I love going there in spite of the crowds. There was a woman selling sweet corn. She said they were experimenting with a new kind. I bought a bag of 12 ears for $6. The Kona abalone people were grilling abalone so I couldn't resist trying two small grilled morsels for $5. They were delicious...I wished I had a glass of champagne to go with. I replenished my supply of salsa with spicy pickles from Andy, purchased beeyooteeful tomatoes and beets with the tops, of course.

So back to the vegetarian meal. I always have tons of food in the fridge and in the pantry. If there is a crisis, drop by and we can feed the masses. I looked for the oldest living thing and it was a half head of red cabbage. Perfect!

I sauteed the cabbage with pear vinegar and a bit of cinnamon sugar (leftover from a friend's major snicker doodle event). Then added some chopped and roasted hazelnuts. If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen the mobile photo of our radishes. I chopped some up and added them with salt and pepper. Topped that off with crumbled goat cheese. Kris loves red cabbage so I knew he'd like this dish.

The corn on the cob was left in the husks and roasted in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. They were the sweetest, most tender corn kernels ever. Loved that with a little butter and chile salt. Yimmy!

Blog, Facebook, Twitter

I've truly missed blogging. I feel like someone who had an intense affair, but is longing for the deeper, more meaningful relationship.

Facebook has been so much fun. I've connected with people I've been out of touch with and deepened other connections. It's not something I would ever give up, but I believe the new interface makes it harder to connect with friends and family that matter. Instead, a lot of superfluous and distracting stuff appears. On the iPhone app, I've been informed of a comment and then have not been able to find it to respond.

Twitter, on the other hand, is the place I think has potential. I haven't found it yet. I like that I can update on Twitter and it appears on Facebook so that I don't have to enter stuff twice. I follow some famous and not so famous and actually enjoy the 140 character limitation.

The bottom line is that, although I love Facebook and Twitter can be fun, I miss blogging and I like that I can go back there and see how things were at certain times in my life. I'm going to try to put some energy back into blogging and see how it goes.

Desktop Wallpaper for March

Just uploaded some of my favorite images for March. Just click on this link, pick the one you want, open it up and download.

http://www.eyeoftheislands.com/RLSGalleries/03March/March09.html

Volcano - Wildlife coming through our yard

I'm in Volcano for a couple of days. This evening as we settled down with a drink, a pair of Kalij pheasants walked through the yard. Grabbed a shot of the male.

Misoyaki scallops

For Valentine's Day, I made misoyaki scallops for Kris. No photo. I'm always so anxious to start scarfing food that I don't think about photos until the dish has been ravaged. Anyway, I loved the misoyaki sauce.

1/4 Cup sake
1/4 Cup mirin
2 T Soy sauce
1 Cup miso (I used red)

Put the sake, mirin and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the miso. Combine well.

Marinate the scallops in the sauce (I did for three hours) and grill. Yimmy!!

I Love Blogging

I love blogging because it allows me to share thoughts, photos, and other fun things. I've made it a point to keep my posts to positive things...none of my usual whining about stuff. Even when someone dies, I'm hoping that I've succeeded in posting to celebrate their life.

It's a record that I can go to anytime to review photos, recipes and other things that I've written. It's storage of good things in my life and reminders of those good things.

Because I blog, I make note of things that I encounter that I want to share that may otherwise been passed by.

I love blogging because it's fun!

“Wishes under the Moon” by Kristen Ushio

This is a sonnet that my cousin's bright, sweet daughter wrote. It truly added something very, very special to Mom's service. Thank you, Kristen!

"The cold rainy night stalks my dark filled heart,
 We plead for warm light to defrost out woes,
 Stars dance for us, forming beautiful art,
 Holding your iced hands, the moon brightly glows,
 "Please do not leave my side, please don’t go'
 Not enough time together, I regret
 The angels watch you?  Above or below?
 Will you wait for me?  It’s not my time yet.
 Time passes on trains, mocking me and you.
 Do you wish that there will be no more pain?
 Even if you go, our love stays very true.
 The waves pull me back, from my dreams that wane.
 Don’t worry we will be together soon.
 When you disappeared, brighter shined the moon."