Back in the South Again

It always takes me a long time to adjust to a new location.  This time is no different.  I have taken the better part of the week to settle in to a new and different routine, to adjust to the light outside (it is different here) and to the pattern of our lives.  Here we walk together most mornings with the dogs on leash.  There are alligators here so no running free.  John joins us most mornings which is rather nice.  I don’t have to hold two dogs on leashes when he does join us.  We have lots of things to do here including tennis and golf, yoga classes twice a week, zumba classes twice a week, meeting up with friends for dinner in the pub or just dropping in for a glass of wine.  It seems there is always something to do.  Both of us are very involved with volunteer opportunities here as well.  John started the week off with an early morning meeting – think 7:30am and ended the day with a meeting.  I, too, had meetings to attend.  It is good to get back into the groove of our community and to catch up with friends who have either been here all summer or who have also just returned from their summer retreat.  Our gardens look good and there is still a lawn after the heat of the summer.  I am amazed at how things grow down here.  When we left these plants were little and now they are huge and providing quite a hedge to the lot.  The dogs aren’t sure they can go past them.  There was little to remind us of the hurricane that came close by.  Lots of branches down but nothing major and all was easily cleaned up.  We are back to being able to sit outside and enjoy the view.

Little Bean’s Week

I had hoped that Bean wouldn’t come into heat while we were still in Canada but of course she did.  She was scheduled to be spayed when we got home which was this past Wednesday.  She went in Tuesday for blood work and then on Wednesday morning to have her surgery.  I felt terrible leaving her there.  She is such a sweet and friendly little thing and when the technician came to get her she just marched off as happy as could be.  Yes, I felt terrible!  She did fine and was able to come home by four o’clock in the afternoon.  Let me tell you she was the drama queen.  You couldn’t go near her without her squeaking.  We pampered her and gave her scrambled eggs to eat (her favorite) and let her sleep on the couch next to me crooning all the time about what a good girl she was.  The vet did give her some good pain medication which I know helped the first 24 hours.  After that I don’t think she knew anything had happened.  She has been good as gold and seems to have healed pretty well.  Trying to keep her from jumping is a non-starter.  Turn your head for a minute and she is leaping from couch to floor.  However, we have kept the wrestling to a minimum and so far so good.  I’d say she is pretty much back to normal after four days but we are still doing our best to keep her quiet.

Hallowe’en on Dataw

It’s not about the children here when it comes to Hallowe’en but about the dogs.  Our wonderful neighbor has put out a collection of moving and very noisy characters on a bench in front of her house and in a bucket next to them are some wonderful homemade doggie treats.  Our first visit, neither dog wanted to go near the toys but the second time, Bean couldn’t resist a closer inspection.  It was Mini-Mouse that she wanted to get closer to.  This is really one of the highlights of being a dog lover on Dataw.

Wyke really could have cared less until the cookies came out.

Getting Ready for the Three Day

 

This coming week is the Pledge the Pink 3-day 3-island walk and while I have trained up north I haven’t coped with the low country conditions.  Thus I went out with my team and did a 9 mile walk on the beach out at Fripp Island.  It was hot, in the 80’s, and quite humid for me (not for them) and we pushed pretty hard and managed to get the mileage done in 2 1/2 hours.  The beach was gorgeous.  Since the tide was out we were able to walk on the hard sand which is actually quite nice for your legs and back.  It is cushioned unlike walking on the road.  Felt pretty good afterwards, even came home and vacuumed and changed beds, then I collapsed!!!  If you would like to support our effort, click on the link above in pink.  Thank you.

What Amuses the Kittens

I guess the faucet in South Carolina is more interesting than those in Canada.  I found the kittens up playing with the water.  They were batting at it with their paws.  Tried to get a picture of them in action but this was the best I could do.  It did provide a brief moment of amusement as I watched them try to catch the water drops.  They have settled back in to the house beautifully.  They love their cat tree and attack it all the time.  The other thing they seem to find fun is the library ladder.  I frequently find one or both of them up near the top staring at me like the Cheshire Cat.  It’s unnerving sometimes.  This house is a lot smaller than the one in Canada but it still provides them with lots of space to run around and hide and with the addition of the cat trees and ladders they have lots to amuse them.

Southern Cooking must include Shrimp

I am pleased to provide a recipe that John made up and that we eat on a regular basis when in the south.  It as the first thing I wanted when we got home and I wasn’t disappointed.  He buys big local shrimp and peels them then stir fries them with whatever vegetables he has on hand.  I hope you give it a try and let us know if you like it.

John’s easy Shrimp & Vegetables

1 lb large shrimp peeled
red peppers, orange peppers and green peppers about 1/2 of each Julienned
1/2 of a sweet onion sliced
olive oil
8 oz of Thai kitchen organic Coconut Milk
1/2 jar of Thai kitchen green curry paste
salt & pepper to taste

Saute the vegetables in the olive oil and once they are cooked you add the shrimp and cook until pink, mix the curry paste with the coconut milk and pour it over the shrimp and vegetables and serve over rice.