RIP Ms. Kat

Our beloved Ms. Kat passed over the rainbow  bridge today, and out heart is filled with memories.

For 15 years you have been our constant loving companion

You  gave up your home in California to make a home with us in South Carolina .

where you endured snow

and wind  storms

and hurricane evacuations.

You helped us  while we worked

and  kept us company  while we rested

You were the most adventurousness cat I have ever know.

You trustingly followed us on every trail we took

Even  on paths where none had gone before.

and  willingly climbed in the RV

to visit  over half the states in our nation.

Your curiosity was boundless.

When we arrived at a new destination  you check every window.

and use all your senses 

before giving approval  as a safe haven for us all.

You loved life and lived it to its fullest
and though life goes on without you

It will never be the same.

RIP MS KAT  
2004 - 5/282019/19

Memorial Day Preparations: 5 '19

To entertain myself, I dug out all my red, white, and blue trimmings, and decorated the house and yard for memorial day.

Bruce awoke from a nap at 2 pm, started down stairs, spotted all the red, white, and blue on the table, rubbed his eyes, and went back to  bed.  An hour later he awoke started down stairs, saw the table and got the same confused look on his face.  Then he saw me; the relief he felt was visible.  

Apparently he thought he was dreaming, and kept waking up in the wrong house.  I guess I am going to have to warn him next time, before I decide to redecorate the house.

Couples Golf game at Tupelo Bay 5 '19

It's been a long time since Bruce and I have play a golf together. The weather was perfect today so we decided to take advantage of the extra energy we both feel in the morning play a round of nine holes at one of our local par three courses. We booked the earliest opening available at Tupelo Bay (9 am). It's a fun little course, that we both like to play, because it has lots of challenging holes, and the starters never crowd the course, so we never feel rushed between holes.  The weather was perfect, warm ( 85 F) with a light breeze, and not a lot of players on the back nine. Bruce did great. My drives have been better, but they weren't out of control. And best of all we both had fun, so we will probably be doing this again.

Pawley's Road Hazards: 5'19

Some folks worry about  deer  unexpectedly crossing the street in front of their car in wooded areas.

Here in Pawleys Plantation, we have to contend with a  different kind of wildlife hazard.

Big Al decided to cross the main street  into the plantation directly in front of us at high noon

 stopping traffic in both directions.

Apparently, he thought the fish in the retaining pond on the north side of Pawleys Plantation Way, might taste better today,  than the fish in the pond on the south side of  PP Way.

Needless to say, we don't go out for walks after dark.

Breakfast on the Beach 5 ' 19

We awoke to picture perfect beach weather today, so we picked up a  breakfast burrito and some coffee from the Golden Arches drive through, and headed down to the North-end of PI while there was still some beach left to picnic on. (The tide was incoming, and within a couple of hours the entire beach would be underwater all the way to the dunes.)  

 

At that end of the beach just getting through the dunes  can be  a bit of a trek, so we parked our beach chairs on the hard pack sand  directly in front of the path we took to the beach.  The breeze was cool, the skies clear.  

Having time to sit, eat, and rest for awhile, refreshed Bruce enough that he was able to walk all the way to the North End Inlet and back without any problems.   

He even found some Pawley's Island shells along the way for luck.

Happy Easter 4 ' 19

Bruce and I had fun celebrating Easter today.

We started the day off with  photo shoot of funny  hats 

and eastern costumes 

to send in a greeting  to our far-flung children,

and ended it with a peaceful walk on the beach

Preparing for Easter 4 '19

 We no longer have children in our home, 

but that doesn't mean we can't have have fun with the holiday.

We still  make sure with have  special Easter hats

 and decorate every room in the house

with  bunny's and eggs

inside and out

These visual prompts, are a constant reminder for us  to celebrate the occasion.

Passover Seder Dinner 4 '19

Shalom!

Wishing all the joys of the Passover Holiday.

To you

And those you hold dear!

May you be blessed with

Happiness, Prosperity and  Peace

On Passover qne always."

Happy Passover!"

Seder Prep 4 '19

 Bruce spent most of it futzing around the house figuring out what to make for our Passover Seder and getting some of the early preparations , while I ran errands and attempted to get the out of door chores completed before tomorrow's rain storm arrives.

We're both looking forward to the holiday.

Egg Roast Curry: 4 '19

This week, our weekly menu flan revolves around an Indian theme.

Bruce got  up at 6 am  to make an Indian Egg Roast Curry breakfast for us.

He's learned a lot about  cooking in the past 25 years.

He  stages and preps all the ingredients first,

only uses fresh ingredients,  

and mixes his own spices blends from scratch. 

Then he sautes all the  fresh ingredients

before  blending  everything together.

The result is truly awesome.

For directions on how to make a tasty a Egg Roast Curry yourself, See:

https://www.archanaskitchen.com/egg-roast-kerala-style

Finicky, Kitty Kat, 3 '19

 Ms. Kat  is now approaching 13 years old, (which places her in her mid 70s in human years) 

and has become a very finicky eater. 

She has seven selections of different food  choices to select from (plus water)

There are kibbles, and nibbles, and lickables , and stews,

there are cheeses, and chicken, and canned tuna too,

and she doesn't like any of them.

Sigh!  Same ole  cream of  salmon

This business of getting old, ain't easy,

 even for pampered kitties.

Happy St Paddy's Day: 3 ' 19

Happy St. Paddy's Day

from our home

to yours.

Celebrating our Anniversary: 3 ' 19

We celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversary over dinner at Perrones this evening.

  

In our opinion, this funky little local restaurant

is hands down

the best in South Carolina.

And once again, their chef delighted us .

For starters 

Bruce chose: 

a Crab soup (gf) with fresh handpicked, north carolina lump blue crab, aromatic broth, sautéed leeks, oven roasted roma tomatoes, touch of heavy cream 

and 

CC chose:

• Gambas al ajillo - pan seared local shrimp, e.v.o., garlic, fino sherry, butter, lemon, hot chilies, sweet smoked paprika, fresh thyme, Italian parsley, fleur de sel, grilled bread.

Moving on to the main  course:

Bruce had :

Seafood truffle risotto  (gf) butter poached, maine cold water lobster tail, shrimp, fresh scallops, black truffle shavings, white truffle oil, fresh asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, white wine, garlic, cream, parmigiano reggiano, lemon zest, arborio rice .

While CC chose to try:

Elk rib chops  (gf) certified cervena, double cut, bone in, all natural, grass fed, pasture raised, (cooked sous vide to med rare, (barely warm red center)), iron seared,  server over a (to die for)  lingonberry and port sauce , grain medley of organic brown rice, black barley and mustard seeds, brussel sprouts with berkshire bacon . The sous vide preparation left the elk tender enough to cut with a fork.

A desert of Tiramasu was provided compliments of the staff in celebration of out anniversary.

Coconut Chicken Masala Curry: 3 ' 19

Tonight we prepared  Indian cuisine

Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk - South Indian Style

Of course we added a few enhancements to the meal -

like home made coconut rice and coconut roti 

plus we simmered some diced eggplant in the sauce 

while we were finishing cooking the chicken.

You can find the original recipe at:

#ChickenCurrywithCoconutMilk #chickencurry #chickenrecipes #coconutmilk#chicken #recipes #homecooking #food #tasty #yummy

Moroccan Dinner: 3'19

We had Moroccan cuisine for dinner tonight:

• Fresh Cod seasoned with Mediterranean fresh herbs and Harrisa 
• Moroccan carrot and parsnip salad
• Red and black rice with golden currants and toasted pine nuts

The house smells so good from cooking with all those fragrant North African spices

What to do with Garlic / Bacon Crisps: 3 ' 19

I woke up this morning to the smell of grilled  bacon and garlic.  It seems that Bruce decided he wanted Maple flavored bacon for breakfast, but didn't want to waste the already opened package   hickory smoked bacon that was in  the fridge.   So he grilled what remained in the open package with some sliced garlic and  put it in a bowl for me to use 'with something" later on. 

Lucky for him I've been spending  a lot of time snapping photos of recipes from the magazines in waiting rooms,.  This recipe from Southern Living for "creamy rice with scallops" (and bacon and garlic) looked like it would do the trick,  

Fortunately, we already had all the ingredients in the house (including scallops and shrimp plus  the pre-crisped bacon and garlic)  so I made us  a delicious southern low-country dinner  this evening.

Now I just have to find a way to rid the house of  that garlic/bacon scent.