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What?! No way . . . A POST!!

Ok, yes I've posted again. What's it been at least 2 years. Not that anyone else isn't worthy of an update (because you certainly are), but I'm trying this blog thing out again (blogs are so 2011) to keep my parents informed on things as they serve a church mission in the Congo. The question is can I keep up with the blog? Based on my track record . . . wait don't answer that. People can change, right? (Certainly don't answer THAT!)

Our garden that is in the experimental stages. Observing which vegetables do best in our locale. So far we think these will do best: Tomatoes, peas, beans, corn, lettuce, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi (never had this before), radish (ate one the other day with the kids . . . spicy), carrots, sweet potato, and green onions. We did notice some squash forming so we'll see exactly how that goes. We are really disappointed in the cucumbers. So far they are not cooperating. Harvested tomatoes, peas, beans, some lettuce . . . I think the carrots will soon be done along with most of the lettuce. We will be getting four hen chicks Thursday. Fresh eggs. It's been a while. Love the farm feel in an urban environment.

Bananas.

Wild neighborhood turkeys that also become pains in the neck. Thanksgiving is coming around, right?

Woodrose. A vine species that can become a nuisance. In this one tree (opiuma) we have this vine, the red-masked parakeet (very noisy, couldn't get a photo), and an epiphyte tree called autograph tree (see broad leaf tree below) that worries me. It will eventually grow long roots to the ground and strangle its host tree. The host tree is huge, and if it fell over would crush the house.

Finally a dining table. That papaya came from our yard. Awesome.

Joz's Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/4 cup real butter
1/4 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
1/2 cup xylitol (or sugar or sweetner of your choice)
1 large egg
2 Tbsp almond or rice or any nut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond meal or oatmeal (if using oatmeal I prefer to blend up the oats first into a finer material.)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour (you can also do 1 cup of whole wheat plus 1/2 cup of brown rice flour or perhaps 1/2 cup of oatmeal flour; experimentation is half the fun).
1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 generous cup chocolate chips

Blend butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk and vanilla.

In a second bowl, mix almond meal, coconut, flour(s) and baking powder. Add chocolate chips to this mix.

Blend both mixes together. A soft dough is created. If it is too sticky, add more flour.

Place by teaspoons onto baking tray. I tend to flatten mine ever so slightly before placing them on the baking tray. Bake at 350° F for at least 10 minutes for soft cookies or 15 minutes for crisp cookies (I like to cook them for 13 min.)

Picture to come later!

Pumpkin Juice

Call me crazy or even un-Bybee like, but we got a cat. To be exact, Dina got a cat, or kitten, for her birthday. I cannot lay claim to the creature since it is well documented that I grew up with a disdain for felines (at least the domesticated variety) due to several reasons: 1) I'm allergic, 2) tabby prejudice has been a tradition passed down for years from father to son and from brother to brother, and 3) I've personally always found moggy's to be irritating; the way they brush up next to my legs or spontaneously jump onto my lap, invading my bubble of comfort and safety.

So why the cat, you say? Like I mentioned before there may be a bit of insanity involved. But this I can tell you . . . there is a desire to break with tradition and to make my tom-cat loving wife happier. She has always had mousers in her life.

Dina has named him Pumpkin Juice. Pumpkin for short, or Pee-pee for an even shorter form (thanks to Cora). As for me, I continue to call him "cat" until I get over my years of pent up bigotry. I confess, however, that it has been fun so far to have another living thing in the house to care for. I can remember my very first pet, a rabbit named Hopper, as well as all the other pets over the years: ducks, chickens, turkeys, pheasants, dogs, reptiles, turtles, hamsters, etc. Those were good times and therefore good memories. I think this one will be too.

Internet Relationships

You know, I once heard a wise man say not to use the internet to date or to secure marriage proposals. What about using it after you are already married? The answer is obvious and so are the benefits. Without Skype or email having the kind of close relationship that one is used to having would be impossible. Granted the relationship cannot be exactly the same, but it can be "virtually" the same. Case in point:

A snapshot of a conversation with the wife. Skype at its best.

















A snapshot of Cora's conversation with papa. Isn't the phone supposed to be next to her ear?

















And without email I would never be able to see any of these photos:






















































Moorea in the background.
















Dina's uncle and aunt with Ilona, her mom.

Tahiti

Dina sent these few pictures from her sisters wedding in Tahiti. The gentleman holding Cora is her Grandfather, Marcel. In the photo immediately following we have (from left to right): Rautea (Dina's cousin), Ilona (mom), Marcel (Dad), Kathleen (neice, Marie's daughter), unknown girl (probably the grooms family), Benoit (the groom), Momo (the bride), unknown boy (grooms family?), (in the back) Jerson (nephew, Marie's son), Marie (sister) holding her new baby Miloli`i, Cora, Dina, and Tiare (sister).

All Hallows Eve

The thing about Halloween, for me, is I can't seem to come up with "the" costume. When I was five it was Spidey (Spiderman), later an Indian, and much later myself. See I stopped dressing up. Now I want to participate to the fullest, you know, wigs, outrageous garments that hide the truth about who I really am. Maybe some make-up, but I'm not too sure about that. Definitely some facial hair as in an old west cowboy or gunslinger.

This year I had a couple of options. One, an FBI agent. Two a computer geek. Admittedly, not my finest choices. Any guesses as to which one I went with. If you said FBI agent you are correct. Not a real powerful costume, let me tell you. And as some of these photos show, you can't even see my fake badge. One guy at the trunk or treat looked at me and said, "is that even a costume." After looking around at others outfits, it occurred to me that I need to, for next year, take it a couple steps further and change my entire outlook on what it means to dress up for all hallows eve. Can anyone say the second coming of Spidey? Yeah, baby!
p.s. I realize I look anorexic in the one photo, but really my doctor said I'm at a solid weight for my height. The other baby in the picture was dressed as Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. And yes, he is wearing eight gold medals. Cool idea. The other couple in the picture? The Daws.

~Joz