Cheeseburger In Paradise

We met some new people recently. They are ex-pat Americans. Steve is a builder of homes and Carleen is an artist. She makes wall hangings, mirrors, using small pieces of tile and glass. Robin would understand the process. The results are hanging all over their huge villa style home in the hills. It is very eco friendly with all the solar heat and water collection tanks. They even have a restaurant size pizza oven fueled by wood from trees they grow on one of their many acres of property. After seeing Carleen's work, we ended up with one of her mirrors in our lounge and if I know Kimberly, there will be a few more items.

The other day, I was over there and had a cheeseburger that was remarkably tasty. Apparently, they purchased 3/4 of an organic cow and had it butchered for the beef.

I wanted to get in on the deal and obtained the name of the farmer/butcher fella. He agreed to sell me 1/8 of a cow from the remaining meat. He promised the cow was grass fed and not mad at all. Steve's named his beast Bruce and I think we got a piece of Willis.

We ended up with over 100 pounds of organic beef for about 350 US dollars.

It was completely packaged and labeled. There are all kinds of steaks, hamburger (they call it "mince" here), sausages, stew meat, roasts and schnitzel.

My siblings will remember our Mom and Dad buying bulk cow meat back in the day. They had a "coffin" style freezer in the basement holding an endless supply of dinners. Our New Zealand freezer is not that big and we needed to move things around to make room, but we got it all in. However, Ice cream needed to be gobbled standing up. Now our freezer looks like Rick's, I guess.

Things have changed a bit. Kimberly will eat meat as long as it is organically grown. Already, I made a beef stew in the crock pot which was outstanding.

Even though I did not hunt or kill the beast, there is a positive and primitive feeling about supplying food for the tribe.

Next, I plan to invent the wheel.

Shake It Up Now, Sugaree, I'll Meet You At The Jubilee

I think that was a close one...we may have dodged a large calibre bullet.

Last week, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand. That is the largest in the world for the year and the biggest here since 1931 when the town of Napier on the North Island was leveled.

258 people were killed.

The good news is that since they had to rebuild the whole city, they decided to go entirely with the architecture of the day, which was Art Deco. Who knew it would become a classic mode for the ages? Today Napier and South Beach, Florida and considered the two best preserved Deco towns on earth.

And guess who likes that style?

Yep, the little missus.

Every year they have a week long festival with parties costume balls, exhibits street fairs, food, music. A few days before all that is a huge concert at a major winery. The Motown Event will star The Four Tops, The Temptations, Mary Wilson Of The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, And The Miracles. OK, it ain't Michael Jackson, but we will be there. All thanks to an earthquake.

God loves us special.

Possible new exciting work location for "Scoop"?

The latest tremble was really deep in the sea on soft rock and had little effect on anything here. Could have been much worse.

Nothin' shaken on Shakedown Street.