Fluffy Collage

Fluffy has been a faithful companion. Never a complaint. Just a wagging tail and unconditional love. What else can you ask for?

Fluffy just woke up

Fluffy resting on the patio

Fluffy looking smart

Where is Fluffy?

Pancakes For Breakfast

It has been a long time since I had pancakes. Usually I make them approximately 2 - 5 inches in diameter but seeing that I was the only one eating, why waste time making a whole bunch of little pancakes? So here it is, the giant 8 inch diameter flapjack. It was almost too big for the grill. I made two of them and was only able to finish 1 1/2. I was full for the next 6 hours.

Vegetarian Dinner

I like simple. In fact, I have been getting used to less and less meat in my diet. Main protein source is fish as in salmon and tuna. Amazingly, I feel better and actually have more energy. But this particular night, I decided to go completely vegetarian and prepared a giant bowl of seaweed, a large bowl of bok choy and a bowl of rice. I finished the whole thing and felt satiated for many hours afterwards.

Vegetarian Dinner

While digesting this mammoth feast of greens, I started reading up on seaweed. Turns out that seaweed is a type of super food, even better than broccoli:

1. Shiny and healthy hair.
   Amino acids, vitamins and minerals help strengthen hair strands and texture resulting in lustrous hair. Biotin, which belongs to the family of B vitamins, promotes healthier and shiny hair.
    
2. Keeps the mind sharp.
   Significant amount of vitamins, protein, ionic minerals and trace minerals enhances your brain’s performance specifically Asparagine, which energizes the brain and also boosts the immune system, while Boron improves mental clarity as it assists in unclogging arteries.
    
3. Makes skin clear, young looking.
   Rich in beta-carotene, Vitamin A, minerals and amino acids, sea veggies maintain collagen (a property necessary for smooth functioning of connective tissues) making skin supple, soft to touch. Laugh lines and wrinkles are reduced.
    
4. Preserves good eyesight.
   Sea vegetables are the leading sources of natural carotenes like Vitamin A (beta carotene) and bioflavonoids – antioxidants that help clear up the cellular debris that accumulate in the eyes. Bioflavonoids for one, works with prolonging Vitamin C action in the eyes, which help prevent swelling and inflammation of ocular tissues. Vitamins A and C keep vision 20/20 and help prevent “dry eye” syndrome.
    
5. Improves gum health.
   Aside from calcium, sea vegetables are also rich in vitamin C, one of the most essential vitamins, which keeps the gums in the pink of health.
    
6. Strengthens teeth, so flash that smile.
   26x the calcium of milk, seaweed strengthens teeth (and bones!). It also has Fluorine that fights tooth decay.
    
7. Maintains healthy thyroid function.
   Abundant natural, organically-bond iodine extracts maintain healthy thyroid function, help prevent goiter.
    
8. Helps ease colds and other respiratory problems.
   Seaweed’s strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties help prevent against colds, flu and other respiratory problems.
    
9. Prevents allergies and infections.
   Overflowing with vitamin B, C, minerals and amino acids and anti-inflammatory properties, sea plants enhance resistance to allergies and other infection.
    
10. Strengthens the immune system.
    Polynutrients in ocean vegetables help strengthen the immune system and keep the body resistant to illness and infection.
     
11. Fights “roaming” free radicals. An army of antioxidants fights dangerous free radicals (cells that go wayward) for a super strong and protected immune system.
     
12. Reduces cancer risks.
    Powerful antioxidants and anti-cancer properties help inhibit abnormal cell growth by a whopping 95%!
     
13. Stunts tumor growth. Iodine and amino acids combine to significantly reduce breast and uterine fibroids; help prevent cysts from forming.
     
14. Pumps up energy!
    Energy-boosting B vitamins, Vitamin C and minerals fight stress and fatigue so you stay active and alert.
     
15. Enhances cell regeneration. Retards ageing!
    Replete with phytochemicals and anti-ageing properties, sea plants enhance cell regeneration and rejuvenation thus, delaying ageing.
     
16. Lowers blood pressure and improves blood circulation.
    Sea vegetables are a very good source of magnesium, which has also been known to reduce high blood pressure; prevent stroke.
     
17. Nurtures healthy heart vessels.
    Seaweed curbs the formation of blood clots to help prevent atherosclerosis or hardening of the heart vessels.
     
18. Normalizes cholesterol levels. Effectively lowers blood cholesterol; helps stave off the onset of chronic diseases.
     
19. Supports bone health and joint function.
    High magnesium content stimulates production of calcitonin (hormone), which helps increase calcium in the bones. Seaweed is also a terrific source of natural vitamin D, essential for calcium absorption, bone health and muscle function. Its Fluorine content improves bone density helping prevent osteoporosis (bone disease) in the process.
     
20. Beautiful nails!
    Vitamins, amino acids, minerals and enzymes in seaweed keep nails strong and healthy.
     
21. Fuels weight loss naturally.
    Virtually fat-free, essential fatty acids (EFAs), plant fiber and algin fuel weight loss and amazingly continue to do so even as you age!
     
22. Aids digestion and waste movement.
    Polysaccharides (a form of soluble fiber) in sea greens, aid in digestion by soothing the digestive and intestinal tracts. No need for laxatives!
     
23. Promotes liver health.
    Contains important vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes, which help prevent fatty liver development, toxic build-up and other related diseases.
     
24. Detoxifies heavy metals and pollutants.
    Minerals, amino acids and fiber work in unison to detoxify heavy metals and pollutants that enter the body through food and the air we breathe.
     
25. Snuffs out cellulite! Antioxidants in seaweed increase your body's fat-burning ability; help skin tissue and fat cells absorb minerals. These minerals then break the chemical bond that seals the fat cells and hasten their release out of the body (through the kidneys and bladder) halting cellulite build-up.
     
26. Maintains the body’s natural equilibrium.
    Major and trace minerals, which are plentiful in ocean vegetables, keep life-sustaining activities in the body and maintain proper PH balance for optimal health.
     
27. Supports kidney health.
    Minerals in seaweed act like electrolytes, which help kidneys regain optimum function. Then, too, its fiber content aids in kidney stone prevention.
     
28. Helps maintain beautiful body skin.
    Amino acid, minerals and vitamin content of sea vegetables nourish the skin. Trace mineral Serine enhances skin beauty while Theonine improves skin tone.
     
29. Prostate health.
    High in mineral content, seaweed helps maintain healthy prostate (gland) especially in middle-aged men.

In case anyone is wondering how I made this, it was incredibly simple:

1) Soak seaweed in water and heat in microwave for a couple of minutes to get rid of any impurities and bacteria.

2) Drain thoroughly in cold water. Cut in small pieces with a clean scissors.

3) Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly.

4) Refrigerate until cold.

5) Remove and serve.

Kitty Witty on Pumpkin's Bike

I have no idea how this happened but after I parked Pumpkin's bike outside, I heard a meowing sound. I thought maybe Meow Meow was hungry. She usually meows when she wants to eat. But much to my surprise after I opened the garage door, I saw something incredible!

Salmon For Dinner

On the way back from buying Pumpkin's new bike, I decided to stop off at Koreana Market to pick up some food. Lucky me, there was whole salmon for sale for only $1.99/pound. I was not about to pass up that opportunity.

I brought it home and immediately got to work. Cleaning a salmon is not my idea of fun but it had to be done. Only problem is that once you touch a raw salmon, good luck getting the smell off. I am considering using a little bleach on my hands to get rid of it once and for all.

Dinner was excellent. I soaked a piece of salmon in soy sauce and then sprinkled some pepper on it. It was way too much so I will be eating leftovers tomorrow.

Hauling Away Dirt

After digging the jasmine vine out and planting the bush in its place, the extra dirt needed to go someplace. Now, I guess I could have spread it out someplace on the side, but instead, I decided to haul it away to the trail near the school. I wasn't about to do it during the day just because it was too hot. I waited until the Gold River Patrol truck had left the parking lot just in case he got curious about a guy pulling a cart with a load of dirt and rocks.

Office Flooring

This is a big job but someone has to do it and it looks like it is going to be me. Well, not exactly. Vasily is coming to do the actual installation but I am doing all the grunt work. What does that involve?, you might ask. Well, it means removing everything from the room, cleaning the walls, painting with primer then final coat. Then after all that is complete, I will rip out the carpeting and the current baseboard. Then it is on to primer and then final coat.

Office Wall

Office Wall