• Earth,  In My Back Yard,  Nature and Animals

    Snakes 🤷🏽‍♀️

    I seriously hate snakes but here they are every year in my garden. Even snakes have their uses. Every year as soon as there is a hint of warm spring weather (yes it gets cold here, below freezing some days in winter) here they come looking for a buffet lunch. They grow up to 60 inches long with a white underbelly and a small head. They feed on geckos and small insects and yes even bird eggs, see the poor mamma bird, cardinal, near the left side trunk of the tree. How do I know a snake is present in my garden? Every gecko lizard is quickly taking to high…

  • Earth,  Nature and Animals

    Loquito and Anna:Doggies on a Mountain near Mex, Switzerland

    The two beautiful dogs you are about to see here are named Loquito and Anna. In the video below you might see some wild deer and a elusive type of mountain goat also. I believe the dogs are of the Border Collie breed. They help to herd some 850 sheep on a mountainside near Mex, Switzerland. When not working they love to play and chase deer thru the forest. These dogs are intensely smart and fiercely loyal but are two of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. They kept me company while I was staying in a shepherd’s mountain cabin at about 1,500 meters.

  • Origin,  Roots

    From Poop to Gourmet in Bali Indonesia

    In late 2012, fortune found me in Asia and subsequently led me to Bali, Indonesia. I experienced what can only be called an interesting “taste bud encounter”.  Balinese coffee, specifically Kopi Luwak, is known as the world’s most expensive coffee.  In the U.S., Kopi Luwak can go for as much as $1000 per kg. What is so special about this coffee you ask?  I will spare you the lengthy details, but, if you consider that this coffee passes through the digestive tract, then out the rear end of a cat-like mongoose animal  it is not only “special,” it is considered “gourmet.” According to baliorchidgardens.com, “Coffee Luwak is a rich, smooth,…