Veranda Vibes
March 8, 2026
Blessings from Jamaica!
I hope you received my gratitude note. I am so grateful for those of you that make it to our Veranda whatever day it is! You help me keep my brain working and heart happy. Thank you, thank you for your presence here on our Veranda.
Our sunny Veranda has been busy.
Cool with the off and on rains.
Jamaicans are funny about rain. Nothing stops them faster than the threat of rain. While I want to feel the rain on my skin they want to shelter inside. I do understand refusing to drive in it. You can’t determine a pot hole from a puddle here.
Marshall should invest in a car repair shop. Jamaicans constantly need car repairs.
Jamaican weather
There is always something to learn about in Jamaica. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up in the landlocked heart of America. A tropical island is always presenting me with new information.
African Dust Storms
Presently, we are experiencing the dusty air from the African dust storms. I often find myself sneezing or just tearing up spontaneously. Yep, that’s the African dust in the air compounded by I swear a rocky island that is continuously undergoing surface change with the ocean breezes.
I plan to bring a new vacuum cleaner back with me this spring. That’s right I said a vacuum cleaner. What expat wants a vacuum cleaner. ME!! I’m not good at the broom and mop routine. I love to suck up dust.
Sargassum Alert
Back to weather, we’re under a Sargassum alert for our beaches.
Sargassums occur when the natural growth of brown seaweed becomes overgrown. That’s a result of the African Dust Storms providing an excess of nutrients and the sea is unusually warm.
While the seaweed is good food for marine life when it’s growth is out of control it floats on shore becoming a nuisance.
As it rots it releases Hydrogen Sulfide H2s (I know that’s not how you type an elements symbol but I can’t find the shortcut keys to do it correctly, apology) and methane gas.
I’m sure many of you know this combination smells like rotten eggs. Well, just yuck! We’re planning to go to Negril to celebrate Marshall’s birthday. Generally, resorts have staff on beaches early in the morning to bury the nuisance. W’ell hope that’s not necessary.
Local weather in Junction Jamaica
Locally, mostly cloudy with such yummy rain -filled clouds. Quick to puff up, surprising to give a shower and gone in a few minutes to share their blessings with another yard.
I am so happy they come and go.
High of 82° Low of 61°… 57° when those random rains I spoke of move through
The weather is perfect in my opinion. I love, love, love, the cool mountain breeze in Jamaican winters here.
All over Jamaica there are small weather microcosms. That’s a fascinating aspect of the geography of Jamaica.
The Blue Mountains close to Kingston are cold at their high altitude where the famous Blue Mountain Coffee we drink each day is grown.
Close by Kingston is sweltering heat and humidity.
The North Shore has mostly hot, with rainy tropical weather close to the sea. This is where Ian Fleming wrote all of his eleven James Bond novels overlooking the Caribbean Sea at his home, Goldeneye.
Our south shore is hot. In places like Treasure Beach it’s an absolute desert. Hot and very dry. Cactus love to grow by the roadside there. My spindly pencil cactus on my garden wall came from one tiny start we picked on the roadside there.
Gardens
Serious drum roll here…We’ve found a man who has asked to clear the weeds from our yard! Imagine a man who wants to do the work.
I’m working on our gardening water issue. We will need water for the gardens in a couple of months. The old house has a huge water tank. We’re buying a water pump to deliver the water up here so we can water our gardens and…
As soon as our new gardener has cleared the front yard we will plant carpet grass. The water pump should keep the area wet and ready to create a dense mat of grass!
So excited for this. I want about a twenty inch space of dirt left between the wall and the planted grass. Then I can begin to plant some trees and blooming plants.
Speaking of blooming plants, remember my poor skinny marigold that Hurricane Melissa broke the neck of? It was my only blooming plant :-(
I am so excited. I recall when I was growing up our neighbors Crab and Clara had Marigolds that bloomed a thick, dense, outline of joyous yellow orange on either side of their sidewalk. When I asked Clara how she achieved this she said each time she saw a finished bloom she picked it and dropped it beside the sidewalk. A virtual carpet of yellow resulted effortlessly.
I’m looking for effortlessly!
House repair
All on hold as we traverse the deep well of mortgage funding. There are more hoops to jump though than a Barnum and Bailey Circus production.
To say that I am swimming in numerical details is a gross understatement. This is more like drowning.
We will prevail. We just don’t know when.
Buff the Magic Bulldog
Approaching his one year birthday on the 28th. We can see he is making progress learning new words and beginning to settle down.
His digging and trash deliveries are not subsiding though.
The previous residents here buried all kinds of trash which Buff is happy to discover. His favorite pastime is always a search and destroy mission.
I find constantly sweeping up after him is exhausting. Another good excuse for a vacuum cleaner. I can’t wait to see his reaction to that!
Speaking of reactions I had no idea that dogs could discern the difference between cars. Marshall recently had to trade cars so his could be serviced. The replacement is about the same size and has a similar shape. Just a slightly different color.
When Marshall drives the car into the yard Buff throws a fit. Barking, and running back to me on the Veranda. He doesn’t recognize Marshall until he exists the car.
Dogs fascinate me. Buff is always a learning project, his and ours.
Good food
I love a piece of cake with my morning coffee. Especially, since we cannot find cocoa so I can’t make my beloved Energy Balls. Oh, how I miss them!
Anyway I’m going to give you a recipe that I recently adapted from All Recipes online for their Best Ever Carrot Cake.
I’ll leave out all my edits as I’m going to perfect this recipe to my liking. When I have as I prefer it I’ll send you my version.
All Recipes is a good one. I just have my druthers, whole wheat flour, a variety of spices, less sugar, coconut oil, and my simple cream cheese icing.
Here’s the original…
Ingredients
6 Cups of grated carrots
1 Cup of brown sugar
I Cup of raisins
4 large eggs
1 1/2 Cups white sugar
1 Cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 Cup of crushed pineapple, drained
3 Cups of all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup of chopped walnuts
Directions
Step 1
Gather all ingredients
Step 2
Combine grated carrots and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit for 1 hour, then stir in raisins.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C). Grease and flour two 10” round cake pans. Beat eggs in a large bowl until lighter in color.
Step 4
Gradually beat in white sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir in pineapple.
Step 5
Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into egg mixture until absorbed.
Step 6
Stir in carrot mixture and walnuts. Pour evenly into prepared cake pans
Step 7
Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45-50 minutes.
Step 8
Cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from the pans; let cool completely and ice.
Enjoy!
A good life
Right now there are so many aspects of a “Good Life” to report it’s hard to know where to begin.
I’m going to attribute our recent abundance of good to my study of Nichiren Buddhism.
Meeting three times a week with a study group to take the Introductory Exam in mid April is a daunting task for me but I love to study! Not that I’m good at it but the acquisition of knowledge feeds my soul.
I’m also beginning to meet with my mentor Jayne. We’re going to work for me to learn the lengthy chant in the The Liturgy of the Soka Gakkai. All in Sanskrit, I’m learning another language.
I have so many questions about birth, life, death, this world and another. It’s fascinating to me to learn about an ancient belief system.
So many people have benefited from their practice of Nichiren Buddhism.
I feel different too.
I firmly believe in the power of energy, frequency, and vibration.
Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo each morning while Buff and I walk to the gate generates this amazing sense of well-being in me. It’s like no matter the difficulty or the ease of life I can and will take it on.
Life is still not easy but remarkably good. What more can I ask for?
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.
Blessing from Jamaica Everyone. Have a blessed day.
Hope to see you here next week. We’re waiting for you, Buff, Marshall, me.
Thanks for the recipe . Let me see if I can bake and make this delicious carrot cake . To hell with the fasting idea 😂😂😂😂