February 2020 Newsletter

Life In Mexico

Hummingbird Heaven

Mexico is home to a huge population of hummingbirds. There are approximately 60 different species, and they occupy virtually every ecosystem in the country, from tropical coastline to the slopes of volcanoes.

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures, with heartrates that can exceed 1200 beats per minute and the ability to migrate up to 500 miles in a single day.

A male hummingbird is very aggressive when it comes to protecting its feeding territory, chasing away other birds – even raptors – that invade.

Hummingbirds are not afraid of humans, sipping at feeders inches away from bird fanciers.

Hummingbirds are very intelligent and can remember every flower they have ever visited.

We love to see them dancing from blossom to blossom in our garden, drinking in the nectar from hibiscus, bougainvillea and even the tiny white flowers that grace our fragrant basil!

Favorite Recipe

Singapore Shrimp Noodles

This is a great lunch recipe on a weekend because it makes you get up early and do the Saturday chores knowing you’ll be coming back to this great dish! It only takes a few minutes to prepare, but the flavor is fantastic!

1 (12oz) package of extra thin egg noodles
1lb of cleaned raw shrimp (frozen is fine)
2 Tablespoons of oil.

2 cloves of garlic grated
2 Table spoons of ginger grated
1 medium onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 sliced red chili
1 bunch of green onions (use white and green parts)
1 cup of frozen green peas
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 Table spoon of curry powder
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

Cut limes

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

In a large wok or frying pan, heat 2Tbs of canola oil.  Add chopped onions, green onion whites and pepper.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. 

Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add curry powder and red chili flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add shrimp and frozen peas.  Stir fry until the shrimp start to pink up and become almost cooked through.

Add soy sauce and fish sauce.   Also add some of the scallion greens here.  Leave a few pieces for garnish.

Scoop cooked noodles out of the broth and add to the pan. Toss with all the ingredients for a few minutes. Serve with onion greens and limes.

Special Event

Check out the video for Magnus the Magnificent!

Six Ways Your Dog Shows Love

This is an excerpt from the newsletter I write each month in support of Friends of Mexico Animal Welfare. Check Friends out at https://www.fomaw.org

I love my Mom!

1 Sustained Eye Contact

Just like humans, dogs convey love and affection by sustained eye contact. When your dog looks at you, it releases oxytocin in their brain, the ‘love hormone’.

2 Leaning Against You

When your dog leans against you while you’re relaxing on the couch, it means it feels safe, secure and totally comfortable.

3 Sleeping in Your Bedroom

Even if your dog is not allowed on the bed, it still wants to be close to you because it is totally loyal and doesn’t want to be separated from the pack.

4 It is Happy When You Get Home

If your dog jumps up and down and licks your face, it’s absolutely thrilled to see you!

5 It Carries Your Stinky Shoes Around

Not the best activity if they also tend to chew, but dogs who love their owners’ scents will raid the shoe pile or laundry basket for smelly reminders.

6 It Brings You its Favorite Toy

Not just to play, either. As its leader, it is presenting you its most prized, beloved possession.

Our thanks to blogger Christina Donnelly.

Movie Review

Judy

Starring Renee Zellweger

Renee Zellweger won an Oscar for her performance in Judy, and no small wonder. She completely immerses herself into the role, taking on not only the appearance of the legendary singer, but also the voice.

The story revolves around her comeback attempt in later life when, broke and homeless, she leaves her children behind in California and flies to London to mount a major review.

Her legions of fans are treated to less than stellar performances, however, as her dependence on alcohol and pills causes her to stumble.

The movie was made without the blessing of her daughter Liza Minelli, who announced publicly that she had absolutely no intention of ever seeing it.

A shame. I highly recommend this intimate, warts-and-all biopic for illuminating the heart, talent and genius of Judy Garland.

Book Review

My Sister’s Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult; her novel, Small Great Things, is one of my favourite reads.

My Sister’s Keeper was written in 2004, when the issues of ‘designer babies’ were entering the public consciousness.

The story revolves around Anna, a 13-year old girl who was conceived by her parents using a technique that would guarantee a genetic match with her older sister Kate, who suffered from a deadly form of leukemia.

For her entire life, Anna has undergone a painful series of operations in order to harvest blood and bone marrow in order to keep her sister’s condition in remission. But the inevitable day has arrived where the disease has deteriorated Kate’s organs to the point where she needs a kidney transplant.

Anna is the perfect match, but in a decision that shocks her family, she hires a lawyer and seeks to establish legal right to her own body. The decision has the potential to tear her family apart and kill her sister.

The author ingeniously explores Anna’s inner thoughts, as well as those of her mother Sara and father Brian, through various points-of-view and flashbacks as her lawsuit slowly moves through the legal system.

The book sheds light on important ethical issues that are becoming more commonplace as medical science advances into the realm of reproduction. While doing so, it explores the very nature of love in a poignant, anguished manner. I highly recommend My Sister’s Keeper.