I've been most remiss in my writing lately, having partway composed a post only to get caught up in another project entirely. September was Oven Building Month here in the rainforest - in the final moments before Mandy's departure on what appears to be a somewhat-too-exciting trip to Haiti amid hurricane Matthew. After over 15... Continue Reading →

Nidulari is a fun place to be these days! I've never been happier, holed up in my shiny new kitchen, playing with all kinds of recipes–both new and old–at all hours of day and night. Did I mention night? Fluorescent lighting is amazing, after years of living in the dark. There's been a lot of... Continue Reading →

It's been a big week here at Nidulari: we are now St Croix's newest "mobile food service"! All the inspections are complete, the license is in the mail, and we're ready to roll. So, come join us for a celebratory "open house" 11-4 on Saturday, August 20th, kicking off our new opening hours, lunch items, drinks,... Continue Reading →

Summer is spinning by, out of control; hot, gorgeous days, with warm breezes rustling through the forest whispering "the beach...the beach...go to the beach..." I've been pondering lately. A lot. You could even say too much. And then, one of the questions I've been dwelling on came up randomly in conversation, twice. What, in life,... Continue Reading →

Ever heard the old hurricane season saying? June's too soon, July stand by, August it must, September remember, October it's over. Well, this year the "standing by" isn't just about waiting around for hurricanes (who have in recent years been breaking the rules, forming both early and late)...it's also about waiting around for tradenames, licensing, inspections,... Continue Reading →

It is summertime, through and through. Every week, another person seems to be saying their goodbyes for the summer; some forever. It is a quiet time of year socially and economically, a time for planning, starting projects, finishing projects, and of trying to glide through to the busier, more productive winter season. As many of... Continue Reading →

So it's our second day of thunderous skies and heavy rain - perfect for curing concrete, not so good for anything else! A few days ago we bravely faced the daunting task of jacking up the front end of the container so that the temporary blocks could be removed and replaced with strong concrete columns.... Continue Reading →

It's a hot, breezy Sunday afternoon, and the power is out yet again.Were it not, I'd still be wrestling a door (and frame) into a not-quite-large-enough-opening in my beautiful...ok...ugly but serviceable...container. Instead, I get to watch the ducks grow, listen to the chickens having their afternoon gossip, and provide a comfortable napping surface for two... Continue Reading →

  AKA "Compost, Quacks, and Purrs". So, I was just up hoeing over some garden beds; remember those hugelkultur experiments we were making with our WWOOF volunteers two summers ago? Well, the first one, we've been using steadily ever since we built it, replanting as needed with season-appropriate veggies, mostly mustard, bokchoy, arugula, and lettuce,... Continue Reading →

There's never a dull moment, here in the forest. With Mandy away in Haiti, everything decided to happen at once; tortoise hatching, the long awaited wood-removal,  and, hopefully, the impending arrival of the container in which to build my new kitchen. Between catching escapee chickens, monitoring tortoise hatching, being the crane-operator's assistant for moving a... Continue Reading →