My Morning Cup

Saturday, May 9, 2026

This Week...Seals...John and More

They have now issued a series of stamps to commemorate The Mother Road!

How cool is that??

And David Attenborough is 100 years old!!!!

I've been amusing myself...or maybe just distracting myself with stories out of Australia of Neil...the elephant seal.

Who has grown substantially since this pup-photo and now has the elephant seal nose and weighs as much as a sub-compact.

Love his on-going fights with poles and doors...and his habit of napping where he falls. Sometimes in the road...where the locals just surround him with orange traffic cone so he will be safe.

Sometimes behind your car....forcing you to call in to work and say

"Neil."

Rather exasperatedly.

In San Francisco, at Pier 39, they have their own celebrity (sealebrity??) this year.

A massive sea-lion they have dubbed Chonkers.

Many times larger than those that usually frequent the pier.

Harmless enough and happy...he is a welcome visitor.

We've been regaled by the Met Gala

and a new Banksy that popped up in London in the middle of the night.

And I played all week in Virtual Jamaica...

Trying hard to get a break from the stream of crap that is the administration...wars..sky-rocketing prices...absolutely ignorant decisions made by our decimated CDC...

But I digress.

Then, there is John.

Today, we celebrate our 9th year back together...which is wonderful...but his health has been a roller-coaster for about 6 weeks now.

We gain some ground...then we lose some.

He is so tired of feeling so bad.

I am terrified that maybe the cancer is back.

He has several appointments/MRI/et all soon.

We will know what is happening, then.

The rain seems to be breaking and it will be therapeutic to just play in the weeds and plant a few things, soon...

Love,

Carla and Tux

Addendum:

I'd be remiss if I didn't add The Worst of the Internet...to balance out the seals and such.

First up is Cee Cee...

Who is a certified looney...er...flat earther.

He is confident, angry and loud all the time.

Sure that everything THEY tell you is fake.

Is a poster boy for why we should take mental health more seriously.

Next up is Vehicular....or Testicular...or dammit...Clavicular.

Yes...

Clav of "LooksMaxxing"

Calling people subhuman if they are plain.

Telling you to take a hammer to your face to optimize your bone structure.

Hitting someone with his car in December...Assault and battery charges in February...Opening fire on an alligator in March...OD-ing in April...and charges filed when he injected a minor's face with a fat solvent in May...

Oh, and he experiences ED because he has been injecting steroids since he was 14.

And he is 20 years old,

and Spiraling.

Lastly, The CDC...

Which has been absolutely gutted by the current administration and now faces an Andes Hanta Virus Outbreak.

No...this is not Covid.

Covid at its worst killed between 1-3% of everyone who contracted it.

Andes has a 45% mortality rate.

https://youtu.be/rO4Xd5PfIo0?si=llIliqk05FoSbT4w

Sleep Well.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Virtual Jamaica: St. Thomas~ Albion Sugar Plantation Ruins

But first...cooking with Anai...

Whom has shared recipes for traditional Jerked Chicken with Peas and Rice.

During my cooking session with Anai...I was grateful to find realize that there was a way to decrease the "heat" of The Jerk for this non-Jamaican palate, as well as learning that the "peas" in the fore-mentioned rice dish were small red kidney bean or black beans.

The secret to the Jerk was to simply omit the Scotch Bonnet Peppers.

The Beans and Rice was made with coconut milk.

Now, on to The Ruins!

Tour

https://youtu.be/Amp0LRflxZI?si=kq8Nb5eZw1pV7a-A

Existing from the 18th Century or before

Slavery was banned here in 1833.

By 1923 the plantation produced its last sugar.

This was in part because the (free) slave labor was gone,

but mostly because it was impossible for the cane

sugar to compete with the much cheaper beet sugar

being produced elsewhere.

Today the rain forest, weeds and jungle has

taken over the ruins and you must hack through

with a machete to see a lot of what is left.

See everyone next week!

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Virtual Jamaica: St. Thomas~ Morant Lighthouse

But first...as we resume our exploration of Virtual Jamaica...a word about Paul Bogle...

Born on a plantation as a slave in 1822...he became a National Hero leading the 1865 Morant Bay Protest.

History

https://youtu.be/Cu6S71G-EmE?si=bEra-mTupqsI6s5h

Not only does his face grace some Jamaican money and the name of several prominent buildings in St. Thomas ...but it is also the Memorial Highway we will use on today's journey.

This coastal highway runs the length of St. Thomas.

Drive

https://youtu.be/BWMkhpvFnsQ?si=SURlSqGtX2wTOl6p

So...come along and we will check out the Morant Lighthouse.

Erected in 1841, it is the oldest lighthouse in Jamaica.

Tour

https://youtu.be/c8NgTfSZ8ws?si=_xEnFW7BMWLIVCJ2

It is also the first cast iron lighthouse in the Western Hemisphere.

100 feet tall!

It is located on the tip of Jamaica (Morant Point) on Morant Bay.

Heading back to Jay's Guesthouse, now...where the cook has promised to teach me a couple of local recipes to share!

See everyone, Friday!

Monday, May 4, 2026

Virtual Jamaica: St. Thomas Parish

And we resume our virtual adventure in St. Thomas Parish...

Our first concern, of course, is a place to stay.

St. Thomas is filled with Air BNB's...guest houses and cottages for rent. No Sandals..no 5 star hotels...No all inclusive's.

Given that, the best is

Where the views are spectacular...

sitting at the foot of The Blue Mountains.

The food is plentiful and amazing...

and the hotel itself is...

honestly underwhelming.

The room...even less so.

But after seeing what is offered in this Parish...the sparse room above seems like luxury...and how much time are we really going to be staying in the room, anyway.

At 68 USD a night...it will do.

Jay's Guest House

https://youtu.be/4Z7K0JRZyI8?si=fvR6EMFjx8Df2J5u

And you have to love the view.