Serval Kitties, & Last Call for Questions for Ana

Reader questions will be sent to Ana Darcy Mendez for her possible response this weekend. This is the last call for questions!

The picture shows the serval kittens at five weeks. (Click to enlarge) Below are photos of them at two and three weeks. Thanks to Julie of Juliesjungle.com! Ana Darcy would probably love these active, fun cats. Julie says servals remind her of small cheetahs: high energy, and with long, lean bodies. Caracals, she says (see photo down the right side) are more like small cougars: more stocky, shorter and bulkier, with a completely different language, and, she thinks, more laid back than servals. Both can be great pets, but they're not for the casual pet owner! See Julie's excellent site for more details.

Recipe Challenge: Part III

Encouraged by Danielle's experiment, we obtained some authentic kamut (an historic species of Egyptian wheat, "khorasan" wheat) and tried a second experiment. The kamut berries looked like fat grains of rice (see pictures, click to enlarge), and they boiled up to about twice their size, becoming chewy, wheaty tasting grains. They have to be whole wheat, and thus nutritious, but they don't taste oily to me, like regular whole wheat does.

Anyway, we made one small meat loaf, with a half pound of ground beef, half a cup of kamut boiled al dente, red wine, a quarter cup of parmesan, minced garlic, one slice of chopped onion, a half teaspoon of thyme, and salt and pepper--no egg, no breadcrumbs, no off-the-shelf sauce. The idea was to test the basic ingredients only.

Result: as an exercise in extending the meat (which is what meatloaf is all about, after all) it was a success. We had not appreciated the power of thyme, however, and that dominated everything else. Next time, no thyme (rhyme intentional). The texture was crumbly, which was no problem, and chewy, thanks to the kamut, which was fun. You can't just pound down the meatloaf, as so often happens. You have to chew it and enjoy it.

Note for next time: try a dash of liquid mesquite smoke. For those not in the southwest, liquid hickory smoke ought to similarly add a slightly smoky, exotic flavor.

Questions for Ana: Area 51?

We have received another question for Ana. This one involves the famous Area 51. Good question!

This is the second call for questions. Ana doesn't do this very often, so if you've been saving one, don't put it off!

Recipe (Alcohol Ahead!)

Ana Darcy Mendez seldom drinks, but on rare social or celebratory occasions she's been known to sip a little. Here's a drink she loves that Matt taught her about. It's sweet (and sour) and not terribly alcoholic. Matt usually makes one for himself and gives her half.

Start with the juice of one of those little Mexican limes (or key limes) squeezed into a glass over cracked ice. Add two ounces of amaretto. You may want to adjust the sweet/sour mix to taste. That's it! This is your basic amaretto sour. Bars traditionally gussy it up with a maraschino cherry or slice of lime, but Matt doesn't bother. He says it tastes like purest tropical Mexico!

(The photo shows a Mexican decoration for El Dia de los Muertos, November 2. Click to enlarge.)

Another Reader Goes the Extra Mile

It's one thing to read and enjoy a story. It's another thing entirely to like it so much you take the trouble to write a review for others. Being a reviewer for PODBRAM, I know this well. So our special thanks go to JPMorgan for the review he posted yesterday for Distant Cousin: Regeneration!

"I just finished this forth book in the Distant Cousin Series and found it to be an excellent read. I have followed Ana through her 3 previous novels and watched her adapt to her new environment. I have watched her grow and develop her "human" tendencies. I found this novel to be especially interesting because of the character development. Ana has proved herself to be a very extraordinary woman, but in this novel we see that Ana is not without the feelings and problems of us mortals. This novel brings us closer to Ana's family and friends and the Mendez family. Toward the end of this novel I found myself thinking I was reading about my good friends and not some characters in a Fiction Novel. I'm hoping there is a 5th in the series, I'd like to know that my friends are OK. This is a fun and exciting series to read." (Amazon)

Pictures: Distant Cousin: Regeneration

............................................................................................................................................ Here are some photos of an old Inca trail in the mountains of Peru, built possibly 500-600 years ago. One of the scenes in Distant Cousin: Regeneration could have taken place here! (Click to enlarge.)

Meet Ana Darcy!

Ask Ana: Call for Questions

............................................................................................................... Here's your big chance to ask Ana Darcy Mendez a question--about herself, her home planet, or her impressions of our planet, Earth. We already have several questions on hand. With one or two more in hand, we'll pass them to her to possibly respond to.

Just to jog your thinking, here are two questions that will be submitted to Ana:

1.I'm wondering about your natural grace, speed, reflexes, and affinity for cats and other felines. Is it possible that Thomans have used feline DNA to enhance your genetic makeup? (VP)

2. I would like to know what Ms. Darcy thinks of what we've done to our enivronment. Do the Thomans see more that we can do to save Mother earth? ("Mom")

If you have a question for Ana, simply add it under "Comments," below.

The photos are of baby servals, kitties born this month at Julie's Jungle, and reproduced here with her permssion (and thanks!). They're about two weeks old, on the right, and a three weeks old, on the left, and growing fast. As adults, they'll weigh around 30 pounds. Servals do not figure in the Distant Cousin series, not yet, anyway, but another species of cat whose picture Julie also provided, does. Try Distant Cousin: Regeneration to meet this unusual and exceptionally lovely and remarkable cat.

(Click to enlarge the kitties.)


Ana's answer to question 1. Ana's answer to question 2.