My kittens are growing fast - Cinco and Mayo are now nine-and-a-half months old!
These young and curious felines are now free to roam my stable complex and surrounding areas. At night, or when it is especially cold, they are in the feed room, where I keep their food, beds, water, toys, and their litter boxes. Keeping my cats happy, healthy, and clean is always a priority. One product I use to do this is PrettyLitter, an innovative cat litter that not only keeps odors at bay but also helps monitor my cats' health. It has the ability to change color indicating early signs of potential health issues. In addition, PrettyLitter is lightweight, low-dust, low maintenance, and long-lasting - just one bag per cat per month.
Here are some photos, enjoy. If you don't already use it, please try PrettyLitter. It’s a small change that can make a big difference for you and your feline friends! #PrettyLitterPartner
Here at my farm, these two critters are never far from each other. Born on March 15th, these feline sisters are almost a year old and thriving.
This is Cinco, the Calico. She is very outgoing and friendly.
And this is my tabby, Mayo. Both girls arrived at my farm May 5th, Cinco de Mayo – hence their names.
On cold days, they spend most of their time in the stable feed room where it is warm. Cinco loves to look out the window at all the farm activity.
Mayo loves to roll on the cobblestone stable floor. Oftentimes she is just waiting for belly rubs – hard not to oblige.
Look closely, Tabby cats have a distinctive coat pattern and an “M”-shaped marking on the forehead. The pattern can include stripes, dots, lines, flecks, bands, or swirls on the cat’s body, and the cat may also have stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, back, legs, and tail.
Calico cats have tricolor coats. The calico cat is commonly 25 to 75-percent white with large orange and black patches. And, calicos are almost exclusively female.
Here’s Cinco on her cat tree – a favorite perch located next to the window.
Just below is Mayo, or as she is affectionately called, “May-May.”
On average, cats sleep about 16-hours a day. For kittens, it could be anywhere from 16 to 22 hours a day. Sleeping during the day allows them to conserve energy for their instinctual nocturnal activities, such as stalking, pouncing, and hunting.
Cinco is always exploring. Here she is inspecting the faucet.
And here she is on the windowsill next to fresh wheatgrass I grow for them. While cats are obligate carnivores, sometimes they will eat wheatgrass. It aids digestion, helps with hairball management, and provides vitamins like A, C, and E.
And here she is looking for “just the right toy.”
… while Mayo looks on from her cozy, warm spot.
Or maybe the view is better upside down.
One of the products I use regularly is PrettyLitter, a special odor controlling, health monitoring gel crystal formula that’s available in clumping and non clumping varieties.
I use the non-clumping formula which comes in a six-pound bag that is good for one whole month.
Here is a fresh box of PrettyLitter. Silica gel crystals absorb moisture through millions of micropores, locking in any odors.
The crystals are 100-percent natural, mineral-based and safe for cats. In fact, it’s virtually dust-free, which makes it safe for those with respiratory sensitivities.
PrettyLitter keeps tabs on health by changing color when a cat has a potential health issue. This shows the changes that can be detected with PrettyLitter – acidity, alkalinity, blood, and the normal range, which is green.
And, PrettyLitter can be delivered right to one’s door, saving time on in-store shopping.
I am so glad these young sisters are happy and healthy here at Cantitoe Corners. I hope your cats are doing well also!
I always enjoy eating out, especially when it's with dear friends celebrating special occasions.
At the end of every year, I always host a "Sagittarian" lunch - a fun meal with several close colleagues and friends who all have one thing in common... a birthday between late November and late December. Last month, this tradition was held at Café Boulud, Chef Daniel Boulud's exquisite culinary oasis located in the heart of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Attendees included Jane Heller, Kevin Sharkey, Darcy Miller Nussbaum, Judy Morris, Brett Albright, Heather Kirkland, Fernando Garcia, Heath Golden, Terre Blair, Peter Grant, and myself - the group's lone Leo. It was a wonderful lunch and gathering.
Enjoy these photos.
Darcy Miller Nussbaum, who worked with me as Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings for many years, is now a celebrations expert and entrepreneur. She attends this luncheon every year and never comes empty handed. This year, she brought everyone individual mini birthday cakes – with candles in charming hand illustrated boxes.
Here I am with Executive Chef Daniel Boulud – it was so nice to see him and to have him recommend some of his favorite dishes.
I am a big fan of oysters. Here’s a plate of delicious fresh oysters.
Another appetizer is this Thon et Kaki, a citrus cured yellowfin tuna with persimmon, rainbow Swiss chard, and bottarga, which is a salted, cured fish roe that’s a delicacy in the Mediterranean and Asia.
This is a beautiful Bouquet d’Hiver with endives, chicory, mimolette cheese, provençal crisp, served with black truffle dressing.
Here’s Darcy, along with two other attendees – “Snoop on the Stoop” and “Martha on the Mantel.” Did they visit your home this holiday?
Kevin Sharkey and Heather Kirkland. Kevin’s birthday is December 18, and Heather’s is December 8th.
Some of the other wonderful dishes at Café Boulud include this Pork Loin Feijoada. Roasted pork loin, chorizo cream, collard green and black bean, orange pork jus.
This is Ravioli de Homard – lobster raviolis, fennel confit, preserved lemon, in a bisque emulsion.
Heather enjoyed ths Velouté de Champignon – mushroom velouté or soup, poached egg, chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms, pear, on crispy pain d’epice, which is spice bread.
Here’s Fernando Garcia with a mini birthday cake. Fernando is creative director at Oscar de la Renta and Monse.
You all know Kevin, our own Chief Creative Officer of Home at Marquee. “Snoop on the Stoop” and Martha on the Mantel” are over his shoulder also.
Kevin had the hanger steak, with sweet potatoes, confit pearl onions, braised Brussels sprouts, and sauce aux poivre.
And of course we all had a fry or two…
What was dessert? Birthday cake, or course.
And here is our entire group – Peter Grant, myself, Kevin, Jane Heller, Judy Morris, Brett Albright, Heather, Darcy, Fernando, Heath Golden, and Terre Blair. Another fun and delicious lunch with my Sagittarian friends.
Here's a blog that was originally posted on January 22, 2022. It includes photos from my trip to the Dominican Republic, enjoy.
Here in the Northeast, it's bitter cold. Temperatures are expected to hit 30-degrees Fahrenheit at my Bedford, New York farm today - very different from the weather on the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic, where I recently spent a glorious week with friends.
If you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may remember my trip to the Dominican Republic over the holidays. Most of our time was spent in La Romana, at the beautiful resort complex of Casa de Campo, about 70-miles from the historic city of Santo Domingo. We went fishing, enjoyed delicious meals, and relaxed on the most pristine beaches. We also visited the village of Altos de Chavon, home to the Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation, a non-profit educational and cultural entity dedicated to maintaining an arts community within the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic trip with perfect weather every day.
Enjoy my photos.
My friend, Dominique Bluhdorn, owns the most gorgeous home called La Favorita. Look at the breathtaking views.
Dominique’s house has many seating arrangements in many different scenic locations such as this covered loggia, which is a covered space running along the length of a structure similar to a porch, but with columns or arches on the open side.
This is the formal living room — where we did not sit once.
And here is her swimming pool – also with such delightful views.
These are the steps to the beach and to the swimming pavillion at the end of the pier.
And these are the sitting arrangements on the way to the hot tub, where I went every single day at 7am.
This is the swimming pavilion, with its thatched roof – it’s definitely a favorite place to sit and relax. Dominique’s home is within the boundaries of Casa de Campo Resort and Villas – a seven-thousand acre hotel, resort, and residential community on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The exclusive retreat was built by Dominique’s father, industrialist, Charles Bluhdorn.
Here is one of the dinner dishes we enjoyed – cooked wahoo fish with butter, capers, herbs, and lime. Wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas – it’s in the same family as mackarel and tuna.
Here is my plate along with rice, avocado, and traditional Dominican Republic empanaditas, or bite-sized empanadas.
And of course… Martha’s Chard, my new wine from 19 Crimes. It was unanimously everyone’s favorite wine at dinner. Look out for it – it will be in stores near you very soon.
For breakfast the next morning, we had house eggs poached with broiled tomato, potato balls, cauliflower, onions, and herbs.
Here are two poached eggs with scallions – perfectly cooked.
The sunrises and sunsets were absolutely amazing. This photo was taken at 7:25am.
We saw some beautiful marine animals. This is a star fish, or sea star. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They also all have spines covering their upper surfaces…
… And soft undersides. When looking at the underside of a live sea star, one can see its tube feet wiggling.
For another meal, we shared a platter of grilled meats and chicken. Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle-Eastern, and African influences. And the largest, most important meal of the day is lunch.
Here is a platter of lobster, grilled to perfection.
And here are the Island tamales, known in the Dominican Republic as pasteles en hoja – often stuffed with meats.
We had salads with every meal – fresh, ripe tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, pickled onions, and more.
Here’s my first helping – it may, or may not have been, my last. Everything was so flavorful.
On another day, I went to Puntacana and visited its Ecological Foundation, a project of the Puna Cana Resort and Club. I learned about their composting process. The garden is completely farmed using organic waste and soil from a worm-composting shed. The processed compost at the bottom is then sent back to the resort’s kitchens as well as other local restaurants, and a weekly local farmers’ market.
Here I am with Jake Kheel – sustainability innovator and Vice President of Grupo Puntacana Foundation.
The beaches stretched for miles and miles.
Here I am on the fishing boat – I wonder what we’ll catch.
I learned some great techniques from fishing with Kevin Fox.
And look, we caught a nice sized wahoo.
Casa de Campo is also home to Altos de Chavón a one-of-a-kind 16th century replica Mediterranean village. This project was conceived by Bluhdorn and the Italian architect, Roberto Copa. Dominique is the current president of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation.
The entire village is located atop the Chavón River. The project began in 1976 when the construction of a nearby road and bridge crossing the river was blasted through a mountain of stone. The stones were used to create the village and celebrates the artisans of the Dominican Republic.
Much of Altos de Chavon is made from coral block and terra cotta. This giant fish sculpture is part of a fountain – it looks like it has been here for centuries.
Each stone was hand cut, each wooden door frame was handcrafted, and each wrought-iron detail hand-forged. The village was finally completed and inaugurated in 1982.
Another attraction in Altos de Chavon is this five-thousand seat amphitheater. It is mainly used for music concerts and other performances. The amphitheater is so beautiful and carved all from stone. The term “amphitheater” derives from the ancient Greek words meaning “on both sides” or “around” and “place for viewing”.
It was a such a wonderful get-away. I hope to return again sometime soon.
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