SWEET HAN’

There they were as I opened the gate, the click of the latch seemed to alert the two sentinels or maybe they were more like two grand-meres or grandfathers waiting for their errant grand-daughter.


 Eyes alert to my every move, necks stuck out, shrinking shoulders erect, as can be had by shrinking shoulders, and it seemed that they were telling me “is this the hour to get home?” “We’ve been waiting!”  As my dog Feo gamboled toward me, it seemed as if they didn’t stir a muscle, not fearing him at all.  They were waiting for me!

You see I give Feo home-cooked food, for dinner and breakfast, no ordinary dry dog food for my boy!  If there is one thing I have is a sweet han’.  For those non-Caribbean readers, a sweet han’ implies that you are an excellent cook; your food tastes good, your meals are tasty.

Feo gets a pelau of rice, freshly made coconut oil, garlic, liver or a bit of chicken or beef, carrots, watercress, pumpkin, patchoi, cabbage and just about every vegetable I eat, he eats.   We share with me eating the top of the watercress, he eating the bottom.  And he loves it!  From time to time, he may get store-bought dog food but not too frequently, I tell you.   I found cooking for my dog saves me money and giving him good food rather than lots of scraps keeps us away from the veterinarian.  Feo, has allergies!  Imagine that, this pot-hound (I prefer to call him a Creole) is allergic to many foods and to plastic!  LOL!

What I did not know until recently, is that other folks (should I call them that?) like my cooking too.  As I go to clean up after him, there in Feo’s bowl each and every night, are the animals, eating the remainder of Feo’s meal!  Frogs!  Big old frogs, bull frogs!  Frogs at night, and birds by day.   I suppose everybody has to eat, eh?

Tonight the grandmothers or maybe they are grandfathers, were waiting…waiting for Feo’s orts.  Tomorrow morning the blackbirds will be here with the sun, while the turtle doves drop in around mid-morning. Sweet han’ ah have!

Have a good week, I’m off to feed Feo!

Until,