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And now, the end is near And so I face the final coconut My friend, I'll make it clear I'll state my case, because I’m a good pup I've lived a year that's full I traveled most every shore and bay And more, much more I did it, I did it the Zuka way Regrets, I've had a few Ate some things, I shouldn’t mention I did what I had to do And ate them down, without inspection I enjoyed each day Step by step out by Salt Bay And as you know, I did it the Zuka way Yes, there were times,

All good things must come to an end. Don’t worry...I’ve saved the best for last. W is for Waxing (or waning...but I'm pretty sure it’s waxing). Can you imagine me on the moon? My zoomies would be so airy and magical. X is for X-Ray Longtime readers may remember I had an x-ray last fall. As it turns out, thunderstorms and I have something in common. We’ve both been associated with x-rays. Did you know that lightening actually produces them? It was hard for my humans to bel

Still more letters?!? S is for Sunsets All pups are beautiful, but some (like me) really leave an impression. Sunsets are that way too. T is for Telescope A radio telescope, to be exact. St. Croix is home to one of the ten radio telescopes that make up the Very Long Baseline Array. It’s used by astronomers to measure the positions and distances of objects far out in space. The power, precision, and ability to produce incredibly detailed observations come from the fact that

Who knew there were so many letters in the alphabet?! N is for Night Sky As a relatively short-statured pup, a lot of my life is spent looking forward and down. I’m smelling the smells, surveying my surroundings, licking the floor, and, you know, doing pup things. But every now and then, when I’m outside and the world around me quiets down, I look up and am met by more stars than I can count. From time to time, I even see one of them shoot across the sky. Sometimes, the pro

And so it continues... I is for Iguana This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about iguanas. Think of it this way: If chickens are to St. Croix what squirrels are to Wisconsin, then iguanas are to St. Croix what possums are to Wisconsin. You may not see iguanas quite as often as chickens, but they are definitely here. And when you see one, you know! Fun fact: My poops are about the same size as a large iguana’s. The good news is, I don’t drop mine from trees onto unsuspecting

We started at the very beginning, and it was a very good place to start. We’ve made it through A, B, C, and D, so now it’s time for E, F, G, and H. E is for Egret These birds are faster than they look. They always act calm when they see me, but then they start walking faster...and faster...and faster. If I get too close, they simply fly away. Fair enough. Back when I was a pup living on the streets, I probably would have considered an egret fast food. These days, I’m just hop

As I sat on the front stairs of my humble abode, soaking in the morning breeze, I thought all about those P Things from Puerto Rico and realized my home island has a whole alphabet of wonderful things waiting to be shared. Since my blogging adventure is coming to an end this month, I figured the perfect way to conclude this journey (at least for now) was with a highlight reel of my life on this island—from A to Zuka. A is for Apple Classic, right? "A" is for Apple. Except whe

Hi. Remember me? It’s been a while. I was gearing up to finish telling you all about my humans’ time in Puerto Rico, but then they went on an adventure to the States and took their computer with them. Rude. How am I supposed to blog without a computer? Finally, they've returned to the island, and my paws can flow freely on the keys again. Let me finish telling you about their Puerto Rico trip, then it's back to blogging about St. Croix! As I reflected on the stories my humans

As a pup in a loving home, I’m not faced with too much adversity these days. I’ll be honest, I’ve got it pretty good. But every now and then, I take on something challenging...something that exhausts me to my very core...like gnawing on a tennis ball until I finally break into the place where the squeaker lives. I’m a go-getter. I see a challenge and I’m like...LET’S DO THIS!!! But here’s the thing, some challenges can’t be tackled all at once. They take persistence. Persever

For long-time Zu Blog readers, you may remember me blogging last fall about my family’s trip to Puerto Rico. They were there last November to celebrate Penelope’s birthday and had such a great time, they went back recently to celebrate Elijah’s birthday. I stayed in St. Croix with the Newfies at our “dog spa,” where I made friends and (again) gained weight eating poop in the yard. No shame here, in fact, I take great pride in being able to sniff out all the yard candies befor

My readers probably already know that I love some good grub. Today, I want to talk to you about one of my favorites—Roti!!! More specifically, Caribbean roti. While it’s traditionally an Indian dish, roti made its way to Trinidad and Tobago and eventually migrated right here to St. Croix. Roti is an unleavened flatbread, and different cultures use it in different ways. In the Caribbean, it’s typically used as a wrap filled with all kinds of delicious things. The bread itself

Did you know you can do even more on the ocean than just sail and kayak? Did you know that some food actually lives in the water before it shows up on your plate? Well, these are things I learned when my humans told me all about their recent fishing trip. For Christmas, human mom and dad set up a deep-sea fishing adventure for Elijah and Penelope. Even though mom and I sat this one out, we heard all about it from the others. I loved hearing their stories and am THRILLED to s

Most of my learning came courtesy of the streets, but I gather humans go to an actual thing called schools. I’ve heard the term before...I’m pretty sure some of the island fish go to those too. As I learn more about schools, I’m realizing there are lots of types of schools. Many of them require you to sit in buildings for long periods of time. Luckily, Elijah and Penelope are homeschooled, which means they have a lot more flexibility over how they spend their time. Being high

We have a lot of incredibly tasty treats and beverages on the island. Today, I want to teach you how to make a delicious drink we call bush tea. Bush tea comes in lots of varieties, but a favorite here in St. Croix is lemongrass tea. Recently, the nursery manager at the botanical garden taught my family how to make it fresh and even sent them home with a plethora of lemongrass after one of their volunteering days. Because lemongrass needs to be pruned regularly, it felt like

AgriFest is a long-standing island tradition, but it was a first for my humans when they attended last month. With their church so close to the fairgrounds, they headed straight over after worship on a Sunday morning. Upon arrival, they navigated a huge parking lot (well...huge for a little dog like me), grabbed their wristbands, and were on their way. From the very first step onto the grounds, they were met with a wave of music, yummy smells, and colorful artwork. It was eas

Today, Shawanda turned three years old. To celebrate, Elijah and Penelope made the kitties a birthday treat they called a Tropical Tuna Churu Cake . I don’t know exactly what that means, but I do know it smelled...important. Us dogs weren’t invited to the party—but honestly, we get it. We have a way of becoming the main event without even trying. And today? Today was about our tiny kitty feeling like the big deal she is and honoring the way she wanted to celebrate (feline onl

I know I love attention (some say it’s a little much...I say it’s just right. How could you not want me front and center all the time? I’m adorable!). But I’m a reasonable pup, so I thought it would be nice to let my cat siblings shine in the blog for once. Lately, my human sister Penelope has been making toys for the cats called enrichment puzzles. The puzzles hide food that the cats have to work to get to (everyone knows the only reliable way to get a cat to do something is

If you’re feeling hungry, I have just the place for you! I want to tell you about one of my favorite little spots to grab some grub on island. Say hello to The Bistro. This lovely café sits right next to Undercover Books (the bookstore I told you about in a previous post). Sometimes it’s hard for me to choose which I like more… bistro or books… books or bistro… I’m learning it’s best in life to move away from either/or thinking and become a both/and kind of pup. So, in the sp

My dad’s birthday was earlier this week and tonight he officially began his birthday festivities. My sister, Lunalu, guarded his gifts all week like a highly trained security detail. Sometimes it looked like she was sleeping on the job, but she insists she was simply in a state of deep, meditative focus. Tonight was finally the night to open the gifts! Although that sounds exciting, I do need to report some sad news. Despite my obvious qualifications and demonstrated enthus

As an island pup who loves the sun and currently lives on the desert side of St. Croix, it’s a bit disorienting when it rains for three straight days and nights in the dry season. Up in Wisconsin, the seasons are obvious. Summer is hot and humid. The leaves change colors in the fall. Then the leaves disappear and interesting cold stuff accumulates on the ground in winter (my humans call it snow and tell me to stay away from it when it’s yellow). Eventually, the snow melts, th