I also made some spaghetti sauce for the sailing club meeting on Thursday night. The sauce was voted as being the best there which was great. I used those spicy Italian sausages which really added to the flavor. I am finding cooking to be relaxing and have become more experimental with recipes and seasonings. It'a good to not treat cooking as a chemistry experiment but to ad lib and have fun with it.
My wife came back from receiving her award and was renourished by seeing old colleagues. She was given a standing ovation by over a hundred scientists who recognized her research. That could not have come at a better time. Just a little bump to the self- esteem meter does wonders.
I found a great horned owl yesterday that was sick. I saw it sitting on the ground in the morning which was unusual. Later in the day the owl was lying on the ground. I saw that it was alive but very weak. I carried it to the Birds of Prey center, but it was too sick to survive. What an incredibly beautiful animal! I had not seen one up close.
A staff member told me that the owl was emaciated. The great horned owl mates for life and starvation can occur if its mate dies. The animal kingdom is filled with those who have a pair-bond. I thought about that yesterday afternoon when my mother-in-law came to visit her husband. The two of them were sitting side by side in wheel chairs eating ice cream and cookies, smiling at each other, and talking. All is good with them at the moment. Two old people still together after so many years--when the moments are good, I can forget the painful times, as apparently they do also.
The weather is windy today with a northerly bite to it--perfect weather for being near a bonfire, roasting and eating oysters. So much promise is in this day. I'm going to treasure that.
What an interesting few days you've had, Syd. Congratulations to C and sorry about the bird. I wish I could get a taste of that yummy chili...eating that outdoors with a chill in the air and good music ... who could ask for more?
ReplyDeleteI've found cooking to be my balm lately as well, experimenting with new recipes. There is immense joy in seeing someone else enjoy something you've made.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story about the horned owl, sad but a reminder some things in this life have longevity and faith in another of their kind. A love so powerful you can't live without the other.
Tell C Congratulations for me! (Hugs)Indigo
I like the part about mating for life. Not a lot of that going on these days.
ReplyDeleteWhen I married young I thought it would be forever but it takes two.
Beautiful bird and sad that he didn't make it.
Sometimes it seems to me that all of these weather changes help create internal changes in us. The wind blows in our hearts and things change.
ReplyDeleteAnd often- for the better.
Good.
nice...what a cool owl i hope he will be ok...and great job C as well...and def came at the right time...enjoy this day man...
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful, sad & poignant story about the owl. Memories of Shakespeare's tragic love stories.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that the in-laws are content with one another. Just another good example of commitment, however painful it has been and may still be - to remain together. This must be very gratifying to you as well as to their only child. God bless you for hanging in with hope!
Hugs and Happy Valentine's!
Anonymous #1
Your posts about your in-laws encourages me to treasure this time I have with my husband and our health. I never want to fight about an stupid stuff or do anything to make our time together anything but enjoyable. I'm glad C got the appreciation she deserves. It's always good to be recognized for you work. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great plan for you and your wife to relax and put things behind you. Enjoy the oyster roast! I looooooooove oysters!
ReplyDeleteMy parents were like those owls. They were together for over 50 years and inseparable. My dad died first and my mother lost her will to go on. A couple of months later she died of multi-system failure according to the doctors, but I know it it was just her time to go because she lost her mate. She was right and I respected her attitude.
ReplyDeleteSo glad C had a good trip and congrats to her! That owl is so beautiful, very sad ending.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the good moment your in-laws had, a nice reminder to live in the moment.
Yes, Congratulations to your wife.
ReplyDeleteI've been craving sweet chilli since I stopped using . . . Yes you read that right! . . . It's only a few days but it's the first few days in 12 yrs!
I wish I could be at that party/music sesh/feast. Sounds perfect.
There's something about the creativity of cooking, because you get to eat and enjoy so it's a continual process.
ReplyDeleteYour story of the owl reminds me of a concert and a song. Kathy Mattea wrote a song about a couple in her husband's family. Where've You Been. I remember going to that concert and watching it with the man who would become my second ex-husband and his parents before we were married. I remember WANTING so desperately to have that kind of love in my life. :) You never know where you will be taken in the power of recovery.
Syd, the world is most assuredly a better place with you in it, my friend! So many times I come to read this blog and feel good when I visit.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to read that for now your mother and father in-law are enjoying one another again. Im also glad C was able to get away for a recharge. Hopefully she will be able to enjoy some time with her dad now.
Be well!