getting back into the groove

 As I walked down the laneway late afternoon on Thursday, a half moon hung overhead - not a crescent but still the same moon that we saw in the Caribbean Sea just off the coast of Bonaire. I was transported for a moment to that magical time on the Chinese Junk and also, for a second, to summer days long ago when I was young and carefree. The cold wind seemed to die down, leaving the gentle caress of a warm humid breeze. Oh, it didn’t last, but the memory wrapped itself around me, warming me from the inside out.

Now I’m old(er) and perhaps more carefree but my life isn’t stretching out before me in that infinite way that it does when you are young. I appreciate these moments more than I did then and perhaps live them with more awareness. I don’t usually wish to be young again, but that time in Bonaire made me yearn for a return, if just for a while.

I’ve been pretty lazy since we got home, barely getting off the couch except to go for a nap! Oh, I exaggerate a bit - we did go to the pet store to get a new kind of food for the dogs - we can’t get their current kibble which is a shame as they’ve been doing well. We are trying Acana Classic Red as it’s easier to get.

Lupa got a new harness while we were there… she’s not crazy about getting into her strappy black one for car rides, hopefully she’ll like this one better. She’s a bit like Spike in her aversion for anything tight around her! She was pretty good in the store, surprisingly good actually, until a dog came in. We need to get back to practising I guess.

Cooking has been more miss than hit… on our first night at home I made pasta with tomato sauce in the instant pot but overcooked the pasta so it was a gooey mess. Not up to the standards of the Princess kitchen! Thursday night we had rice cooked with mushrooms and sausage - an easy comfort food cook. Last night was also a cheat dinner - chicken swiss with rice & canned green beans! 

Somehow I have to get the motivation and energy to put something nice on the table! Tonight I tried for an mushroom onion soup in homemade chicken broth with lentils and carrots for good measure. It was more time in the kitchen than I’ve spent in weeks! Carm gave it a ⅘ so I’ll make a few notes:

1 chicken leg w back w water, rosemary, salt in IP for 30 min; strip chicken from bones, set aside broth w chicken; saute 3 slices bacon then add 2 chopped onions; once soft add celery, carrots, mushrooms, garlic; saute for another few minutes; add broth, chicken and ½ cup dry lentils; close pot & cook for 12 minutes HP; 10 minute NR; release rest of pressure, add some cream & marsala; reduce for a few minutes. Serve!

I do need a stair climber blocking the way into the kitchen though… flights and flights of stairs between me and food…

The second load of laundry was hung to dry today. One more to go. We have to space the loads as almost everything hangs to dry and we have limited space on the rack. No rush though… almost everything goes into the suitcase for our next trip… who knows when…

Awesome!

“cuddling up for naps in my own bed”

“steaming bowl of soup on a windy night”