Feeding Life

 

The days of this week unfolded around feeding life. All species of life. Hubby Mac had to work this Thursday, which was unusual for him. At least for the past couple of months. He bitched and moaned, as most people do when they have to go to work at the age of 67 but he survived it, unscathed, except for his pride. It does rub one the wrong way when it comes to having to spend time away from retirement activities. But he came home to me in one piece and for that, I am grateful. A little bitching and moaning never hurt anyone. 

So, Thursday was taken from our time together, at least during the day. The evening was full of laughter and sharing time with one another though. We completed our show, The Mentalist, and headed into Castle, an older murder mystery type show. Time spent laughing and sharing moments together like this feeds the relationship. 

Friday came way too quickly. We had nothing to do on Friday besides Terry had time to make up for having to work on Thursday, so he plopped into his chair outside and lit up a cigar or two. He spends the time outdoors smoking but also reading on his tablet. I like to see him be able to relax and enjoy some "down time." Relaxing feeds the soul. 

My Friday meant work. I accomplished a lot during the day. It was a good workday, if there is such a thing. I enjoy working but am far from being a workaholic. There was plenty of jewelry pulled and sold, packaged and shipped, and then the transcription actually went very well too. My mind remained occupied and that's a great thing. I feel grateful to be able to keep my mind focused on work and life in general. I'm always thankful for the ability to remain cognizant of all that is around me. The ability to remain in focus mentally feeds into my happiness and brings me joy. 

The latest hobby, if you've followed the blog for the past couple of weeks, is the sourdough. Speaking of feeding, that's what I keep doing! Feeding Seymour and Audrey has been fun. The two are getting nice and bubbly, thick and elastic in texture. Experimenting with sourdough starter has been going very well. I'm so happy to feed my living, breathing starter, giving it life in the good bacteria and yeast that maintains the entire project. In return, the starter will feed us with the good breads and baked goods that come in the near future. 

Living, breathing starter has come to life! With a doubling process this week, it gives me a good feeling knowing that all the care I've given Seymour and Audrey has paid off. Not quite done with their growth yet, but the bubbles and foam and elasticity are creating a doughy texture that means great bread! This photo shows how Seymour has doubled in size overnight. It means he is coming along nicely and will be ready soon to being the base of the baking process. I believe bread will be the first in line of baked goods that I make when Seymour is ready.  

Each time Seymour is fed, the texture of the starter changes. It has become more elastic, bubbly, and full of life. It's a beautiful thing. I am still in good shape with all my mental capacities. The excitement has risen though, as I witness the growth pattern of yes, flour and water. Basically paste. I'm special that way. Anyway, this will all lead to a happier day in the near future. Thanksgiving means sourdough stuffing and sourdough rolls! Oh, yeah! I also make a spinach-parmesan bread and that will be heavenly to try with a sourdough tang at the base of it all. Yum. 

Since Friday night was the first night of the weekend, we chose to go out to eat. Of course, we decided on Hacienda Vieja, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Not only is the food excellent and it does feed our bodies, once again, the laughter ensued. We can't take each other anywhere. Hubby Mac was up to his typical antics in trying to make me laugh as a portion of it, but then some that were not done on purpose. I'm sorry I didn't capture that part on camera. My hand was too busy hiding my face and laughter from the waiter. 

So, for those of you who haven't been reading or kept up with us, meet Hubby Mac. The instigator of most of our laughs and the largest portion of trouble. Good trouble, fun trouble, but trouble just the same. 

The dining experience began like all the others we have had at Hacienda Vieja. Warm chips and homemade salsa came to the table immediately. Terry and I perused the menus and chose our meals. He wanted to try a chalupa tonight, so he picked out the combination that included the softer shelled taco type item. They're so good! I have had them at this particular restaurant once and it was a great choice. Since sweet man had not tried them before, he thought tonight would be a good time to do so. 

We munched on our chips and salsa, cooling each bite with ice water and diet soda. It was especially spicy tonight and while it was so good, it did bite back. Fresh tomatoes, cilantro, peppers were blended to create such a wonderful salsa no matter how spicy it turned out. 

One of the items that Terry chose, like I said, was the chalupa. He picked it up gently, pulled it toward him to take that first bite and boom! His food exploded. The chalupa shell completely shattered apart, leaving Terry with what he called, "Mexican roadkill" staring at him from his plate. He was upset that his shell fell apart because he was excited to have the complete, official chalupa experience I had described to him. We continued to eat our food while watching for a waiter. Yes, he was going to ask for another one. 

I'm not picky as an eater. If my taco or chalupa falls apart, I just pick up the shell and pile the filling back on top of it. Just as yummy. Messy, but just as good. Terry wanted the shell intact for the taste of shell and filling as one, which I understand. But I would get the same flavor combo if the shell had broken into smithereens, and I eat it all on a spoon or whatever the utensil or gathering of the eats would be. I have a son-in-law who won't eat a Hershey's chocolate candy bar if it's broken. We always had to ensure the bar was intact before offering it to him. Each to his or her own. 

While Terry was enjoying other items in his dinner, a waiter happened by. He stopped him and told him of his shell-less predicament. The waiter stood by the table, with his hands on the tabletop, leaning in to hear Terry better. He got fairly close to catch all of the issue. I thought he was being quite caring and really wanted to please his customers. Then I looked over at Terry's face. 

From my sweet man's mouth hung a long, long cheese strand. I know the piece of ooey, gooey, cheesy food was at least 12 inches in length, no exaggeration. Each time Terry spoke, the cheese strand moved with the motion of his lips. It literally hung to his belly button from his bottom lip. Once again, as does happen sometimes with my hubby, my mouth was agape with wonderment while trying to wrap my brain around what was taking place on the other side of the table. Did he not feel that cheese that was hanging so low it was slapping his shirt as he spoke? I know the waiter was witness to the flopping cheese fiasco, however; he kept a solid, straight face as he spoke to my oblivious man. I'm pretty sure that the waiter went into the back and the word, "gringo" was used several times. There is another waiter that I know still laughs at my sweet man for the "flat taco" incident. Like I said, we can't take each other anywhere. 

On my side of the table, my brain had finally reached the point where I realized hubby Mac didn't know he had cheese flapping in the wind. No clue. I placed my hand over the side of my face, the side facing the waiter, of course. I kept the laughter at bay, but the giggles were definitely difficult to hold back. 

The waiter left our table, leaving the promise of a new chalupa brought back to be delightfully inhaled by Terry. I looked across the table, still keeping the laughter at a minimum. The restaurant was packed, and my rib cage is still hurting from some injury I am healing from. Laughing does not help it in any way, shape, or form. But I couldn't help releasing some giggles at least. I grabbed my ribs and snickered hardily. 

The innocent looks on my husband's face was priceless. He had no clue that cheese was still dangling low. Between giggles, I said, "Why don't you cut the cheese?" Now, we are not in third grade, but that was not what I meant in terms of making it sound as though Terry had a gas line burst within his body. I just innocently meant to cut the cheese by grabbing it with a fork, knife, or even fingers to stop the stretchy dairy product from slapping him in his stomach upon speaking. 

After the childlike comment came from my mouth, I realized how it sounded and that spurred hard laughter from both of us. Once again, feeding our happiness, our love, and our souls. As completely immature as it is, we get each other going from time to time in that fashion. I don't care what we laugh at, as long as we keep up that trait in our relationship and I do believe that will happen for many years to come. 

Terry reached up to "cut the cheese" as suggested. He grabbed the elastic strand with his hand and pulled. Cheese flew through the air and landed on the man's straw. He couldn't win. We laughed again and I just shook my head. He is entertaining, to say the least. The events were unfolding as something I could see happening to me at some point and each time it happens, I know deep in my heart, he's my people. 

Now, what happened to the poor chalupa? The first one remained broken, shattered actually in the metal rack they served it in. It looked sad. Crumbled. The poor chalupa wouldn't have anyone to smile after tasting its goodness. Terry was given a new chalupa and prepared to devour it. He picked it up. I smiled at him, knowing how brilliantly awesome a chalupa is and couldn't wait for him to try it. As he brought it to his mouth, the Mexican entity collapsed, and all of the inner deliciousness fell to the plate once again. My poor man had a defeated look on his face. Swallowing his pride, he picked up the lettuce, tomatoes, ground beef, cheese, and all that the chalupa holds and slapped it on top of the shards of shell. He ate his dinner and as Terry's Buddha t-shirt says, "Let that shit go." 

We did finish our dinner and headed home. As we sat on our couch with the fur babies, we chatted for a while and continued on with our typical Friday night togetherness, by watching another episode of Castle. While watching the show, I received a text from my granddaughter, Jessee. Her husband, Brandon had an interview for a job in Roseburg. She wanted to know if we would like to hang out on Saturday. Of course, the answer is always yes to that!

Mallory (Terry's daughter) was supposed to come over on Friday, but she shot her dad a text, informing him that she and her son Hayden were ill. I was sorry to hear she couldn't make it, but Jess and Brandon would fill up the day with their visit and that was a good thing. Jessee asked me if we could go to Wildlife Safari and that's always a definite "yes" as well! And so, the plans unfolded. 

Saturday morning came around. Jess was dropped off with Zyrah (my great granddaughter) and so began our visit. It was good to see them again! I do miss our family gatherings. Now that I live an hour and 20 minutes away, it can make things more difficult when it comes to our visits. But Jess, Brandon, and Zyrah were here, and the day was good. 

After chatting for a while, Brandon pulled up in the driveway. He had a great interview and was excited to tell his wife the news about the job opportunity. Loading up the car, we drove the seven miles to Wildlife Safari. I couldn't wait. We had not been there for a few weeks and Terry, and I do enjoy our time at the park. We were going to do the drive through first, then go into the village to let Zyrah see the animals up close. 

Our safari adventure started in the rolling hills of the park. Everything is so dry, so smoky still from a nearby group of fires. The camera is not blurry, but the air is very smoky. Since we take so many photos from the Wildlife Safari Park in Winston, Oregon, I will hold off on most of the commentary as you tour the grounds with us. 

During the drive through Wildlife Safari Park, you can stop and purchase a cup of grass-based feed to give some of the animals as a treat. We grabbed a cup so Zyrah could feed some of the ostriches, rheas, emus, fallow deer, and blackbucks. 

Zyrah was enjoying the feed time with animals, feeding their souls and bodies too. What did I tell you? The weekend was about feeding live souls, beings that co-exist on the planet. We are all connected, and all have the need to be fed. 

Zyrah began talking to the animals coming to the car window in search of treats. "Hi. How are you?" became her conversation, receiving no response naturally. If she did, she didn't share that information with us. But she was enjoying the process and the closeness of being able to pet them and speak to the creatures around her. Great chance to learn about her world. 

Terry and I were also enjoying the outing. Watching Z have fun was the biggest highlight until the car began to be surrounded by a lot of animals. The feed bag was on!

A fallow deer looks at Terry adoringly, begging for a treat. 

She was starting to get annoyed that none of the treats were being fed to her. 

Terry reached out to pet her, but she wanted food, not love. 

This beautiful guy came around to my side of the car. Brandon and I got a great up-close look at him! He was gorgeous. 

I'm watching all of these cuties until ...

This large emu sneaks in, chasing the fallow deer further away. I jumped about a foot. Scared me to death. That face, that head poked in without expectation. I was looking toward Terry and when I turned, there he was. 

Zyrah began to tire a bit, so we grabbed a small handful of food to begin feeding some of the animals coming to the front windows. 

Terry used his ingenuity and his creativity to snap some photos of Zyrah feeding in the back too. He captured her and the animals enjoying each other. 

Licking Zyrah's fingers were included in the treat giving. 

Further up the path, Terry was able to get this beautiful photo of a momma eland, feeding her calf. 

Hubby Mac got up close to get this one photo of the lion. Gorgeous baby!

Keeping us at a standstill for a while, this guy enjoyed his time doing ... well, nothing. He stood there, staring back at us. 

Then off we drove to the cheetah area and tiger enclosures. This guy was a cub at the beginning of the season, now he's a big boy. 

Beautiful babies!

We were all trying to capture the expressions on Z's face while she was looking at all the animals. This time she was looking straight at me and my phone, trying to figure out what all the picture taking was, I'm sure. 

I love to watch small children's faces as they see new things in the world. 

Finished with the drive through, we parked the car so we could walk through the Safari Village. 

Of course, as any parent knows, going anywhere with a small child means unloading the car and putting things together. 

Zyrah is not looking so happy about the situation. 

Since Jess and I had to use the bathroom, we walked behind the cheetah enclosure to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was a cub inside the fence. The park worker told us that the other cub was at a birthday party. 

Bathroom break accomplished; we walked on through the village to see what cute creatures existed there this time. 

Calico pig? 

Love the marmosets! They're so tiny and cute that it makes me want to take one home. Somehow, I believe the park might be a little upset with me. Faces you just want to squeeze! And then spend the next hour making an attempt to remove the teeth out of your hand. 

This adventurous tortoise clumsily made his way up and over all of these tall rocks. He looked as though he was going to flip over at one point. I noticed the crack along his shell, and this made me wonder if the little daredevil had tried things like this all his life, injuring his protection. Just like a monster truck, he was not going to let anything stop him. 

It looked to me as though this bearded goat had a smile on his face.

Inside the village is a playground, giving Z a nice place to unwind for a bit. 

She would act like she wanted to go down the slide but started calling for daddy after a moment or two. 

Sorry this one is blurry. Daddy climbed onto the slide and slid down with his princess. It was awesome. She loved every moment. 

One of my favorites are the flamingos. Love that color!

Taking a flamingo nap. 

Wildlife Safari Park was quite busy today. Many camel rides were given too. 

The lemur pond is always fun to visit. Lemurs have a nice playground surrounded by a pond filled with koi, goldfish (new addition), and ducks. This elephant statue was donated in honor of someone affiliated with the park. 

As last time too, Terry and I got a picture of the same lemur hanging out on the island. 

This is Terry's copy of the same lemur. 

Terry captured these two lemurs playing around. 

We were thinking of taking Z on a train ride, but soon found out the train was down for maintenance at the time. So, that's out. Moving to the maned wolf enclosure, we also gained information that they were under veterinary care right now. Not sure what was happening there either. Onward to the cougar cage. 

We found Senor Swanky Pants out cold. He was taking his nap and no matter how much chatter was going on around him, he was going to finish that nap. 

Wandering through the village again, we were able to see the alligator room and then the gift shop. Shortly after, we found the owl for Zyrah to see. She kept repeating, "Hoo, hoo." It was very cute. She loved the owl. 

I can't resist snapping another photo or two of the orange flowers in the flamingo area on the way out. 

They were beautiful and the flamingo coloring blended so well. 

The time was getting late, and we were all hungry. I had mentioned making some chili, but we chose to go out to eat instead. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers it is! Off we went. 

There was a bit of a wait time, but nothing big. We kept ourselves entertained with chatting, watching Zyrah, and of course, watching the Oregon Duck game we were missing. It's okay though. I would rather visit with family any day, even as much as I love my Ducks. The game was against the Colorado Buffaloes. Final score? 42 to 6. Makes me happy. 

Terry stood by the check in desk while we were waiting on our table. He found the game and that's all it took to divert attention from food and family to the Oregon Ducks. 

Zyrah got a balloon, and she was happy. She had not napped all day and was growing more and more exhausted as the day went on. She is going through an "I'm sorry" phase. Each time she poked her dad in the face with the stick holding the balloon, we would hear an, "I'm sorry." Of course, she would turn and do it again, but at least she was being polite as she was stabbing her father. 

Eventually we were called. We all walked deep into the back of the restaurant where we were seated. 

Each of us viewed the menus, making our choices for dinner. Zyrah viewed a children's activity sheet. She was happy. She knew mom and dad would order for her and she would be fed. 

The restaurant was packed so thank the entertainment Gods that there were things to keep us occupied. The Ducks game was on behind us. Zyrah had her cartoons playing on her mother's phone. We had bottomless fries to keep us entertained (and fed) as well. 

TVs were situated all around the restaurant, making the view of the fourth quarter perfect. We ordered, ate until we were sick, and then headed back home. Our hearts were full of time shared with family. our bellies full of food devoured at the restaurant. Our memories were plenty. It was a great day. 

Returning home, we all sighed and tried to breathe with our pants still snapped and zipped. I was stuffed! Our family left soon upon our return. They had over an hour-long drive home. It was nice to hear the interview went well and that they had fun today at the Safari Park and eating out. Hubby Mac and I definitely loved their visit. Before Jess left, I gave her Audrey, the other sourdough starter. She told me she loves sourdough, and she likes to bake, so the combination is great. I know Audrey will have a happy home. 

Our precious time on this rock is well spent with family and loved ones. Terry and I feed our relationship every day with laughs and our loving home we have created here. My starter is fed twice a day and in return it will feed us. Our love is fed daily too, with our fur babies, family, and our closeness. It's all a wonderful blessing. Visits and time spent with family is definitely good food for the soul! 

Feed your life and soul this week! Find ways to make yourself and those around you happy. Until next week, love yourselves and each other. Be grateful for your blessings as we move into the thankful season.