CONTENTMENT~Shabbat Eve 2024; Ocean Park-WA

September 19th: Yesterday was a bit chilly and dark with low-lying gray clouds; but we drove to Cranberry Road to wave watch, anyway - and I'm glad we did, because pelicans touched down mere feet from us :-)

And, the scent on the ocean breeze carried a definite Autumn vibe.

2 Pelicans!

Brown Pelican: 

(https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/corvid-crier/2019/8/5/brown-pelican & https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02300)

Zoomed pic, so we wouldn't scare them away …

15 Cool & Interesting Things About Brown Pelicans:  (https://ca.audubon.org/news/15-cool-and-interesting-things-about-brown-pelicans#:~:text=The%20Brown%20Pelican%20is%20the,a%20beautiful%20and%20intelligent%20flyer.)

Got 'em ;-)

For centuries, birds have been considered spiritual messengers from the universe.

Brown birds - it's believed to symbolize strength, knowledge, and protection. It's a reminder that everything is part of a divine plan and God is watching over you every step of the way.

With three stomachs, pelicans can digest fish, fins, spines, and all. In early church eras, the pelican was believed to pierce its own breast with its beak and feed its young of its blood. It became a symbol of Christ sacrificing himself for man – and because of this was frequently represented in Christian art.

The brown pelican was removed from the federal Endangered Species List in 2009. Brown pelicans now occur in substantial numbers in Washington's outer coastal waters, mainly from late April through October.

While we were sitting there listening to the incoming surf violently smack against the beachfront & watched the colorful kites dance on the chilled breeze, Holland mused about going south next month … or possibly waiting a month out in Tillamook-WA, until maintenance on Betsy is tended to & both hospital bills are paid down: he asked me what I wanted to do - I said I would okay with whatever he decided we should do.

I really am.

Colorful kites; Cranberry Road Access, Long Beach Peninsula-WA

Don't know what the white thing is with flapping fish behind it …

While I am Queen of the Home, Holland is King of the Road: he has traveled the road many times; I trust his judgement on travel judgments.

Repairs on Independence put us way behind road travel schedule, seriously chewed into our savings, and time dragged out until more big $$$ costs need attention before we heed the call to go south.

I'm perfectly fine with cooling our heels a bit longer, if that's what we have to do. I know we'll get to Yuma, eventually … and we'll get there together ;-)

Scorpions - 'When You Came Into My Life' lyrics:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WfD7nEoAWM)

A renewed commitment from Holland, & a sincere willingness to put US before anyone or anything going forward  … besides, Christ of course, Who is Master over both of us.

Air Supply - 'The Power of Love': 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05kWQFzCD38)

Holland will; but all things will happen in Elohim's timing. We are in no hurry to embrace stress - if we must wait; then we will wait.

After supper, I finished up the little green preemie sacque - and designed a matching hat, to go with it.

Preemie sleep Sacque done. and ready for delivery.

MOD Preemie Hat.

===============

September 20th: Elohim spoke to my heart while I was snoozing this morning: he revealed something to me on a personal level (it just came out of nowhere, and caught me off-guard), and I am mulling over and seeking guidance on it.

I don’t argue with my Father – He knows best what is best for my life.

And I have trusted His Will for my life, all of my life.

So

On a different topic, this time of year, always makes me sleepy: I needed full-strength coffee, so I reached for the ground flavored coffee beans (I will buy LOTS more to store and take with us when we leave WA = there are NO coffee beans available a.n.y.w.h.e.r.e., down South), and perked a pot while Holland caught up on the sleep interrupted around 2 A.M. - Betsy's alarm system had loudly gone off, and Holland was hopelessly awake for 4 hours following that startling happening. We don't know what set it off; Holland checked all around it before falling back into bed … as I got up.

Coffee perkily perking while I was checking my Blog & FB messages, I saw a WW Recipe come up on my feed … so, I got busy making that for a brunch, when Holland gets up later; 2 hours later, the breakfast casserole's aroma wafting through the house gave off warm and cozy feelings of contented domesticity  ;-)

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole: 

(https://simple-nourished-living.com/slow-cooker-breakfast-casserole/)

I used 4 bacon sliced, chopped; instead of turkey sausage.

I was feeling very content with life in general.

Today dawned bright and sunny, with robin's egg blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

So, this chillin' sunny Sabbath afternoon, I am relaxing - first with wave watching, and companiable convo; then later enjoying a light Supper with my husband … & watching YouTube movies, while finishing up matching hats for the preemie sacques I already worked up.

Watching waves & waiting for 'shooter waves' ;-)

MOD Preemie Hat to match the finished sacque …

Enjoying the gentle Shabbat evening vibes as we set about purposefully creating a home sanctuary.

And giving my whole being a rest - with heartfelt gratitude.

Don Moen - 'Thank You Lord' lyrics: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZLXOa_zARA)

SOMETHING STRANGE; & My Chicken Pot Pie w-Cornmeal Topping Casserole Recipe~Long Beach-WA

I have been craving chicken pot pie … so, that's what was in my thoughts when I woke up this morning; it's a simple meal to warm the spirit and body when arriving Fall's crisp nip is felt on the air. I'd have to go to the store to get some chicken broth - and Holland suggested we drive to the beach while headed in that direction.

We are scheduling more relaxing moments in our days; other than check-out time when it's time to pack up and mosey down the highway, there's no real hurry to anything our days hold for us.

I'm game for anything that tames the stressors beast; we're back on track again, and want things to stay that way.

Driving down Bay Avenue in Ocean Park, Holland turned up the radio when Berlin's song, "Take My Breath Away" song, came over the air waves. He said, "You might know this song." I was quiet for a few minutes before I replied, "Yes. I know it." I had mentioned earlier this month that September thru December are hard memories for me. Last year they weren't too hard to get through, but this year, with all the chaos, the hard memories are hard. I was keeping my tone light because I don't want the Past to tread too heavily on the Present during these hard weeks, but Holland knows me pretty well by now. He asked, "Memories?" I said, "Yes." And he simply said, "Okay. I'll just turn the radio off for now." I was okay with that. I said, "I'm sorry. I do like that song, but that song is connected to the Past: I'm trying to build a cache of songs that fit our Life together." He's okay with that.

A lot of damage was done this past July, that make the hard memories harder. And Holland is trying hard to make things right. Loving a widow is not an easy task - careless words and the threat of abandonment catapults our emotions back in time … to when our special person was suddenly gone and we were abruptly and callously cut off from those living, that we thought would be there for us in our darkest hours. Instead, angry words, and ridiculous accusations, were flung at us; and we were quickly abandoned when familial ties were abruptly severed. It took me a very long time to heal, and build a survival life. I am careful about who I let close to me. I am careful about who holds my heart. A lot of angry damage was done in July: Holland was not considerate, or careful, with my heart. Even with forgiveness, and focused rebuilding … the innocence and first blush of new love has been seriously bruised: it will take time for me to trust again. To heal again. He says, "That was a long time ago"; I say, "Three months is not that long ago: things came to  a head in July, but it's been a long year getting to July's ordeal."

My circle is very small - my tribe is very selective. When I allow someone into my circle deep enough to marry them and weave them into the fabric of my tribe, it's a very big deal. I have only given my heart to 2 men in my entire life; I never played the relationship games some people relish; I take commitment seriously. It takes time to rebuild trust. It takes time to feel secure in a challenging marriage. Widows are not like other spouses - we have gone through the deepest heart wrench, and chaotic life experience, imaginable. We view life differently now. We feel differently. We react differently. We expect differently. We quickly get disoriented when the ground under our feet keeps shifting - brain fog sets in again, and our emotions get caught in the yo-yoing boomerang effect again. We do not want people playing emotional games with us. Stable footing is important to us; chaos is not a welcome companion. We crave calm. We need a peaceful environment.

Holland understands that now. And he is diligently working at righting the wrongs.

Cody Johnson - 'I Ain't Going Nowhere Baby' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjDHmZHXF24)

I understand his angsts better now. I truly have forgiven the hurts. And I am diligently working towards a stronger union, too.

Our marriage is a strange experience for both of us; our song cache will be a mixed bag.

These songs fit our Present:

Bryan Adams - 'Everything I Do' song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0pdQU87dc8

Metallica - 'Nothing Else Matters' song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkj6-LN6WKI

Scorpions - 'Still Loving You' song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVO7BMUQzQ

Nicolette Larson - 'Lotta Love' song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFfjWdhROU

When we got to the beach, we saw that the kites riding the ocean winds today, were not the same as yesterday.

Some were huge. Some were smaller. A few were strangely unidentifiable … but they were all colorful ;-)

We also saw a strange jellyfish blob - and noticed that the blobs were stranded on the sand up and down the beach, in both directions.

More kites at the beach, today; the dragon caught my eye, then the parrot, sea horses, alligator, centipede …

Cannonball jellyfish blobs littered the beach in every direction.

The Cannonball jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris) lives in tropical to semi-tropical saltwater estuaries and coastal shorelines in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico: (https://coastalgadnr.org/cannonball-jellyfish#:~:text=in%20weight-,Habitat,water%2C%20usually%20by%20the%20shoreline.)

Holland said it was strange that the jellyfish hadn't been picked to pieces by the flocks of seagulls; I said that the birds probably know that jellyfish pack a powerful sting - even dead, washed-up jellyfish can sting.

On the way home, I bought the broth necessary to make tonight's supper meal, and a cucumber for the salad meal planned for tomorrow.

It feels good to be cooking meals for a husband again :-)

For tonight's meal, I used a portable hot plate & "do-it-all" counter top oven.

Chicken Pot Pies are normally made with pie crust … but, I chose to make my pie as a casserole with a cornbread topping: I've never done this before (nor seen a recipe like this). It is strangely different, but just as tasty. Chicken and cornbread just naturally go together :-)

Holland likes this meal (I'm glad), so it's a repeat.

==MY CHICKEN POT PIE w-CORNMEAL TOPPING CASSEROLE ~serves 2 or 3

1 TBSP Butter * 1 TBSP all-purpose Flour * 1 tsp. Salt (I used a salt substitute) * dash of grnd. Black Pepper * dash of grnd. Thyme * 1/4 c. Chicken Broth (homemade, or bullion) * 1/4 c. light Cream * 1 Chicken Breast, boned, & cubed * 1/2 c. frozen Peas * 1 small carrot, peeled & diced * 1 medium-size cooking potato, diced * 1/2 Onion, diced (red, white, or yellow; your choice) * 1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced * 1 box of Jiffy Cornmeal Muffin Mix * 1/3 c. milk * 1 egg

Chicken Pot Pie ingredients …

Spray the bottom of a small skillet with cooking oil, and slowly cook the chicken over low heat; remove from heat when cooked through.

In a medium cooking pot melt butter over Low heat; stir in the broth & cream.

In a measuring cup, blend the flour & seasonings until smooth - add to the butter mixture in the pot, and turn the heat up to medium-high: boil for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens to a light gravy texture.

Portable Hot Plate.

Sauce cooking.

Remove pan from heat; add chicken bits and veggies, & gently stir until thoroughly mixed.

Blending veggies with sauce …

Prepare the Cornmeal Muffin mix according to package directions, and pour over chicken pie filling.

Lightly spray foil baking pan, and add blended chicken mixture; spread the cornmeal mixture over the top, leaving space along the pan edges for steam to escape so there will be no oven messes to clean up.

Casserole ready for the oven.

And into the Oven, it went; 425-degrees = 40  mins.

Carefully place chicken pie casserole in the oven, and cook at 425-degrees for 20 minutes (check topping, & cover with foil so it does not get over browned). Continue cooking casserole 15 to 20 minutes more (ovens are different - check casserole after 35 minutes to see how the veggies are coming along; if you need to add more minutes, that's okay = do not bake more than 40 minutes).

I covered the cornbread after the first 20 minutes.

CAREFULLY remove casserole from oven (foil pans are not as sturdy as metal or glass pans) - a few days ago, Holland showed me how to slide a dinner plate under the hot foil baking pan to move it from the oven to the hot pad, on the counter top: I was a little nervous doing that tonight … but it went well, and the whole thing was shifted without a snafu ;-)

The weird design is from the cooking sheet I covered the topping with; but otherwise, the casserole was delish ;-)

GREEN GRASS & HIGH TIDES; Long Beach-WA

September 14th: We enjoy our grassy space at Ocean Bay Mobile & RV Park (it's peaceful), and the Park hosts are very nice people, and friendly too … but we miss being parked next door to David on his beach lot :-(

We are still having drainage issues in the spare bathroom, so we need to be connected to this RV Park's drain system until that gets sorted out.

I was feeling pretty punky this morning, so I got up early so I wouldn't wake Holland with my tossing and turning: he doesn't sleep well, and was up until about 3 AM before he fell into bed.

I worked a while on another little preemie sleep sacque while listening to the continual rainfall, and drinking a couple cups of coffee I hoped would ease my sore throat.

Drizzle this morning, before Holland woke up …

Worked a bit on this boy's preemie sacque button band.

When Holland got up around 10 … I crept back to bed; leaving my crafting stuff all over the table. I couldn't have tidied up if I wanted to - I was that tired. The PNW rainy season puts me into a semi-hibernation mode. My stuffy head, sore throat, and sour stomach added to the drowsiness.

I had short bursts of wakefulness & tepid energy. I sleep off and on most of the day.

We had planned to go to the Garlic Festival - then on to Ilwaco to the Saturday Market, but that fell by the wayside because I was just too ditzy to do much of anything but sleep. Holland didn't mind - he's more of a homebody, than I am.

 

Holland had made a tuna salad while I was drifting in and out of Dreamland … and I wasn't sure my stomach would keep it down: but after I forced the first bite past my nose and down my throat, the following bites weren't so hard; and my stomach did not rebel. Punky or not, I need to keep my body nourished.

Today, last year, I was eating my first tuna steak … and canning fresh tuna to carry with us on our Road Gypsy adventures: SO delish! Though I have lived in the PNW since 1966, I'd never been treated to this PNW delicacy - Holland has, so he was excited when we canned 24 pints of tuna with David. We still have about 10 pints left, so we'll skip canning this year; but it will be a definite {thing} going forward. I'm hooked on the tasty treat, now.

********************

September 15th: This morning I woke up feeling much better: the headache was gone, and my stomach was calmer. 

I also liked the way Holland sleepily reached out with his long arm, and pulled me into his side, for a sleepy morning cuddle before I woke all the way up, and got up.

Holland followed a short while later - he wanted to check out the Garlic Festival (and hopefully grab some fresh garlic), and I was game … so, off we went. I had planned on doing this activity before Holland was part of my life, but doing it with him makes it more fun :-)

I'm back in the Land of the Living, today.

The Garlic Festival is a small affair … and pretty much like the Farmer's Market a few days ago: a lot of food stuffs, jewelry, and beach combing "art".

Festival Mascots …

We had to look hard to find any fresh garlic: we came home with 2 heads of garlic, and a handful of very small tomatoes because both were 'organically' ridiculously high priced … and a small box of spendy white fudge. I don't regret wasting the time, but I won't be going again.

The Outlaws - 'Green Grass and High Tides' song:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhiyKZsAW44)

On our way home, we turned down Bay Avenue in Ocean Park, to enjoy the Pacific Ocean at the Ocean Park Approach: Holland needs his daily water fix - and I'm finding that I look forward to enjoying it with him.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed spending time watching ocean waves, as I have - and do - enjoy a day at the beach with Holland. I love watching his senses come alive when he watches the waves :-)

I liked the kites … we had missed the Long Beach Kite Festival, due to Independence's repairs, so I was glad to see some of what had been shown. These pretty things are wildly expensive.

Fun beach approach; Ocean Park-WA

The 'sea chickens' were plentiful again, this afternoon; flocks of 'Heermann's Gulls'.

A black one! I wonder what it's labeled as … it's a 'first winter Heermann's Gull'.

Heermann's Gull - plummage & vocalization:  (https://ebird.org/species/heegul#:~:text=Almost%20exclusively%20coastal%3B%20usually%20seen,and%20British%20Columbia%20in%20winter.)

Large, loud, waves rolling in ;-)

A closer picture of the colorful kites.

A dinosaur, & an Orca is what drew my eye.

I don't know what the racoon-tailed black kite is supposed to represent …

Maybe some sort of fantasy stingray?

A h.u.g.e. Blue Whale had joined the kite dance on the breeze! The fells had it tethered to his truck's back bumper.

I am loving this stage & chapter of my New Life that my new husband is engaging me in ;-)

We spotted 5 Brown Pelicans - but I couldn't capture them in frame.

Brown Pelicans – Feeding Behaviors and Identification: 

(https://www.onthewingphotography.com/wings/2011/02/19/brown-pelicans/)

I finally {got} one ;-)

When I first saw today's brown pelicans, I thought they were eagles because from a distance the large brown bodies with white heads appeared to resemble eagles - but Holland said they were brown pelicans; and that excited me, more: I love the way pelicans in flight look like prehistoric pterosaurs (I admit to being a dino freak ;-)).

The first time I saw brown pelicans was in 2020, when I was enjoying one of my solo lobo Sunday out-of-house Daytrips. I was deliberately pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and forcing myself to deal with memories without breaking down in tears … and to create new memories by doing things Bob and I never did; it was important in my healing process of widowhood:

SUNDAY~FUNDAY #18 – Fort Columbia: 

https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2020/08/sundayfunday-18-fort-columbia.html

Since 2020, I've enjoyed several pelican sightings: brown, and white - we saw white pelicans on our way to Warrenton-OR, the other day, but there was no place to pull over and take pictures.

The weather started turning - so, we turned towards home under the dancing kites adding color to the darkening sky.

We stopped at Okie's Grocery Store on the way home and bought some fresh produce … and some interesting black grapes; I said to Holland that the way they hung down reminded me of little trumpet-shaped flowers ;-)

Royal Queen Purple Iochroma flower cluster.

When we got home, Holland put the kitchen cart I bought a few days ago, together, for me.

And we enjoyed some of the black grapes, too. They were sweet and tasty - not tart, like the little round old-fashioned black grapes I am used to, that used to grow up the porch pillars of my cousin Terri's Skamokawa house: I like those the best … but these long, tubular grapes, are enjoyable, too :-)

Holland put my kitchen cart together after we got back home …

A tidy place to add extra space in the small kitchen ;-)

A new kind of grape - neither of us have ever seen, or tried them; but they look interesting.

They have a little 'navel'; LOL

The largest one was 2-in long.

Black seedless grapes contain significant amounts of vitamins A, C, and K. Flavonoids within the grape’s skin, such as resveratrol, also provide antioxidant qualities which can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Today was a great day from start to finish.

Thank You, Yeshua: I am truly blessed.