Category Archives: John

growin’ the good stuff


basil, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

I love the herbs that I grow in my garden and on my pack porch. Pesto is a favorite treat around here–yum!

My other favorite recipe with basil is John’s Basil Coulis served on Almond Blancmange. It is one of the many very perfect recipes from Chocolate & Zucchini. Seriously, I am not one to gush about cookbooks. But if you haven’t tried this one, you are missing out. It is so tasty and fun and _everything_ we’ve tried has been wonderful and fairly fresh and simple.

Just ask those who’ve tried John’s apricot compote (another of Clothilde’s recipes from C&Z). And yes, it is better than sex.

And, no, it is not better than sex except when someone is using hyperbole to let their husband know that they think his cooking is the very best kind of foreplay. But sex with apricot compote, now that would be good.

of hands, rings and love


berries in the hand, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

These were the berries that I snacked on in the garden yesterday afternoon. Yum! Berries from the garden have a taste that is so different from store-bought!

Today in Meeting I contemplated many things. Among the other thoughts that were swirling through my mind, I thought about my rings. You can see my wedding band in this photo. Inscribed around the band is the phrase vous et nul autre. I wear my wedding and engagement rings unconsciously. Rarely do I consider how they might shape others’ perceptions of me. They show that I am ‘taken.’ They are also evidence of my continued simplicity (no diamond, no fussiness). John wears the exact same rings on his hand, in just a few sizes larger than mine. This shows an equality between the two of us–a value that we’ve held since th first days of our relationship.

While these rings are evidence of my relationship with John, I don’t feel any more tied to him because I wear this jewelry. The gold bands are meaningless in and of themselves. I don’t feel ‘bound’ to them or to John because of them. I could lose them tomorrow and our bond would continue on without any change or disruption.

Sometimes, like my rings that are always on my finger even without my even thinking about it (because I never take them off), my marriage is a kind of unconscious thing–just there. Of late, though, it’s taken on a freshness. I’m not sure why. Each time I see John my heart just leaps. I am so in love with him. I have to fight the desire to be near him constantly–so we can both get our work done.

Even with having being together for nearly every moment of the holiday weekend I’m already feeling sad that tomorrow morning we both have to go to work and it’ll be hours before we are in each others’ arms again. I know it sounds silly, even juvenile, to adore someone so much. But I’m enjoying every minute of it….

🙂

last night I had the strangest dream…

Let myself sleep in this morning and dreamed much more lucidly than usual…

I was riding in a van with a friend who let me know that he was divorcing me (even though we weren’t married). But somehow this also meant that John was divorcing me.

Then we went to church. It was the old LDS Chapel where we held our wedding reception except moved to the location of our favorite public library.

I went to Sacrament Meeting but no one would let me sit down–even in the empty seats. Apparently they were all ‘saved’ for other people.

So I went outside and stood on the porch and realized that a huge tsunami-like wave had flooded the area all around the chapel. I was shocked and scared. But when I tried to raise an alarm to other attendees, they said it happened all the time and not to worry.

As the water receded from the lawn in front I saw that it was covered with small birds’ nests. I was told that the birds were chickens and that I needed to gather their eggs into my basket (yes, apparently I had been carrying a basket all along).

As I gathered the eggs I realized that the birds were really sparrows and not chickens. Each nest had two live chicks and several eggs. I gathered a basketful of delicate spotted eggs.

Then I woke up and called for John.

He reassured me that he wasn’t seeking a divorce. Folded me in his arms and listened to my retelling of the dream. Then we mused on the possible symbols and meanings.

Then I got up and started my day.

pilgrimgirl classic: sour

A reprint from 2/14/2006

Note to self: next time John gets you your favorite super-sour gummies for Valentine’s Day Eve, squeal when he presents them to you. 🙂

However, do not proceed to eat said gummies while wearing a low-cut top and reading scholarly journal articles because sour gummy powder will then accumulate in your, um, cleavage while you are concentrating on the arguments of the very stimulating writings of 19th-century historians.

And then you’ll wake up in the middle of the night w/ cleavage sore and burning from said powder and you’ll have to teach the next day while trying to ignore that you want very much to scratch that particularly irritated area….

all dressed up…


Here’s how John and I ended up looking at JourneyGal’s Halloween bash last night. I never found any vampire teeth so I went as a goth gypsy. 🙂 And I should, of course, mention that this is one of the very few times you’ll see me in make-up. I typically only wear it for Halloween and I only dress up every few years. It’s always such a surprise to see myself with dark smudges at my eyes and with red-stained lips.

John, a priest, won the costume contest along with a friend who dressed as a pregnant nun. Very cute photo op with the two of them together! GameBoy dressed as a ninja and CatGirl was a cat (no surprise there!).

Sam took this pic–his awesome camera made me green with envy even under all that makeup….

memories


sexy pirate boy, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (or in other words, about 18 years ago) there was a Halloween party on Oct 14th. And this cute pirate danced with a girl dressed as a reindeer. And the song was Alphaville’s “Forever Young.”

So I don’t know if John will be dressing as a pirate again this year, but he’ll always be my pirate.

celebration


wedding day, 1992, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Soon we will be leaving for another anniversary adventure together. It’s a big one (15 years married!) so we set our sights high and are going cross-country. And I can’t wait! Traveling together with John is just SO FUN! He knows how to find the best food, the funkiest bookshops (with kitties!), and the most charming streets. Best of all, we will be encountering all of this together. (Oh, and we will be hanging out with some of you, our loyal friends and readers, along the way–woohoo!)

I came across this Yeats poem today and it touched me–I especially love the lines that read:
“But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.”

I’m so grateful that John continues to love this pilgrim soul of mine, and that I continue to delight and revel in his as well. 🙂

halfway today


he kissed me in the morning light…, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Today marks the anniversary of our marriage. It also marks the fact that we’ve been with each other for half of our lives…18 years ago in a muggy SoCal fall, John and I met and started this journey together.

John woke me up this morning with breakfast in bed: a thick slice of homemade bread (love the breadmaker with a timer so the bread is piping hot when we wake up!) slathered with fresh butter and a latte just the way I like it.

Joy!