The Unexpected Return Of The Beard

My first full week without Darwin and I am still alive. This was highly questionable as I cannot cook, my main concern was not starving to death. While being powered mostly by salads, protein bars, and pre packaged sandwiches from Trader Joes, there were however two recipes from Darwin that I was determined to make. These two recipes we sometimes devour two times a week Chicken Pesto Quinoa and spaghetti. After unsuccessfully boiling eggs (what a disgusting outcome that was) I was a bit resistant to make an attempt at cooking. However more in effort to prove to Darwin that I can feed myself I gave both my all. I ended up making so much Quinoa I had enough for two dinners and a lunch. To my surprise it was somewhat easy to make. The spaghetti was a little more stressful. I was so worried that the turkey wasnt cooked all the way it ended up swimming in coconut oil and so well cooked it was crispy. Thanks to the sauce and other veggies included in this recipe this was a minor snafoo that was undetectable.

While Darwin has been observing Bison and taking in the beauty of the Grand Canyon my adventures have been less impressive. I have observed not peaceful herds of Bison but Bowie ripping apart a new toy in the most gruesome way. A long yellow stuffed dog with a teethy grin will stare eerily at me while Bowie rips his seams apart stitch by stitch revealing puffs of white cottoney innards. The innards are then thrown around our apartment while Bowie runs around shaking the non existent life out the yellow dog; His smile never-fading. This process has taken place the last two mornings. I am pretty sure Darwin will not see any thing this disturbing while out riding.

So the above writing what was only a piece of my original Snuggles Diary. I started the entry Sunday night and of course fell asleep on the couch not much later after stopping to talk to Darwin on the phone. He was having an extremely bad go of it on the AZT. After much discussion, he had decided to stick it out another week and if his knee was still painful he was going to call it quits.

Monday night close to the end of my shift at work, I got a text from him saying he was done and he couldn’t push it anymore. I called him asap and as soon as I heard the tone in his voice I knew it was decided. I got off work at 7pm grabbed a protein bar and Bowie and hit the road towards Flagstaff, AZ. Four and a half hours of singing out loud and booty dancing in my seat later, the bearded one was back in my arms.

We talked a bit before silent exhaustion took over and I started to fall asleep. We arrived at home at 5am and all three of us fell into bed. Darwin was still asleep right before I had to leave for work at 11am. The beard was little disheveled, he had a few scrapes and bruises that weren’t there before, and he still smelled of the outdoors but it was him. HOME.