I was in Mexico a couple weeks ago, Izzy and I tagging along with Lou as Dinosaur Jr played at Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky Festival. I decided while there that Izzy and I should take advantage of what was available to us via the event and signed us up to “swim with the dolphins”. Dolphins are beautiful, Izzy was excited, I was excited. Our friend Amy (works on Dino Management team) joined us. I tend to enter things like this from a fairly naive angle, I assumed I was literally going to be swimming and playing with dolphins.
Once we had our life jackets on, we were instructed to stand together and pose for pictures before descending steps into the dolphin pool. I still didn’t quite understand that I was entering more of photo shoot and less of a “swim”.
We paid for a half hour with the dolphins. It was a tightly orchestrated visit that mostly involved us moving in very specific ways to get a good pic with the dolphin. Listen, our dolphin (sadly I can’t remember his name-let’s call him Buddy), was adorable, sweet and extremely smart. Buddy was incredible at following directions, and there were so many many directions. He was often rewarded with fish and I think the dolphins are well cared for and live long lives. It’s a dolphin sanctuary. Hence, they gotta raise funds to keep these “Buddies” safe and happy. Hence, the photo shoot and then you buy pictures.. yea, yea you all probably know the drill. This was my first dolphin swim/photoshoot. Would I do it again? Maybe not, but Izzy loved posing with Buddy, so yay, memories!
I mean, this pic is kinda amazing right? Look how cute!
Why am I sharing all about my dolphin date? Well, during one of the more exciting times on the dolphin date I ended up getting a facefull of water that started to irritate my left eye. Wearing my multifocal contact lenses (something I usually only wear when podcasting) mixed with the face splash set in motion a rather unfortunate week for me and my eyeball.
Izzy and Amy came out just fine from our swim date, so I think this is more of a “me” problem. Not Buddy’s fault. He’s just living and doing his dolphin best! If you are interested in a post just about the festival and what that was like, let me know! (hint-it’s awesome)
Anyhoo. The next day we flew home and I kept touching my left eye. It was feeling tender. I thought it was a stye. I was waiting to board our plane and my mind was doing the mom math. Getting a stye made sense. I’m tired. I ran around a lot. I had social anxiety. I was in the sun a lot. I was worrying a lot.
I’d never been to Mexico before, it was so beautiful. Stunning. I kept thinking, just shut your brain up Adelle and focus on this. Be grateful. You are in literal paradise. And I really did have beautiful times. Really lovely times. I loved being there. I love beaches, lounging, watching Izzy make sand castles, wonderful conversations, etc. Listen, I’d go back in a heartbeat. But you know, life in the world keeps happening even when you go to paradise. I’m also a person who ruminates, worry sinks into my bones. Renee Good was murdered in my hometown right before I jetted into the sunshine.
I started to wonder if something more was wrong with me. We got back late on a Monday night, Tuesday I woke up with my eye like this (see pic). I already had my first colonoscopy scheduled long ago for Friday that week. So I was starting the “diet” required before the procedure. What timing. Sheesh. I felt unusually tired and took a two hour nap, something I never do. Woke up hot. Put compresses on my eye. Tried to be chill. “Gee, this stye is really telling me who’s boss!”
“IT” started to move beyond the eyelid region. Had almost no energy. In bed.
Can you see it starting to surround my eye? Now my cheek and below the eye were painful and puffy.. In bed, doom scrolling Minneapolis, barely eating because I’m prepping for a colonoscopy. Couldn’t podcast. Couldn’t do anything but be in bed. Decided I need to see a doctor.
Cellulitis. Not a stye. Wish it had been a stye (something I can’t believe I just wrote). I’ll let you do the googling. My doctor wanted to get me on a heavy round of antibiotics (4 pills a day for 7 days) to make sure the infection didn’t spread to my brain. MY BRAIN. Turns out you can still go ahead with your colonoscopy while juggling cellulitis. Yay.
oh hi. That’s me and my fucked up eye going to get my colon checked. I had two polyps removed during the “procedure”. Let’s fucking hope they are nothing to worry about. The doctors didn’t seem concerned.
Lord almighty.
After my colonoscopy and a few days on my antibiotics the eye started to chill. Thank god. I was soooooo hungry. So I made a chili. Remember that pic at the beginning of this post? Yea, we’ve finally arrived!
Adelle’s White Bean Creamy Chicken Chili (that she made up as she went along)
What’s in it?
a whole bunch of skin on chicken thighs (close to 3lbs)
red onion, celery and carrot
a whole bunch of garlic cloves
4 cans of Cannellini beans (I think any white bean would work, probs)
1 small can of fire roasted diced green chiles
1 jar of Salsa Verde
1 package of cream cheese that sat out to get to room temp
chicken stock and small box of chicken bone broth
a bunch of little cherry tomatoes that needed to be used up
salt and pepper
paprika, ground coriander, cumin and oregano (1 teaspoon each)
I piled all the chicken into a glass casserole baking dish and seasoned them up both sides with olive oil, salt & pepper. I cooked them in a 420 degree oven, uncovered. I checked them at 30 minutes and they looked good but I just felt like they needed a wee bit more time. My heart told me that. Follow your heart. I think I took them out ten minutes later. I let them chill out for a minute in the dish, in their juices, on top of the stove. Then I took the chicken and placed it on a platter so it could cool down enough for me to rip the skin off and tear up the chicken into yummy bite size pieces. Lou actually ate almost all the chicken skin, so no waste!
I made the chili in my favorite big red cast iron pot. It’s like an imitation Le Creuset.
It was a couple ribs of celery, some carrot stalks and one red onion that I chopped up and sauteed in my pot. Of course there was olive oil involved. I like to cook things on medium to low otherwise it all cooks too fast and I’m mad at myself for burning and wasting food. I chop up the garlic and add it right before pouring in the stock. I don’t like to cook the garlic too long before adding stock otherwise I find that also gets burned. Once the veggies are browned (but not burned) to my liking I start dumping in all the other ingredients. The shredded chicken, stock, beans, salsa, little tomatoes. I let everything simmer on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally. I don’t add the cream cheese until the very end when I’ve turned off the heat. I cut up the cream cheese block, that’s come to room temp, into little cubes that I drop in to the soup, whisking them as I go to incorporate. I haven’t had the dreaded “curdle” when adding the cream cheese. Thank goodness!
I love a creamy soup. I love creamy chicken white bean chili/soup. I like to add avocado on sourdough to go with. So good, comforting and cozy.
I know right now things feel really scary in the world. I wish I could say, it’s all going to be ok and not to worry. Just make my soup recipe and don’t worry.
But I’m not in a place to do that. I’m from the Twin Cities, my Dad’s whole family is still there in Northeast Minneapolis, my brother and his family, so many of my dearest friends. I have friends who are putting their lives at risk right now to help others. I am praying for their safety and the people they are protecting (as best they can) every day. I’m extremely worried and scared. If you are feeling rocked and upside down, you are not alone. I get it. I feel it too.
I am giving money when I can. I am checking on my loved ones. I am remembering that I still need to be a good mom and community member where I live now. I am hugging my husband and holding him. I am hoping. I am hurting.
I know you are too. So. okay, maybe make the soup (it’s good). Get your colonoscopy and take a picture with Buddy the dolphin even if you end up with a fucked up eye for a few days. Life is so precious and everything can change in an instant. Be a loving person in the world, it hurts no one.
and with that.
goodnight and good love to you all.
-Adelle
Where to start? click this.
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