It Never Fails


 
RichPB (richlife) said:
Just when I get my heart set on whatever it is I plan to fix for dinner, my wife fixes something for the two of us. Edit coming...
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Why I couldn't just continue the post, I don't know.🙄

Anyway, don't get me wrong -- Sheila doesn't like to cook, so when she does, I pay attention. Thing is, it usually means I still have to fix my own different thing than planned because she has two distinct health issues -- alpha-gal (red meat) allergy and some not-yet-properly-diagnosed (or perhaps like alpha-gal, incurable) digestive problem that limits her to a very bland diet. 😵‍💫 So while I appreciate what she's doing, spaghetti with almost no spice but the tomato sauce is not my thing. But I work with it and say, "Thank you." It's allowed me to become more inventive. 🤪

I love my wife. 😘 We've been married for 53 years. She didn't start this way, just evolved. It's not what either of us wants and we've learned to deal with it and still be able to share. 😌 I've offered to cook bland for her as well as to try new things, but though she was the one who originally taught me to extend my horizons, hers just seem to have become more limited. 😱. (On the serious side, I guess that's what happens when your system constantly rebels.)

So, yeah, it never fails -- time to get out the Italian sausage, the Ghost Pepper sauce, some dried red pepper, onions and garlic -- for one. 🤯
 
WOW 53 years, going on 42 for us.

Rich, I can understand where your wife is coming from. It has been some years now for me since I have been able to put meals on the table. The kitchen had always been my DOMAIN. It has been very hard for me to let go. When I am up to it, I do go into the kitchen once in awhile even if it is to help load the dishwasher. lol
 
I understand Rich aging isn't for the timid. I take enough pills in the morning I don't need breakfast... I'm full. From bad feet to A fib.
Barb and I share the cooking with her working part time at 76 (don't get me started) I prep everything so when she gets home, she can relax with a glass of wine and knowing that the meal is going to be done quickly. If Shes tired I do it all but 9 out of 10 times she wants to participate. We still have 5 grills (down from 12) and she can work them all as well as I can and she enjoys that.
We plan a menu out every week so there is no "What do want for dinner at 5pm" We don't have the issue you do and we both like the same things. That must hard to deal with especially for your wife.
Been sharing the load for 40 years ourselves.
 
Rich Dahl said:
I understand Rich aging isn't for the timid. ...That must hard to deal with especially for your wife.
Been sharing the load for 40 years ourselves.
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Yes, really hard -- especially for her. Alpha-gal has destroyed marriages. It changes or eliminates going out to eat and much of social life.

We were lucky to find each other. On our first date 1/3/1969 we both shared aloud the thought, "I can't believe it!". Three months later we married.

No one can know how fortunate I've been even though I have to remind myself sometimes. As Jimmy Buffett said, "Happily ever after -- now and then."
 
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Yeah fully get it. Wife can't won't eat salmon, allergic to pork, not a big fan of lamb. So it's catfish, Chilean Sea Bass, beef or chicken. That's about all I can cook for 2 of us to eat. Otherwise it's cooking 2 different meals and all the timing frustration that goes with it
 
LMichaels said:
Yeah fully get it. Wife can't won't eat salmon, allergic to pork, not a big fan of lamb. So it's catfish, Chilean Sea Bass, beef or chicken. That's about all I can cook for 2 of us to eat. Otherwise it's cooking 2 different meals and all the timing frustration that goes with it
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We're on a similar track. She is basically limited to a Vegan diet with a few exceptions (eggs, fowl, fish) and without the principals. But she doesn't like fish much. We've learned of emu (and ostrich) which are beef-like but expensive. Add FODMAPs (gut related) to the picture and you start eliminating many vegetables.

With all that, our options for sharing meals are rare. Our best options include occasionally enjoying some enlightened vegan/vegetarian restaurants which creatively use artificial substitutes for cheese and meat.
 
Sorry to hear Rich. Things do change as we get older. Even though my wife had childhood polio, she was a ball of fire when we were younger. She's pretty much stuck in her scooter now, with the exception of using a cane for a few steps around the house, but still has a good attitude and an appetite for almost any kind of food I cook.
 
I think your analogy is appropriate, Bob. Many of us face difficulties that develop in unanticipated ways. It's how we manage them that determines the course of our lives. Working together, we're capable of, maybe not the best lives we could have imagined, but wonderful and enjoyable times together.
 
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