Ya'll come on in and sit back and relax

My friend Jean is one of the most precious gifts that my husband Terry ever gave me. Terry's close relationship with Watts, while they were students at OSU, was the catalyst that brought us all together after marriage -- and what a wonderful relationship it is.

I have three great memories for Cooking with Jean.

1) When Watts and Jean still lived in Athens, they invited our family to a birthday party for their dog Brownie. Of course we brought our dog Yoshi, who was the older gentleman of the doggie set. All afternoon when the young pups would start rough-housing, Yoshi would get right in the middle of the activity and start barking. His barking sent the younger dogs off to opposing corners of the yard where they stood for several minutes with their heads cocked quizzically as if wondering why they had been banished. After several minutes the games would begin again. This activity filled the afternoon until Jean brought out the doggie cake, which happened to be a couple of pounds of dog food that she had artfully molded in a bone shape. Thankfully there was wonderful people food too.

2) When Watts and Jean left Athens for Michigan, they made a stop at our house for a couple of days before heading north. I remember how very tired they were when they arrived in Atlanta about 10:00 in the evening. As they came through the door, I think we gave them a drink and set them down to lemon pasta, salad and warm bread. It was the beginning of a wonderful weekend of fun, laughs and relaxing recovery. We spent most of the weekend lounging in our pajamas and shorts, reading, drinking, and eating, as Jean and Watts worked up the energy to hit the road to Michigan.
That was also the weekend we discovered that our younger son had drunk our liquor and refilled the bottles with water, all because Watts' gin and tonic had no punch, just a little tonic and lime flavor.

3) This past summer Terry and I visited Watts and Jean for 4-5 days of the loveliest vacation we have had in a long time. Watts had planned a Tom Sawyer adventure for Terry in cleaning and whitewashing the fence. While they worked outside, I enjoyed having Jean's big kitchen to cook in. I made loads of chicken peanut stew, and beef stroganoff to put in the freezer. I think the Rozells are probably still trying to empty the freezer of my over-zealous cooking spree.

Throughout these simple little adventures with Watts and Jean, the most wonderful and enduring bond is the relaxed friendship that we share. Jean has always embodied such peacefulness, even in the middle of illness, chaos, and moving. We have spent hours laughing over the similarities in our husbands, whom I have lovingly dubbed the Oklahoma Clones. We have giggled and fretted over our children and the choices they make in their lives. Jean with her wealth of knowledge always has the right perspective on the situation and is always correct in the outcome. My life has been truly blessed to have such great friends to love and to share with as we go through all the mountains and valleys that stand in the paths we walk.

Keep joyfully walking, my friends,
Love---Sylvia