Tilikum Dies in Captivity, Hyacinths and Orchids, Turmeric Tea, and Falafel Cravings

Tilikum. He lived and died in captivity.

My husband bought a new orchid for our home altar

Glass forcing jars with red hyacinth bulbs

Turmeric chai latte was on the menu all weekend

I pulled the hyacinth bulbs out of the downstairs fridge this weekend. They’ve been in there since September 30, and are ready to force. So, I grabbed all the glass forcing jars and got them started. In about 3 or 4 weeks, they should all be in bloom. I picked a red variety this year. All the bulbs look happy, and each one is showing signs of life. I’d say a mid-February riot of indoor blooming hyacinths is a good thing.

Just before the snowstorm hit us Saturday, my husband made a run for wood for the stove. He came back with wood and a gorgeous pink Phalaenopsis. It’s uncanny how he and I operate on the same mental frequency. I had been thinking that our home altar needed an orchid, and I was visualizing a pink once. And there it was. He’s an amazing soulmate.

I was in a falafel mood this weekend. It’s been a while since I made falafel, but a sandwich of those crisp, spicy, vegan balls of goodness, topped with cucumbers and fresh vegan tzatziki, was calling my name. Lunch today is another falafel sammich with tzatziki and cukes.

We also roasted turnips, carrots, onion, and garlic and just hogged them as is. We’re doing the root veggie thing a lot this winter. Again, I kept a kettle of hot tea going all weekend. This time, it was turmeric chai latte. Completely warming, soothing tea. Just right for a snowy day at home.

Tilikum has died at SeaWorld. A drug-resistant bacterial lung infection ended his life. For 33 years, he for all purposes lived in a bathtub, performing idiotic stunts ("killer whale entertainment") for stupid, cruel people under the control of an entity whose only interest is and will ever be financial gain. 

At age 2, Tilikum was torn from his mother in the wild, and taken into captivity. Tilikum the baby went from shock and fear to frustration, and inevitably, to adult psychosis, as any intelligent, emotional being would. His life was a torment. His death was a release. 

Please, don’t ever give SeaWorld a nickel of your money.

Live in peace.