Tag Archives: marriage

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Out with the old, in with the why did we need new?

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As reported, I was gifted with kitchen appliances this Christmas.

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Though we didn’t need new…

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These perfectly functioning (not really) old machines are now destined for donation.

Though I’ve repeatedly (you’d think 38 years of repetition would be enough) told my husband appliances are not a desired gift, I receive them on a regular basis.

And because my spouse loves to buy overpriced gadgets that savvy saleswomen tell him will change our lives…. this year there was a deluxe Breville microwave with self closing door. ( That I keep slamming shut out of habit and will probably break.)

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I never cook in a microwave, just reheat… so this was a tad over the top.

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But won’t that shiny stainless steel interior be fun to keep clean?

🥴

And then?

There was the toaster to end all toasters.

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We be fancy now.

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Just another night….

31 Comments

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Our days of raucously ringing in the New Year are in the rear view mirror (as are the hangovers thank god)…. and more than likely, yours truly will be tucked into bed at midnight when 2023 comes sliding in.

No parties, no funny hats, no noise makers, no watching the ball drop.

Unless it’s this kind of ball and Lord Dudley is responsible.

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We’re going out for a nice meal and quiet drink (or two) this afternoon… then popcorn and a movie at home will round out the end of the year for us.

But however you choose to celebrate, here’s hoping you have a wonderful night and a happy, healthy New Year!

❤️

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Retirement boredom project update.

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The husband is still hard at work down in the basement.

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And has turned the proverbial as well as literal corner.

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Although safety is clearly not a high priority.

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Does our basement need a ceiling? No.

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But it’s certainly getting one.

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And a white one at that.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten? He seems baffled by the strange noises rising up through the heating vents and is keeping a close eye (ear?) on the progress.

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Do you pea?

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To pea or not to pea. That is today’s question.

Personally, I do not pea… but the husband is a huge fan so when hams are on sale for Christmas and I’m left with a bone, there’s only one thing he wants.

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Split pea soup. Which happens to be the easiest soup to make… so it’s hard to refuse even though I can’t stand the smell or taste.

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5 hours later ? A pot full of slop with the consistency of sludge as far as I’m concerned.

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But the husband is in leftover pea heaven, and hey… I have to throw him a bone now and then.

😉

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When you live in Maine…

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A few more chuckles from our recent power outage during the storm.

When you live in Maine, you own lobster cooking pots.

And when the power is out for a day and a half due to a monster winter storm, you use your fireplace for heat. This burns copious amounts of wood, which results in copious amounts of ash. And when you can’t find your old ash bucket?

You improvise.

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With a lobster pot.

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Which worked remarkably well.

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Though I probably should have dug a little deeper in the closet for the larger one.

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And speaking of improvising…

The wire mesh curtain that slides across our fireplace is a wonderful thing. It keeps sparks and small pieces of wood from jumping out and burning down our house. In other words, it’s important.

Ours has always been temperamental and must be slid with care, something my husband naturally ignored. He tugged and pulled and ripped all day which resulted in half of the metal strip that holds the curtain in place to come crashing down.

His solution?

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I think you know me well enough to realize this will not be tolerated for long.

🤣

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Because you knew it had to happen.

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I was told in no uncertain terms not to string lighted garland in the man cave or bedeck it’s sacred male space with red Christmas bows… so I didn’t.

But I wasn’t told anything about wreaths.

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Or Santas and stars.

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Or pinecone reindeer with shiny ornaments hanging from their antlers.

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Or festive bar placemats.

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Or winterberry trees with bundled up birdies.

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Or glass jars of sparklies with mini glitter trees.

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And speaking of trees…

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I wasn’t prohibited from those either.

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Silly man. He really should learn to be more specific.

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Warning! Huntington Gorge….

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On one of our random scenic drives around Vermont we stopped at a diner for lunch. Wondering if there were any points of interest nearby, we asked the locals who promptly sent us to Huntington Gorge.

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At first glance it didn’t look promising.

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And to be honest, the second and third glances weren’t any better.

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Everywhere we looked there were warnings.

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And while I’m not normally obtuse, I was beginning to get the feeling we weren’t wanted.

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So of course… after all the Danger Will Robinson! signs?

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My mountain goat husband had to investigate.

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Right at the very edge they warned us about.

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Please note yours truly listened to robot and was well out of danger range.

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Yeah. That limb will hold you honey, no problem.

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Needless to say he survived. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

😉

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When you have a man cave instead of a workshop.

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The last vintage beer crate we found had one issue…

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Wooden bottle separators that would have to be removed in order to house my vinyl. This was not simply a matter of pulling and popping them out. They were old, warped, and not in any hurry to go.

Ergo… it required tools.

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And since my husband turned his barn and workshop into a man cave …. this meant doing surgery in the living room.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten did not approve.

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After the first twenty minutes the husband was grumbling.

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After the second twenty minutes he was sputtering.

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But when the clock struck a solid hour of remodeling?

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One empty crate ready for part of my record collection.

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Although judging from the price of an old can of that beer … I think I’d rather have it filled with those.

😳

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How did we ever do it?

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The husband asked me to find an old picture from his Marine Corps days last week.

You know, the one from the Pleistocene Era before digital photography… when you bought film, loaded it into a camera, took 24 pictures, unloaded the film, drove the film to a processor, waited a week to find out if any of your pictures turned out well and put the ones that did in a photo album.

As you’ve probably realized from my photo heavy blogs, I take a lot of pictures. Granted I took less then than I do now thanks to that glorious little delete button… but even back in the day I took a lot. So when the husband asked me to find that one special photo?

It would not be an understatement to say I was less than thrilled.

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Our house is positively stuffed with photo albums. They’re in the cupboards….

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On the corner of desks..

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In the drawers….

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And yes, stacked on the floor.

I combed through 72 photo albums before I cried Uncle and told him if he needed it that badly he could search the rest himself.

I think you know how that turned out.

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Let’s play.

40 Comments

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You’ll like this one.

You get to tell me what to do…

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Advice. Everyone seems to have it, but no one seems to want it.

My late father always used to tell me not to take any wooden nickels, which seems ridiculous these days… but I suppose you could substitute ‘cryptocurrency’ for ‘nickel’ and call it good.

While I make a habit of never offering unsolicited advice, being happily married for 38 years people often ask for our secret and want advice on staying together.

Love, respect, and understanding. All important, but I usually default back to compromise and choosing carefully. Chemical attraction and lust fade, trust me on this. If you don’t have anything deeper to hold you together you won’t be searching for the traditional 40th anniversary gift. ( Ruby! Let’s hear it for hanging in there.)

I constantly hear people say you have to have things in common with your spouse to cement a relationship, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth for us… we’re very different people. But we find common ground in the type of life we want to lead and where we want to live it. That trumps his preference for television over my love of reading any day, even if it means a John Wayne marathon now and then.

My husband and I met and were married 6 days later. Guess I chose correctly. ❣️

Your turn. Give me some advice…

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