Each week, when I head Over the Blues to go to work early, early, EARLY Monday morning, Teri packs me a nice care package. This "lunch," packed into an old "Little Playmate" cooler, sometimes with incredible precision to use every atom of space, often is enough to get me through several days, even though I like to eat five times a day. This evening I was in for surprise. And it was more than just the typical note she cleverly hides in the care package. Tonight, having already consumed several snacks at work, having already tackled the apple, carrots and cheese sandwich, I opened the cooler at supper time only to discover, wrapped in tin foil, an absolutely gorgeous, beauty contest winning piece of apple pie.
What a way to cap a great Monday. My baby spoils me rotten, and I love every minute of it.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Snowing Hard and Continuously
The wind blew last night enough at the beach condo to turn shingles into missiles. Fortunately, the place is new and the shingles are nailed down well.
Part of our Monday morning tradition, besides getting up at 4:30 a.m., is to take a quick peek at the Oregon Department of Transportation Trip Check. One thing I expected, despite its being 45 degrees down in the banana belt and raining lightly, that it would be snowing hard and continuously at the Interstate 84 Meacham crossing of the Blue Mountains. The mountain range is a storm catcher that snags storm coming off the Pacific Ocean and squeezes as much moisture out of them as it possibly can.
Up top, the visibility on drives like this morning's declines. A driver has to watch out especially for other traffic, what we like to call "flakes." The windshield wipers work overtime, as does the defroster. There are no atheists on the road.
I was thankful this morning that the snowplows were out in force trying to clear the worst of the rapidly falling snow from the road. I was also thankful when I finally descended below the snow line in the Grande Ronde River valley west of La Grande.
It was nice to have another successful trip over the Blues in the Prius snow leopard with the best snow tires ever in my rear view mirror. Life is a daring adventure or nothing, Helen Keller said. This is all part of our daily adventure, and for the opportunity to spend weekends with my Sweetie, no matter how challenging the driving conditions, I am extremely thankful.
Part of our Monday morning tradition, besides getting up at 4:30 a.m., is to take a quick peek at the Oregon Department of Transportation Trip Check. One thing I expected, despite its being 45 degrees down in the banana belt and raining lightly, that it would be snowing hard and continuously at the Interstate 84 Meacham crossing of the Blue Mountains. The mountain range is a storm catcher that snags storm coming off the Pacific Ocean and squeezes as much moisture out of them as it possibly can.
Up top, the visibility on drives like this morning's declines. A driver has to watch out especially for other traffic, what we like to call "flakes." The windshield wipers work overtime, as does the defroster. There are no atheists on the road.
I was thankful this morning that the snowplows were out in force trying to clear the worst of the rapidly falling snow from the road. I was also thankful when I finally descended below the snow line in the Grande Ronde River valley west of La Grande.
It was nice to have another successful trip over the Blues in the Prius snow leopard with the best snow tires ever in my rear view mirror. Life is a daring adventure or nothing, Helen Keller said. This is all part of our daily adventure, and for the opportunity to spend weekends with my Sweetie, no matter how challenging the driving conditions, I am extremely thankful.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Quality, not Quantity
Sometimes I read about couples married 30, 40, 50 years or more. The odds of Teri and I celebrating our 50th anniversary are about 1 in 100,000. We'd both be 104 years old, with more wrinkles than a shar pei.
That's fine. Our marriage is about quality, not quantity. Yet we want to make good choices with exercise, diet and social life most of the time. We can add 10 years to our life just by limiting the times we get angry and not bingeing on food or sugar drinks. We can add 10 years of quality living by lifting weights and doing aerobics, even if that is something as simple as going for the occasional after-dinner walk.
I want to share a lot of years with Teri, see where this adventure takes us. Life is either a daring adventure of nothing, Helen Keller said. We want to make it adventure today, this week, this month, this year and for the rest of our lives.
That's fine. Our marriage is about quality, not quantity. Yet we want to make good choices with exercise, diet and social life most of the time. We can add 10 years to our life just by limiting the times we get angry and not bingeing on food or sugar drinks. We can add 10 years of quality living by lifting weights and doing aerobics, even if that is something as simple as going for the occasional after-dinner walk.
I want to share a lot of years with Teri, see where this adventure takes us. Life is either a daring adventure of nothing, Helen Keller said. We want to make it adventure today, this week, this month, this year and for the rest of our lives.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Key Bowl
One critical element in a successful marriage is the key bowl. Yes, you heard right. The key bowl is where you put your keys when you get home from work, and wallet, bills to be paid, outgoing mail and whatever else is important to deal with right away. It's a great organizational tool, and a nice work of art besides.
Today, while spending a wedding gift card at Target, I found a really nice rubber wood key bowl. It cost only $10, and will pay for itself right away in keeping things organized and helping get bills paid on time.
Sure, key bowls aren't for everyone. Some people like chaos, disorganization, clutter, searching frantically for important papers. Some people also thrive on crisis. They like daily drama.
I am not one of those people. I love the key bowl and think it deserves a prominent place in every home.
Today, while spending a wedding gift card at Target, I found a really nice rubber wood key bowl. It cost only $10, and will pay for itself right away in keeping things organized and helping get bills paid on time.
Sure, key bowls aren't for everyone. Some people like chaos, disorganization, clutter, searching frantically for important papers. Some people also thrive on crisis. They like daily drama.
I am not one of those people. I love the key bowl and think it deserves a prominent place in every home.
Shake it up, Baby
Marriage comes down to hundreds of tiny details. They include shaking up the soy milk before pouring. If I've told you once I've told you one thousand times .... I'm a slow learner. Once I incorporate a habit into my repertoire, however, it is there to stay. If something is important to one person in the couple, it becomes important to both people. And little details, like always changing the toilet paper roll and putting it on so it dispenses in the proper manner, can add in a big way to quality of life. We get enough aggravations in our jobs and in our commutes. We need to make our home life, or in our Living Apart Together relationship our homes life, as seamless as possible. Yes, Dear, I'm learning to shake up the soy milk before pouring. It might take 10 years — but I'm learning.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Black Ice
Wreck ahead, the signs warned. It was the middle of the afternoon on a Friday in late January. The freeway was supposedly in great condition. I crept along in the Prius, my 43 miles per gallon miracle car, in the Grande Ronde River canyon, just west of La Grande. A series of flares warned of trouble ahead. An Oregon Department of Transportation snowplow truck was in the other lane, spreading deicer. Ahead I saw the SUV. It had crossed the bridge on a curve and then rolled. Perhaps it was going too fast. Maybe it hit ice. Probably it hit the invisible black ice. Whatever, it made me thank my lucky stars for being so fortunate as to drive through this mountain ravine time after time without incident. This time of year in this deep mountain canyon shaded areas predominate. Ice lingers. Day after frozen day.
Over the Blues is not just a cute name. In winter it is serious business getting over this mountain range in Northeast Oregon to see each other. We drive as carefully as we can through all sorts of weather to be together as a couple. That is one of the prices to be paid with a Living Apart Together, or LAT, relationship. It is a price, however, that pays rich dividends when I consider my best friend is waiting at the other end of the drive. We want to spend many years together. We want to be careful. Someday the drive won't be necessary. It's a great adventure.
Over the Blues is not just a cute name. In winter it is serious business getting over this mountain range in Northeast Oregon to see each other. We drive as carefully as we can through all sorts of weather to be together as a couple. That is one of the prices to be paid with a Living Apart Together, or LAT, relationship. It is a price, however, that pays rich dividends when I consider my best friend is waiting at the other end of the drive. We want to spend many years together. We want to be careful. Someday the drive won't be necessary. It's a great adventure.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Taking out the Trash
The five love languages are affirmations, quality time, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Acts of service can be anything from washing dishes to taking out the trash and changing the roll on the toilet paper holder. Or it could mean folding clothes or drying down the walls after taking a shower. None of these is a big deal. But put all together they are a big deal. They tell the other person that you believe love is in the details.
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