My wife and I had a big fight one Sunday morning. The tension was so thick that the dogs (three) could not stand to be in our house and we let them out. Awhile later when things calmed down a bit and the dogs wanted to come back in the house. When Tilla approached the house, he turned on his back, tale wagging furiously: he wanted his bellied rubbed before he came back in the house. Then five feet closer he did the same thing, turned on his back, tale wagging furiously, again. I obeyed him and rubbed his belly again. He made me laugh and laugh with his behavior. I then realized he wanted me to “lighten up”. And this was his way of doing that. He likes to make me laugh.
Tags: dogs and humour, Tilla
Posted in animals, humor, marriage, pets |
Usually all my three black animals (two dogs and one cat) sack out with me. My cat Cool Hand Luke is the only cat to follow me into my bedroom.(I have seven). I have owned her for over fourteen years. She is Pre L., my other. She settles in the bed depending where Tilla positions himself on my left side by my head. She often lays in the upper left of the corner a few feet from my head. Sometimes she will lie down by my right armpit and purr loudly when I reach out to her. Coco, Tilla’s sister, has her spot on the left side of the bed laying on a thin cushion topped by a pillow and torn ruffled bunched up woolen blanket. That is the typical routine the three animals follow. They are at wits end the time or two during the year I may be away. They will mill around the bed not knowing what to do when the evening comes and my wife goes to bed.
Tags: Coco and Cooh hand Luke nightly routine, The Three black animal's bedtime, Tilla
Posted in animals, marriage, pets, The black animals nightly routine |
I am going to vanquish my winter blues. It is too much self–indulgence. My pets love me (and my wife). And that is enough. My favorite dog, Tilla, ‘adores’ me, in the words of my daughter. I did nothing to deserve all that. And that is an incomplete list of the seven cats and two dogs who each love me in their own way. My pets do not care what I do or am. And my wife does not care about the degree I do not have, or job for that matter.
Tags: cats, depression, dogs, my daughter, pets, the love of my wife, Tilla, vanquish Winter blues, winter blues
Posted in animals, balance, children, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, pets, relationships, seasons, wisdom |
Only by grace both of us are passionate about listening to music. I share the best music I know and come across with her. And that is a gift being able to do that. In the beginning I opened a whole lot of worlds to her: British music and other kinds. I never forget the emotional impact of any piece of music. And I share that music with her easily. And that is only by grace.
Tags: British music, emotional impact of music, God, music, my wife, only by grace, share music
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, local, love, marriage, music, time |
In the beginning of our marriage every morning I would play this Nicole Nordeman CD. She asked me to play the music today and memories came flooding back. Everything was new between us then. I like to say we are an old married couple but we are not–twelve years I think. Every day is still another discovery. I know she is a gift and only here by serendipity. The music reminded me of that fact.
Tags: everything was new then, God, marriage, married couple, memories, music, my wife, Nicole Nordeman, serendipity, she is a gift
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, local, love, marriage, music, time |
It is a gift we have an activity we both enjoy regularly. We have a fierce Scrabble Rivalry. And sometimes I win. And sometimes she wins. Neither of us get bored for each game is different. We play almost every night. I don’t take that activity for granted. It is a gift to both of us. I am amazed the inventor of Scrabble thought out this game so well. It is always challenging. A lot of our games go down to the last move or two. Lopsided scores happen less frequently.
Tags: activity we both enjoy, each game is different, my wife, Scrabble, scrabble rivalry
Posted in God, local, marriage, time |
I appreciated my home better after I was gone a week. All my music at my fingertips. My wife, of course. And all my pets–all seven cats and three dogs. Now I am usually in charge of meals. There is nothing like being gone and back and realizing all your amenities are near by. Now I made my own coffee and drank out of my special cup. My coffee now tasted like I remembered it to. I did not have to listen to too many lectures when I did something wrong. My friend was a bit opinionated and overbearing, which is not to say my wife can’t be–she can. All in all I was glad to be home and grateful I had one to return to.
Tags: appreciated my home, cats, dogs, four dogs, glad to be home, God, grateful, music, my old friend, my own coffee, my wife, pets, seven cats, vacation
Posted in God, life, local, love, marriage, music, pets, time |
I want to give my wife a big “Thank You.” She got me a good piece of luggage made by Samsonite. You have no idea how much easier it was navigating to my proper gate in the airports. In Dulles Airport going to the next terminal was nerve wracking. My shuttle was not even moving and the clock in front said my plane was boarding already. Finally I was in the right terminal and then I found out my gate was all the way on the other end. Being able to easily navigate my luggage made my “quick walk” to the gate easier. Needless to say I made my flight but barely. I even discovered on my return flight I could also put my day bag on top of it making my journey easier. This trip to New Orleans was the first time I used it. My baggage rolled easily. A big thank you.
Tags: airport terminals, airports, luggage, my wife, New Orleans, Samsonite luggage, thank-you, vacation
Posted in marriage, time |
Vacations always end. Today Chuck and I will go on that fishing trip we talked about for, at least, a year. Unless, it is cancelled, again. We were supposed to go fishing on Lake Pontchartrain on Wednesday but the waves were too choppy and the bottom of the lake was stirred up.
The fishing would have been lousy that day. This is my last chance this visit to go fishing. I have never caught a fish that weighed several pounds. I might catch a speckled trout or if I am lucky a redfish that weighs even more. Chuck has never fished in this area.
Maybe, next year we will go camping again. We will see. In any case it was fun and I am looking forward now to flying home and sleeping in the same bed with my wife and seeing all my critters (I especially miss Tilla, my favorite dog) and being in familiar surrounding. It was nice to go away but thank God I have a place to go home to. And a wife to return to. This is the longest we been apart–one week.
Tags: a place to go home to, camping, childhood friend, Chuck, dogs, fishing trip, God, Lake Pontchartrain, my wife, New Orleans, pets, redfish, speckled trout, thank God, Tilla, vacation
Posted in God, knowledge&learning, life, love, marriage, nature, pets, time, wisdom |
What do I know for certainty? My wife loves me. So does my favorite dog–Tilla. Probably Coco, his sister. Maybe, that needs to be enough. Two dogs and my wife. Maybe, that should be sufficient. Let me bask in that love. I did nothing to earn that. Of course, I did not mention Jesus. He loves me, too. I don’t know why you can feel so separated and so alone sometimes?
Tags: Coco, dogs, feeling separated and alone, God, Jesus, love, pets, the love of my dogs, the love of my wife, Tilla
Posted in animals, God, life, marriage, pets, relationships, wisdom |
I play “DJ” all day for my wife. Sometimes she gets tired of the music and ask me to “pipe” it in my den or lower it or turn it off if the music is getting on her nerves. That is a gift to me that her taste in my music is eclectic so I can play almost anything any time. I was not as free to play my music with my first wife. I often had to wait until she was out of the house to play some of my music. Her tastes in music were not as varied as my current wife.
Tags: music, my first wife's taste in music, my wife, my wife's taste in music is eclectic, play "DJ", playing music all day
Posted in local, marriage, music, relationships |
Tilla, one of my dogs–my favorite, has a new routine (as well as Coco). At bedtime, Tilla jumps on my bed and waits for me to get there. He does not like to share his private time with my wife. I go to bed first and read awhile. He has learned to give me space on our king-sized bed so I can get under the sheets completely. When my wife makes it to bed, he simply jumps off. Often when I awake his sister Coco is lying right next to me. By that time my wife is no longer sleeping in the bed. And Tilla is still lying on the Lazy Boy in my den where he usually spends the night.
Tags: bedtime, Coco, dogs, my pets' nightly routine, my wife, pets, Tilla
Posted in local, marriage, pets, relationships |
