We were never the type of people to "mark dates" after someone's death. Neither of us would ever have said
"You know, if Grandma were still alive, she would be 103 today."
We didn't continue celebrating birthdays after someone died.
No Angel-versaries.
In fact...if it had not been brought to my attention...yesterday...like so many other December 15ths would have passed quietly unnoticed.
It was just an innocent question, The 15th was our anniversary, you see.
"How many years would it have been?" she asked.
(...I actually had to count...)
Yesterday would have been our 25th (Silver) Anniversary.
We had never made plans for anything beyond our 20th...and missed that by 2 years.
Still, we packed more love...adventures and life into those 18 years than most people do in a lifetime. We faced and over came trials and adversities...many of which would destroy lesser marriages. And we stayed together until death.
We had renewed our vows in August... and he died in December...just 9 days after our 18th Anniversary.
So...took a moment, late last night, to toast us...our lives together, and an amazing Adventure.
Oh...and travelled to a link a friend of mine sent...promising the new Star Wars Movie.
Failing to mention, of course...
Los Ultimos Jedi
... the entire audio was in Spanish...
No closed-captioning.
Laughing.
But I watched it...and enjoyed it...and understood a great deal of it...and could follow the rest contextually.
And as action packed and worked up as Star Wars characters get at times...Spanish is the PERFECT language for it!
LOL!
But I will review it after I catch the whole business in English!
LOVED these guys...though.
Porgs.
Something between an otter and a penguin...they (at times) stole the show. As well as being the bane of Chewbacca's existence.
Another great film this week...not en Espanol...was
Hangman
Starring Al Pacino as a retired homicide detective after a serial killer who uses the childhood game of Hangman as clues after his killings.
Somewhat predictable...think SEVEN...but very entertaining, nonetheless. Pacino is brilliant as the rumpled and jaded retired detective. He pulls off this look/demeanor exceedingly well!
Sometimes edge of your seat suspense.
Nice twist at the very end. Wait for it.
Well worth the time.
This week's read
A new novel by Richard Paul Evans.
I picked this up thinking it was probably just a fluff Christmas piece.
Be aware that the only thing vaguely Christmas about it is the Title, the shiny red and green cover,and the fact that the story events take place more or less at Christmas time.
Definitely NOT your typical Christmas Fluff.
A writer who has been estranged from his abusive neglectful mother for over 20 years...a walk-away father...death and attempting to find some form of forgiveness...closure. A young woman who was adopted as a baby into a harsh fundamentalist Christian home and searching for her long lost mother.
Evans knows how to tell a gut-wrenching story.
Excellently written and engaging.
Worth the read.
I've most everything ready for the upcoming holiday now...and finishing the fudge this weekend.
The third week of December reserved for downtime.
Started this a couple of years back...and it works really well!
Shel's version of Silent Night.
Shelby-Cat...now fully integrated into the household. Which to a cat...means running the show.
"Excuse me...I know you are reading...but I shall be requiring a LAP for the evening!"
She sleeps every night holding onto my arm with all four paws like I am her teddy bear...and manages to squeeze in the four inches between me and the back of the love-seat and stretch out for our daily afternoon nap.
She greets me at the door "talking" when I have been out during the day...knowing I always bring her back a treat.
And she charges the patio door when any dog or cat even dares cross the back common ground behind us...defending her territory...lo!
All and all...a great Flat-Mate!
Looped those antique cookie cutter with jute and finished out the tree.
And it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Lots of news this week, though.
Now it is time for "And Now What?"...although this week it should probably be called
We will start with the GOOD news, first...
Where this guy
won the Alabama Senate Seat over this guy
in a classic battle of good and evil that made Star Wars pale in comparison.
Most of the credit goes to POC and Millennials...and the rest of The Resistance.
The first Democrat elected in Alabama since 1992.
I would love to say it was a blow out...but horribly, it was not. Tens of thousands of Alabamians actually walked into their voting booths and...that's right...deliberately voted for a bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic, gun-toting, pedophile...instead of a Democrat.
Sure he showed up to his polling place on a horse.
"Little girls always LOVE ponies"
Just the idea that adult voters had to think about whether to vote for a decent man or a pedophile...makes me want to take a hot shower and scrub my skin raw...okay???
But good prevailed!
And we celebrated.
Score one more for The Big Blue Wave.
Of course, the jubilation was short lived as the Trump Administration immediately continued its assault on The Constitution,The American Citizens, and our Collective Intelligence this week.
And we THINK we've managed to locate Sarah Sander's (Trump's Mouthpiece) a NEW RIDE, and more efficient way of spreading her bullshit.
This week we have seen the Repeal of Net Neutrality by literally 5 people (two of which voted against it) while over 80% of all Americans petitioned for it to stay unchanged.
"No...please...we WANT you to slow down our Internet and choke content...and please CHARGE us more!!!" said no one ever.
We STILL have 60 days to fix this..and a Bill is being drafted righ now to that effect. To repeal...er...the repeal.
Yes, folks. THIS is how they spend our tax dollars.
And The Tax Bill...which they are getting FRANTIC about. Because their evil corporate overlords...er DONORS...have assured them if they don't get this particular abomination passed...well...their piggy-bank will be closed.
Broken.
Tossed away.
"Please, sir..."
And Trump and Company are STILL trying to find a way to get rid of Mueller...
(and how is that not obstruction???)
And if you are innocent...then WHY would you need to???
~sigh~
History will NOT be kind to this Administration.
There is one bright shining light in the midst of this debauchery. Should Congress actually pass The Tax Bill...giving gifts to all their Donors...and assuaging the worries of Millionaires and Billionaires throughout Corporate America...
...wait for it...
Then President Trump will be considered (at last) a LIABILITY and EXPENDABLE.
Watch and see.
Because I always try to end on a positive note...there is GOOD NEWS from the World Bank today...who announced at The One Planet Summit that it is Ending all financial support for Oil and Gas Extraction.
So there is THAT!
More anon!
Another Virtual Day Trip Soon...
