Valentines Day and our Anniversary usually arrive during the same week, as they are only 6 days apart; I was expecting a wonderful gift for putting up with Grumpy for 43 years.
And I was not surprised when he arrived home with not one, but two boxes of chocolates. I was delighted he was so thoughtful.
But wait, before I could open either box, Grumpy was clear to let me know which ones were his favorites and I was not to touch those he chose for himself.
What kind of gift is this? Then I thought, since we both celebrate the same anniversary and Valentine’s Day every year, I can see why he bought two boxes and why he was adamant about his favorites. I relented and allowed him to check the box for the ones he selected as his favorites.
The boxes remained in the kitchen waiting to be eaten one chocolate at a time, and I delicately stayed away from his favorites. After all, he has been a great partner in crime around the house, raising kids, making messes, cooking, working hard on the farm and after 43 years, he’s still smiling.
His mother, after we met for the first time, suggested I would be gone from his life after the first winter in the Ozarks; she thought since I was from sunny California, the weather would be too harsh for my sunny disposition. The first Christmas we spent visiting her and his dad, the snow was high, the weather was cold, and I slipped on the ice getting to the mailbox. I took some of the most wonderful photos of the farm at the time and still have them in one of our albums. Today, the weather reminds me of the same time back 43 years ago.
With me traveling across the country, Grumpy was the most understanding partner anybody could ask for; leaving him to care for the house, the kids and the farm while I stayed at plush hotels and ate at great restaurants gave me a sense of guilt once in a while, not lasting too long as I was suffering from carrying luggage, computers, phone and sample cases with me on every trip. It worked for us then even though I never learned to cook.
I know how to organize and office, how to create marketing presentations, how to locate possible clients, and of course, how to be on call from morning to night without pause. I never learned how to cook and now, I’m learning how to bake. I still can’t seem to figure out the amount of salt and pepper to mix with any foods, but eventually we all eat more or less.
When it comes to creating a roast or a turkey, I’m completely at a loss; I wait for Grumpy to direct me what to do first, second and third. This morning was a great example of my lack of culinary knowledge. Do I sear the meat first, or do I pile everything in the pot and turn up the heat?
Grumpy deserves those chocolates more than I do, because he has put up with my lack of cooking for far too long. Go for it, Grumpy, enjoy your chocolates.
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