BRRR

Okay, it is -2 in Columbus, Ohio.  Certainly it is against some law to be that cold!!!  Not only am I freezing, but it has been almost 8 months since I had coffee in bed!  Yes, for 27 years, I got coffee in bed, courtesy of Mike Maratea!  I told you he was a prince!  One time, when we were really quite angry with each other, I asked him why he brought me coffee in bed when he was still so visibly angry.  He said he thought I was that angry, too, so he wanted to make certain that I would not leave home because it would be "so boring"!!  Can't beat that!!  Additionally, he thought the house belonged to the woman and that if a man wanted to decorate a room, he should just decorate the garage and smile at how the house was decorated!!  Money (whether we had any or not) was never an issue either as he believed my money was mine and his money was mine - as as he had an occasional manhattan, bait money and cigarette money!!  I told you you would wish you had had him!!! Ta Ta!  Ricci

THREE WEEKS FROM EXIT FROM OHIO!!!!

I seem to wandering in circles, I know, but I guess I needed the familiarity of my son, his family, my sisters and a few good friends.  However, I will be leaving Ohio (finally) at the end of the first weekend in February, toward North and South Carolina - then back to Florida for a couple of weeks - then on to Texas and parts west.

At least today, I am doing something useful.  My brother-in-law and I are installing a new kitchen floor.  This will probably be a great test of our relationship.  Luckily, my sister is working so she cannot be forced to be in the middle!  I found, though, that when we decided this would be a good idea, I wanted to call Mike and share it with him so he could enjoy the humor of it, too!  Guess that will stay for a while.

I have a message for Johnnie.  I tried to comment in your blog, but couldn't figure it out!  If you really want to remove wallpaper - mix Downy with warm water and spray it on.   It is amazing!  R

P.S.

Good Morning!  I forgot to tell you the other reason snow is so difficult.  Poor Gina has to find a tire rut in order to go to the bathroom!!  The snow is almost deeper than she is tall!  I shoveled out a place in the grass, but within and hour it was all filled in.  My dedication only goes so far, you know, so we just walked the street until she found a tread mark she liked.  You are probably wondering why she doesn't run away - me, too!!  R 

3 REASONS NOT TO LIVE IN OHIO

Yes, there are three excellent reasons for not living in Ohio.  They would be snow, snow, snow!!!  Tuesday, I drove up to Richfield, OH, to see my friend, Barb, and it has done nothing but snow.  And it is cold, cold, cold and windy an icy and all manner of things not good for human beings!  Just in case you are wondering, Ohio will not be where I take up permanent residence!!  Otherwise, life is pretty good. All parts are working and the car is running!!  Hopefully, it will be better weather next post!  Thanks for following.  Ricci

SEVEN MONTHS

Oka'y, I said I wasn't going to whine in 2011, but today is seven months since the love of my life left for the "other side".  So, it has naturally been a day of reflection.  The last time we  danced was new year's eve of 2009.  He was a great dancer and we usually had a great time dancing, but even then he kept saying he was so tired.  Obviously he was sick for a long time.  But, he was not a complainer and I miss him very, very much!  We can only hope the weather is better there than it is in Columbus, Ohio because he didn't like being cold anymore than I do!!  It is about 13 degrees, gray, windy - in other words, horrible!  And, I will be here in Ohio until the end of  January.  Tuesday, I will go to Richfield, OH to see my friend, Barb for a few days.  Barb is great, but Richfield is just south of Cleveland, so I will not be getting warmer.  The one thing this trip has done for me so far is to remind me why I do not live here.  You have to be at least part Eskimo!!  Even poor Gina dances on the snow and ice to get it over with quickly!  Remember Janet of the broken ankle - well, she had her stitches out and everything, so far, is looking good, so she should only be housebound until the end of February or middle of March.  Hopefully, she has an ample supply of wine!!  Not much today - just to say that life just is missing something when romantic love is not around.  So if you have it, just enjoy the devil out of it.  Thanks for following!  Ricci

How Can You Not Know??

Happy New Year!  We are actually in the year 2011 and it is hard to believe time goes so quickly, as I am certain you all know.  So, my first question this year is -how long can you live with a person and not know he/she has false teeth?  For me it was 27 years!!  Yes, that's right!  About 6 weeks before he died, Mike had an outpatient procedure done and, of course, I was there with him!  He had been given a sedative and was woozy, but just before they took him in, a nurse brought him a little cup and told him it was for his dentures!  He gave me this hysterical look and said "You have to go now!"  So, I did and said nothing about it later, as it was obviously something he thought was important to keep secret.  Well, when he died, he had fallen backward on the garage floor and his teeth popped out.  When the firemen came, I asked them to please put them back as he did not want me to know he had them!  Since the day we moved in together, he had gone into the bathroom in the morning and came out showered, shaved, clean and teeth brushed!  The most amazing thing about it is that his children always knew, but it never came up in any conversation - even when there were quite a few drinks and a lot of teasing.  His doctor was so amazed that I did not know that, he wanted to know if I had ever seen him naked!!  I explained that it was not the same - when you started dating someone, you don't ordinarily ask if he has his own teeth!  It is ironic, though, that the saying is "Vanity, woman in your name".  Guess what, I beg to differ!  However, vanity or not; his own teeth or not, he was the perfect person for me to have spent the last 27 years with - and he has his teeth, wherever he is.  Thanks for tuning in.  Ricci