I Love, I Hate, I Don't Do

Mama Kat's Writer's Challenge for this week features an interesting panopoly of juxtaposed ideas. The topics are:

1.) Share a love letter.
2.) Memorial Day Weekend plans?? Do share!
3.) List ten things you are currently sick of.(inspired by Jenny)
4.) Put an outfit together using pictures you found online and show us what you'd LIKE to be wearing today.(inspired by Lace)
5.) What have you been too busy to pay attention to? (inspired by Chris)

So you can see that some topics are almost diametrically opposed. So herewith is my attempt at rising to the topics.


#1 - Share a love letter. That one is a bit tough. L and I have been married for more than 33 years and have known each other for close to 40 years; digging the old love letters out would be a monumental task. One of the things we did when we were in college (attending colleges a few thousand miles apart) was to send small gifts to each other to remind the other of our love. Now more than 35 years later, I still have some of those gifts and trinkets on my dresser. One that never fails to warm my heart is this one:

This was a gift from L, way back when. Each time I see it, I am reminded of the emotions I felt then and still feel now. It has no intrinsic value; it is just a cheap trinket from the early seventies. But ... every time I see it I am reminded of the most priceless thing in my life, L. I think that makes it pretty valuable in and of itself and I count it as a love letter all by itself.

#2 - Memorial Day Weekend plans. Since I am not speaking at the services at the cemetary this year, my weekend is pretty much open. I know L has plans for us to do some yard work, including removal of the volunteer elms and the first pass at the weeds in the pine trees. I know Mom has been making plans to have L and I and the MIL over for a meal, but the full details are as of yet a bit sketchy. I suspect the Son will be working up in the mountains, so I doubt we will see him. The weather people are finally forcasting normal seasonable weather here for the weekend, so it should have highs in the seventies and enjoy a really pleasant weekend. If you feel like pulling some weeds or raking pine needles or cleaning gutters, please feel free to stop by and help.


#3 - Ten things I am sick of.

• Pulling weeds from the squash beds in Mom's garden patch (Done at last!)
  
• The blister on my thumb from pulling weeds (Even with heavy leather gloves!)
  
• High temperatures
• Low barometric presures (I ache in every joint I have ever broken!)
  
• How needy Molly the dog is when it thunders
• Rising gas prices
• How weeds seem to win out over desired plants
• Uncertainty and unpredictability
• Abrupt seasonal change (2 weeks ago snow, this week 100+ degrees)
  
• The thought of the coming of the long hot days of summer (Just get here already and be done with it!)
  

#4 - Put an outfit together. Given my distinct lack of style and clothing sense, that just isn't going to happen. I'll just wait and see what others choose to put together. Besides, I'm a guy. My closet could have 20 of the same outfit in it and I'd be perfectly happy. After all, the only reason a guy wears a different outfit is that his favorite is in the laundry. (Or he has a rather insistent girl friend.)


#5 - What I have been too busy to pay attention to. Both L and Molly. L because we aren't having long phone conversations during the week (which is both good and bad) and the dog because Molly is so needy when the sound of thunder reaches her very sensitive ears. In fact I just spoke to L on the way home from a meeting, but it wasn't a long conversation, just the essentials and then out. But L will be home for the long weekend, so maybe we can get caught up then. At the same time, since it is thundering in the distance, Molly is sitting with her paw on my leg and her head in my lap begging for a comforting rub on the head. In fact, here she is with me holding one paw while she begs for a head rub to make it all better.