Anniversaries

I just prepared the card we're sending to my son and his wife for their 12th wedding anniversary on June 8. It's hard to believe they've been married for so long, but then, it's hard to believe I've been married for nearly 37 years. Esteemed Spouse is playing golf today. When he's not playing golf, he's watching golf or reading about golf. I suppose it's good that he has a hobby that doesn't involve cigarettes, whiskey, and wild, wild women (as the song goes), but I do wish he'd diversify a little.

In one month from today, we will have lived in Michigan for seven years. Lucky seven. Seven-year-itch. That's how long we lived in Missouri before moving here. I loved Missouri. Still do, in fact. Have I grown to love Michigan? Not as much. There are things I like. Summers are lovely, but they are so short. The trees are no sooner fully leafed out than the leaves begin to turn and fall. The people can be nice, but they can also be repressively conservative and fanatically religious. I still hate the nasality of the voices, especially women's voices. This state is currently in financial difficulties so deep that only a miracle will pull it out. Foreclosures of homes are happening daily, plants are closing daily, crime is on the rise (for a while, we were hearing of bank robberies almost daily), and the general public attitude is negative. Gas is over $4 a gallon, our primary votes aren't being fully counted in the Presidential race, and road construction seems to be doing little more than blocking traffic. Michigan high schools suffer record low graduation rates, especially for minority students. There's not a great deal to love, but I'll give it a try.

I do love seeing Canadian geese. I even love their raucous honking. It's also fun to see the chipmunks, muskrats, and groundhogs. I also enjoy the evergreens, especially the blue spruces. Birch trees are beautiful, regardless of season. When the sky is blue, it is vibrantly blue.

There's not a lot of humidity, so my hair doesn't get too fuzzy. My skin stays pretty clear.

Damn. I think I've run out of positives. Honestly. S.