A Day in a Lifetime

Sixty plus years of marriage is a lot to celebrate, but once again Bill and I are recalling the “I Do’s” spoken to a justice of the peace so long ago. We wanted to elope but Mom said that would break my father’s heart, so we stayed in town and Dad cried anyway as he predicted Bill would leave me as soon as he graduated from college.

Dad is the one in the background of our wedding picture, hands on hips, predicting doom.

Dad was so wrong.

Because here we are, still together.

And even through self-quarantining for over a year trying to avoid Covid-19, we have still not run out of conversation.

And even through my BigFoot and now arthritic hip, we are still a dedicated pair.

Life has thrown us some curve balls but we stuck together anyway and we still celebrate

the good times and the growing family and the good friends, those who still linger and those who are gone.

It was a day in a lifetime, our wedding day, but it was only

a preface to a long story.

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Don’t Forget Guy Fawkes Day

 

Some of my friends actually set off fireworks on the day I was born.

What a great honor huh?

And if you are wondering why these folks are so devoted, well, it is because they are from England.

Now that does not really explain the fireworks does it?

Notwithstanding their delightful accents and delectable gifts (like Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, Cadbury Biscuits, and All Butter Shortbread Fingers from Harrod’s), these lovely people always remember November 5th and they have been remembering it since 1605!

They celebrate that day because a fellow named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up King James I during the opening of Parliament.

Having long memories and able to hold a grudge for centuries, the English have been drinking cavorting, and setting off fireworks ever since.  In other words, every year they celebrate

G u y    F a w k e s    Day!

And that’s my birthday!  A little history never hurts right?

Now if you are not English, will you please mark your calendar so as not to miss this auspicious event?

History of Guy Fawkes Day

There are lots of stories about Guy Fawkes Day, but here is a concise summary from www.history.com:

Catholic dissident Guy Fawkes and 12 co-conspirators spent months planning to blow up King James I of England during the opening of Parliament on November 5, 1605.  But their assassination attempt was foiled the night before when Fawkes was discovered lurking in a cellar below the House of Lords next to 36 barrels of gunpowder. 

Londoners immediately began lighting bonfires in celebration that the plot had failed, and a few months later Parliament declared November 5 a public day of thanksgiving. 

Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, has been around in one form or another ever since.  Though originally anti-Catholic in tone, in recent times it has served mainly as an excuse to watch fireworks, make bonfires, drink mulled wine and burn Guy Fawkes effigies (along with the effigies of current politicians and celebrities).

Portrait of King James I

 

 

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Birthday Surprises

This week we celebrated Bill’s birthday.  He still looks young to me but we are beginning to resemble each other (much the same as dogs and their human companions). 

Wednesday was extra special though, because some very old friends came all the way from very far away to surprise us.  We have been friends with this family for 50 years and met when our son was still in diapers and Janet and her “younguns”, Debbie, Scott and Pam, were 4, 5 and 6 years old.

But here they all came 50 years later, barreling down our driveway beeping and shouting!

  Surprise!!!  Surprise!!!    

And what a time we all had. 

And what moments of hilarity we all shared.  The laughter could surely be heard all the way to the next mountain top.

We went to Hull’s drive-in movie one night even though it threatened rain.  Did you know drive-in movies are practically extinct (kinda like Bill and me)?

Bill made pancakes and bacon one morning to relive earlier breakfasts shared so long ago.

They were here for three nights and though we went practically nowhere, we certainly traveled back in time.

And we talked and talked, reliving never-forgotten joyful moments and lamenting the sad ones.

This morning they drove away again, perhaps not as quickly as they had driven in, and Bill and I were left in stunned silence.

Were they really here or were they hallucinations?

Thank you Janet, Pam, Deb and Scott for reminding us of the value of real friendship!

 

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