Life with Duane

My husband has a problem with sweat getting in his eyes.  Sometimes in his job he has to work in an overheated area or out in the summer heat.  So we've spent a lot of time lately making hats and sweatbands that fit comfortably and are super absorbent.  I had been doing all the actual sewing on the machine.  Last night I decided it was time for him to use the machine himself.  He did a great job and can now sew stuff exactly like he wants it.  It wasn't his first time to sew.  He did make a shirt about 25 years ago before we met.   Next he wants to make a hat with an even wider brim to shade his sensitive skin.  He's had a few skin cancer treatments.  He seems to have a lot of fun learning something new.  Now if I could just get him to take ball room dancing lessons with me.

My husband seemed a little worried that I was getting involved in online auctions.  I finally won something; some polycarbon 2 gallon square storage containers with lids.  I liked them because they are just the right size and they are clear.  When they arrived we soon learned why they were probably in an auction.  The lids are very difficult to get on and off.  He took one to the workshop and ground the edges some with a power tool.  Now the lids are easy to use and still fit plenty tight.  I'm going to try to get 3 more!  I filled one with oatmeal, one with sugar and one with pasta.  We buy food in bulk so the containers are real handy.  He's such a sweety to put up with me.

Before my husband met me he was looking for a job in the Northwest part of the U.S. when Carter was president.  We got married when Reagan was president.  Our quality of life has always improved every year no matter who was president.  I hear several people blame whomever is president for their lousy life. We live in the central part of the U.S.  Our income hasn't always gone up. It actually went down a little one year but we didn't notice.  We have two children that went to public schools.  We always buy used cars, not new.  We choose not to watch television except when there might be a tornado coming our way.  Then we don't know if we'll be able to get the tv to work or not.  Usually the radio is broadcasting what the tv has on during a severe storm.  My husband has a positive attitude 99.9999% of the time or he hides his negative attitude very well.  I hope to be more like him.

We played tennis today. We never actually play a game, just hit the ball back and forth and try to make each other work hard. Sometimes he dances around while waiting for me to return the ball. We were on the court before 7:00 a.m. Breakfast at Braum's later. We were supposed to go to a wedding together tomorrow but he recently learned that he has to work tomorrow because two men are on vacation. He's not sad about missing the wedding. I'll be lucky if he goes to his own children's weddings.

I remember several years ago my husband telling me I could blame him for bad stuff when I was too upset to think straight. So tonight when I learned that my son's friend chose to go with his parents somewhere instead of to a movie with my son, I got upset. Not because the friend changed his plans, but because he chose to go somewhere with his parents. Both boys are 20 years old. Our son won't do annnything with us. At first I tried to just blow it off as nothing. What a silly little thing to get upset over. But it just kept eatin' at me. I finally ended up yelling at my husband and blaming him. He soon went to his workshop. And I didn't feel any better. I guess I should have screamed and cried right from the start. About half an hour later I went to the workshop and he was just as sweet as ever and said that he was sorry that I felt bad. He is a rare jewel. Thank you God.

Most Tuesday mornings my husband goes to a 6:00 a.m. prayer group with 3 other guys. I get to sleep in and he's so quiet that I don't even know he's gone until I wake up about 6:40 to meet my brother online. He might have missed 4 Tuesday morning meetings in one year. But I miss having breakfast with him and having our own morning prayer before he leaves.