Virgil

Tomorrow will be my seventeenth wedding anniversary. Seventeen years is a long time, and we knew each other for over three years before that. So my lovely other half and I have been knotted together for over two decades. This was probably the best thing I ever did. I’ve certainly gotten the best out of this deal. She’s had to put up with a self absorbed, self centered, opinionated ninny. Who else would have put up with me?

My fondest memories are interspersed with her getting mad at me for something. I remember once before we were married that I left my car on her driveway for like a month. I think it was broken down or running erratically. Now she was renting an apartment off a house and really didn’t have rights to the driveway. But I told her it would be alright. She finally yelled at me to get my piece of crap off the driveway before she got thrown out. I remember it because she was standing outside with her long hair down in blue jeans and a blouse and her arm on her hip and her lip pursed tight in anger. She was adorable.

We were dating around two years when she started hinting about marriage. Hmm, I said. You know, she said, we’ve been dating a long time. Hmm, I said. We don’t have to get married right away she said, but I would like a commitment. Ok, if it wasn’t going to be right away I proposed. What the heck. I proposed on Christmas. By New Years she was already picking out a wedding hall and making arrangements. She said she wanted to get married in June. Whoa, what happened to not right away? Not this June silly, the following June. It’s very hard to get a good hall around here in less than a year’s time if you pick a Saturday wedding. What did I know about such things. So I didn’t think that was too bad. She asked which day in June would you prefer? So I picked the very furthest day I could, June 30th. Hey I was petrified with the idea of getting married. I’ve said this many times on the forum, we have developed into a culture that refuses to grow up. I was no different.

She showed her managerial skills in pulling off the wedding. I, of course, did almost nothing. Oh I picked the band and arranged the honeymoon, the fun stuff. She made all the arrangements, the hall, the flowers, the photographer, the hairdressers, the dress, the attire for the wedding party, and whatever else goes with it. She even had to deal with two women who both felt they should be maid of honor. So she made them equal maids of honor. She can bull**** well. We had both a priest and a rabbi perform the wedding, since we are of separate faiths. It went off pretty well. I have cousins who still remark it was one of their favorite weddings. I guess the one notable incident that happened was that I put the ring the wrong hand. We have this on video, so there is evidence, and I still tell her on occasion that the wedding doesn’t count. It went like this. She was smiling throughout the ceremony; I was sort of dour. Then it was time for the rings and I put it on the ring finger of the right hand. That's the hand she gave me. And just at that moment it occurs to me that I put it on the wrong hand, it’s supposed to go on the left. Then, you can see it on the video, a big smile spreads across my face and I lean over and tell her. And of course the priest or rabbi were still talking, completely oblivious. And she shrugs it off, but then I lean over with an even bigger smile and tell her, “You know, it doesn’t count.” Many times in these seventeen years when I bring up it didn’t count on that technicality, she says if that’s so then you can move your *** right out of here. I'm still here.

The other night we were at a party and she looked as beautiful as when we met. I had to take her picture. Unfortunately she kept putting her hand in front of her face to prevent me from taking it.

Well, for you my sweet (she reads my blogs), two videos of two romantic songs I love. One by the Stones (of course) in what I think is their most romantic song: “Loving Cup”.

LOVING CUP
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)

I'm the man on the mountain, come on up.
I'm the plowman in the valley with a face full of mud.
Yes, I'm fumbling and I know my car don't start.
Yes, I'm stumbling and I know I play a bad guitar.

Give me little drink from your loving cup.
Just one drink and I'll fall down drunk.

I'm the man who walks the hillside in the sweet summer sun.
I'm the man that brings you roses when you ain't got none.
Well I can run and jump and fish, but I won't fight
You if you want to push and pull with me all night.

Give me little drink from you loving cup.
Just one drink and I'll fall down drunk.

I feel so humble with you tonight,
Just sitting in front of the fire.
See your face dancing in the flame,
Feel your mouth kissing me again,
What a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzz,
What a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzz.
Oh, what a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzz.
Yes, I am nitty gritty and my shirt's all torn,
But I would love to spill the beans with you till dawn.

Give me little drink from your loving cup.
Just one drink and I'll fall down drunk.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mWdA5IH26Wo

I love the lyrics to that song: I’m the man with a face full of mud, my dear, who will bring you roses. And I would love to spill the beans with you till dawn.


And the other is a song by Mark Knopfler, possibly my favorite guitarist:

True Love Will Never Fade
by Mark Knopfler

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

I wonder if there's no forever
No walking hand in hand
Down a yellow brick road
To never never land
These days I get to where I'm going
Make it there eventually
Follow the trail of breadcrumbs
To where I'm meant to be
To where I'm meant to be

I don't know what brought you to me
That was up to you
There's so many come to see me
Who want their own tattoo
I fixed a needle in a holder
Laid my hand upon your spine
And there upon your shoulder
I drew the picture as your sign
When I think about us
I see the picture that we made
The picture to remind us

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

I worked the rowdies and daytrippers
Now and then I think of you
Any which way we're all shufflin'
Forward in the queue
They like to move my operation
They like to get me off the pier
And I dream I'm on a steamer
Pullin' out of here

When I think about us
I see a picture that we made
The picture to remind us

True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade
True love will never fade

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NNWP3RlU_Tk

When I think about us, my dear, I see the picture that we made.

I love you Rochie.