Herb’s Blog, Herbdate 22766 – 985
Here’s the haps:
Dear Fans, Friends, Fiends, Foes, Foundlings, Firstlings, Flower Children, and Beloved Readers,
Yes, I went missing again for a few days and this time it was to celebrate being married for forty-two years. I used to joke around and tell people I must be doing something wrong, though, because it’s all been to just one woman. I have had a couple of people get a little sad and say things like, “I’ve been married three times in the last ten years.” I don’t do that joke much anymore unless I know the audience. There used to be a local comedian who told how his wife was telling some friends that she’s been happily married for twenty-seven years. He would remind her that they’ve been married thirty years to which she would say, “Yeah, but a few of them years weren’t all that hot.”
Forty-two years have seen a lot, to be sure.
So, in keeping with my attempt to buy some gift that is remotely tied to the year I searched for traditional gifts and discovered (which I kind of knew already) that the traditional ones only go in five-year increments. The modern list says that the gift should be real estate! Wait. What‽ Well, I wasn’t exactly prepared for that and besides, we already own a nice enough house that she loves. So, how does one give the gift of real estate? Go dig up a few shovels full of dirt, “Here, honey. Happy anniversary?” No. Probably not. I was almost feeling trepid and daunted when I realized, all was not lost! I could not only buy her some land but a title as well. There are a couple of companies in Scotland that will sell you a square foot of property so you can be officially called a laird or lady. Well, being one to splurge and also one to take advantage of a two-for-one sale, I purchased not a mere square foot of land but TWO square feet of land which then became a total of four square feet.
Now, I know the high caliber of my audience and I am pretty sure that most readers have already broken into one of two camps. “Oh, Herb, that’s really romantic” or “Oh, Herb, why not just name a star after her, it means about the same.” There are hopeless romantics and practical skeptics and often the two cross paths. I only ask that you credit me with enough sense to think enough of me to realize that I had my eyes wide open about the whole thing but I also felt very strongly about the romantic factor as well as the cool factor.
Well, anyone who knows Mrs. Herb Lady Margaret knows that she is, indeed, both romantic and practical. She loved it along with the cards I gave her. I always give more than one card because just one never seems to completely say what I want. The one card has a picture of an elderly couple sitting on the porch and the man says, “The day I met you was the luckiest day of my life.” To which she replies, “Oh, I think so too.” “You think the day we met was the luckiest day of your life, too?” “No, I think meeting me was the luckiest day of your life, too.” And a couple of more serious, even mushy, ones, as well.
The ever-practical Mrs. Herb Lady Margaret looked at the document for a bit and then said, “Well, four square feet isn’t enough. You should have at least gotten eight so we could have a nice picnic.” Her genealogical research has shown Scottish and Irish roots for both of us and we’ve wanted to visit the U.K. for some time now and now we have the additional reason of inspecting our property holdings.
We stayed at the Pikes Peak Inn again where we had stayed a few years back. You can see my pictures from then on my google review.
I did take a few new pictures with our mascots, Gnerby and Gnargaret but we didn’t go a whole lot of places this time around.
I do think I may have seen the place where my character, Art Vegan, lives on the side of the mountain:
We did shop a bit. I found these guys at The Candy Bar:
And this beautiful coffee mug. I tried to get the picture to show the etching of the picture but I don’t think I have. It’s black then the white parts are etched out.
Lady Margaret brought a happy surprise along with her, too. Many years ago I made her a mix-tape (Okay, mix-CD, but still…) of some of the love songs that sort of define us and where we’ve been and where we’re going, the two most important ones being Babe by Styx and Longer by Dan Fogelberg but these all fit our story.
- 01 Babe – Styx
- 02 Happy Together – The Turtles
- 03 Hitchin` A Ride – Vanity Fare
- 04 I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher
- 05 Make It With You – Bread
- 06 I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder
- 07 I Love – Tom T Hall
- 08 I Only Want to Be with You – Dusty Springfield
- 09 I Think We`re Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells
- 10 If – Bread
- 11 When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New – Jimmy Roselli
- 12 When I’m Sixty Four – Beatles
- 13 That’s Amore – Dean Martin
- 14 Something – Beatles
- 15 It’s So Nice To Be With You – Gallery
- 16 Still The One – Orleans
- 17 Longer – Dan Fogelberg
I will be around to visit as many of you as I can in the next few days before I go on another adventure with my son and grandsons.
And remember, the Good Book says, “…For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh…Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Comments
44 responses to “How Many Years Have You Been Married, Herb? 42!”
I have been married all-of-my-life. (Since Seventeen)
Just to different women.
I loved them all.
They each brought something uniquely new to my table…
Kinda made life worth livin’.
Happy Anniversary to you both. Truly a blessing 🎂🎉🎁
Thank you!
Happy Anniversary to you both! 😁😁
Thanks!
Congratulations on another year of togetherness.
Thank you very much.
Happy 42!
Thank you!
Aw. Happy Anniversary! I admit I fall more on the practical side, but I can certainly appreciate a creative romantic gesture. I won’t have to worry about it for a while, though. It will be some time until we make it to 42. This summer will mark 22 married years for us, all to each other and all happy.
Thank you so much. 22 is a good number, too.
Good typing anent My Game–Claime to fame.
http://thepracticalhistorian.wordpress.com/
Sarah,
I love yer Comment!
Thanks You!
And purty certain The author Loves it too!
Happy Anniversary!! 💐🎁🎉🎊🥂You are really sweet Herb to plan all this for Lady Margaret.
Thank you. I get it right sometimes.
Haha you are sweet to Mrs👍😃
Happy #42 Herb & Mrs. Herb. You have set the bar pretty high for our upcoming #45, also all to the same lady. Enjoy the day. Allan
Congratulations to you, too! Thanks Allan.
You are wonderful, Herb. Another reason I enjoy our new efriendship. My husby and I tend to forget the Day. In fact, we were out to dinner one year with friends and they had to remind us it was our anniversary! Crazy.
Happiest of days for both of you.
Thank you kindly, ma’am!
Congrats on 42!! One wife noted they had been married 20 years and he said, “It only seems like 42.”
And just a question about the stream with the orange cone in it: Is that where his body was found? 😂
Seriously, my friend, ❤️&🙏, c.a.
You know, that would explain a lot, lol. Thanks!
Congrats to you and Mrs. Herb on a happy milestone.
Thank you very much.
Congrats to Herb and Lady Margaret. 42 is great. I just past 30 and I’m happy as when… well it’s now a different happy
::
:
::
Have faith in your ability to laugh
It becomes a different happy as you grow.
Very true 👍. Congrats again 👏 😃😎
An impressive 42 and a day belated Herb, btw I love the Gnomes on the vacation, my wife used to do that with a turtle pillow.
Thanks! Yes, the gnomes have begun jumping in and coming along.
Happy Anniversary. Although clearly the perfect gift would’ve been a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. And a towel!
Very beautiful, great love story
Congrats to m’Lord and m’Lady, 42 is something to celebrate. I’m running 10 years behind you and aspire to your accomplishment.
I once knew a guy who sometimes introduced his longtime spouse as “My first wife”. She didn’t think it was funny, but he argued that it was technically true.
I used to read a guy’s blog who did that. I don’t recall anything other than that, though. I do it once in a while. The problem is that she’s heard most of my jokes more than once.
Oh wow, that is definitely something to celebrate! Happy anniversary
Yes ma’am, it surely is.
What a lovely love story. Happy Anniversary.
Thank you!
Oh, Herb. That’s so romantic and sweet. You are such a good husband. Happy Anniversary.
Thank you.
I mean really really wonderful husband.
awww…Thank you.
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