My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband This month marks 20 years of the Husband and I knowing each other. Was it true love at first sight? I don't know. I definitely felt an electrical current running between us, and it was a cool, overcast morning in San Francisco when we met. Our first play outing was a week later. We hiked up Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. Hmmm, I think I mentioned this before. It sounds familiar. So, I'll just say this: We talked nonstop all the way up to the top and back down. And, we've been together ever since that day. A Few of the Things We Had in Common When We Met • We were widowers. • Our first spouse was older than us. • We each drove an old Volvo. • We spent time in Santa Cruz during the summer when we were kids. • We liked puns. (We still do.) Today is the letter Z at Alphabe Thursday , which is hosted by the lovely Jenny Matlock. Please click here to check out other participants of this weekly ABC meme.

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband He may be collecting his pension and social security, but that doesn't mean the Husband is old.  Not at all. Today is the letter Y at Alphabe Thursday , which is hosted by the lovely Jenny Matlock. Please click here to check out other participants of this weekly ABC meme.

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband Is that too much PDA (public display of affection) on the blog? What can I say? I love the Husband. See ya next week at Alphabe Thursday , which is hosted by the sweet and amazing Jenny Matlock. To check out today's participants, please click here . If you've come from Blogging from A to Z April Challenge , my Z post is over here .

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband enjoys walking, whether it's in the wilds or a park, down the street, or through the neighborhood. The kind of walking that's tough for him is slow walking like when we're browsing through a museum or a shop. That tires him out. He has an easy gait with a long stride. I have a slower place than him, so I tell him to go stretch his legs. Until recently, I was usually half a block behind him. These days, I can keep up with him or just be a few steps behind him, some of the time. I love walking with the Husband. I also like taking photos of him on our walks and hikes. It's Alphabe Thursday , hosted by the sweet Jenny Matlock. Today is the letter W. To check other participants, please click here .  By the way, if you're coming from the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge , my T post is over here .

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband is very articulate and precise about saying what he means. I love that about him. I also like how he questions things and is not afraid to vocalize his thoughts, especially about the illogical thinking of others who want to impose their agenda upon everyone. The Husband does that a lot on his Facebook wall. And, today, he's letting me share a few of his posts, with which I whole-heartedly agree.  Thank you, The Husband.  If you're not interested in reading about religion and politics, then scroll down to read the Husband's third post. The Husband is a great punster. By the way, if you're coming from the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge , my N post is over here . Today is Alphabe Thursday , hosted by the sweet Jenny Matlock. To visit other participants, please click here .

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband A couple of years ago, I sewed a tunic for the Husband out of a cool green ukulele print. The  Husband wears it almost everywhere. He says it keeps him cool when it's hot and warm when it cold. I think the Dear Husband likes his ukulele tunic. What do you think? It's Alphabe Thursday , hosted by the sweet Jenny Matlock. Today is the letter U. To check other participants, please click here .  By the way, if you're coming from the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge , my H post is over here .

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband is the reason that he and I, the Mama, and Molly the Cat are living together today. About 12 years ago, it became very clear to me that the Mama's health was failing. Her nutrition was poor. Her body was tiring out. Worse of all, living alone, she was lonely.  The Mama moving into a nursing home or a residential care facility was out of the question. She had a horrible time living in a skilled nursing facility for six weeks after she broke her hip. A permanent move to a residential care facility would've killed her spirit, straight and simple. At the time, the Husband and I lived about a two-and-a-half hour drive away in an urban environment. City living was not for the Mama. We were tiring of the mayhem, so we were open to moving to the rural area where I was born and raised.  The tough question was this: Could the Mama and us live in the same house? The Mama is a unique character who can be difficult

My favorite sweets are lemon chiffon ice cream, cherry pie, chocolate cake, and, of course, the Husband! The other week when I posted one of the Husband's cartoons of Quagmire the Slacker, I mentioned that Quagmire's girlfriend's name is Granola.  Some of you were curious about how she looked.  I asked the Husband if I may share my favorite cartoon of the duo for the letter S in my series of him for Alphabe Thursday .  "Sure," he said. "What's the word?" "You'll have to wait," I said. "So, you can be surprised." Can you guess why this cartoon of the Husband's is one of my favorites? Yup. Because it shows how Quagmire is so sweet. Just like the Dude that is the Husband. To check out other S posts in Alphabe Thursday , hosted by the lovely Jenny Matlock, please click here . 

My  Alphabe Thursday  theme -- The Dude, The Husband "I must take a photo of the lupine," I said to the Husband as I got off Tilda-Hilda, my trusty pink cruiser. "Have you seen it?" The flower voluntarily chose to grow by the side of our driveway. It's the first lupine ever to grace our yard, so, of course, I had to record it. I had a difficult time getting the right angle because of bright sunny day. I tried casting a shadow on the lupine, but when I bent over to take a photo, there went my shadow. Then, the Husband was suddenly by my side, admiring the purple beauty. "Would you please put your shadow on it so I can take a photo?" The Sweet Husband did. I'm a fortunate woman, I am. It's the letter R  at Alphabe Thursday , hosted by Jenny Matlock. Please click here  to read other posts by bloggers around the world.

Quagmire the Slacker is a figment of the Husband's quick-witted mind. Three of the many things I love about Quagmire are 1) he wears his suit of powder blue and a white ruffled shirt to important functions; 2) he thinks in puns; and 3) his girlfriend is named Granola.  By the way, both Quagmire and his creator are also quick on their feet. I'm participating in  Alphabe Thursday , hosted by Jenny Matlock. My theme is The Dude, The Husband . This week, the letter is, you guessed it, Q. Click here to check out other Q posts. 

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband drives as I hang out the window clicking away at the scenery. While we are walking, the Husband stops and waits nearby when I suddenly stop to take photos. The Husband is a very patient man. I'm a fortunate wife. By the way, should you be curious, click here to see the mural next to which the Husband is patiently posing at my request.  Today is the letter P at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . Come check out other P posts with me by clicking here .

I love it when the Husband says, "Take a picture of me." And, I trail after him as he excitedly heads over to a building, a sign, or something else that he has observed. I wait as he sets himself up, then says, "Go ahead." This photo, for instance. He saw this sign last year at a corn maze. It wasn't obvious to me what he was going for but that didn't stop me from taking the photo. It's only now that I see what he had been pointing at. No. I don't recall him taking off his hat that day. Today is the letter O at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . That's where I shall be checking out other N posts. Come join me by clicking here .

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband's and my first not-a-date nearly 20 years ago was a hike up a mountain. We learned a lot about each other as we climbed up and down the mountain that day. For one, we both watched Lawrence Welk as kids. He was, in fact, the first person of our generation to whom I ever admitted watching that show. We've been on a lot of urban walks and wilderness hikes since that first not-a-date nearly 20 years ago. A traipse through a pine forest is the Husband's favorite kind of walk. Meandering among the trees clears his lungs and refreshes his soul. The Husband also likes to walk along the beach. So, he's very willing to drive to my favorite beach where the ocean air clears my lungs and refreshes my soul. Today is the letter N at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . That's where I shall be checking out other N posts. Come join me by clicking here .

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband Once upon a time, the Husband was part of the marching band in both high school and college. He played the trombone. He totally loved the experience from what I can tell. And, he still has his marching skills. Sometimes when we go walking, he marches ahead of me, turns and marches back, and when we meet, he turns quickly face forward. I have to say, his precision makes me swoon inside. Last year, we walked over to the hardware store to purchase a couple of pieces of long lumber to shore up the back fence.  The husband marched them most of the way home. Check out his style. Can you just see him in a marching band playing the trombone once upon a time? Today is the letter M at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . Come check out other M posts with me by clicking here .

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband Not once-upon-a-time, but in the now in a land that could be considered far, far away lives a lion-hearted man with a wonderful sense of humor.  He is a man of many talents and skills. He can interpret the colors and shadows of a forest scene on paper with pastels, pencils, or paint. He can play a cool trombone,  dance his ass off, and whistle like the birds. He can say very articulately, with great logic, why an individual or organization, is being inhumane. This man can do so many things. Once-upon-a-time, this lion-hearted man met a woman deep in the throes of woes. Day by day, he enchanted her and helped her climb out of the abyss and back into the light of laughter, imagination, and love. Then one day, they decided to marry. And, they continue to live happily onward, with some occasional forays into Grrrrr! but that is to be expected. They are a regular, loving couple after all. Today is Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thurs

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband and I were watching Celebrity Apprentice earlier this week. (Yes, indeed, we're hooked on this show even though we know we ought to avert our eyes, but we can't help it.) And, we both noticed that one of the female contestants looked like she had a makeover. "Her mustache used to show," the Husband said. "You noticed it, too, did ya?" "It was obvious," he said. "Not really," I said, turning my face to him and pointing above my upper lip. "This is obvious." "I don't see any mustache," the Husband said. "How can you not?"" "Because you're so sparkly." "What?" "I don't see anything but you're sparkliness." Sighhhhhhh. The Dude is a Keeper! And, a few years ago, this keeper decided to play at being a bell keeper. No. Make that a bell ringer! Today is the letter K at

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband's dad, Jim, was a cool father-in-law. Jim was all for taking this photo of the Husband and him holding hands around the tree in his front yard. This was about 12 years ago. We miss Jim. Today is Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . Yup. That's where I shall be checking out other J posts. Come join me by clicking here .

My new Thursday thing is all about the dude in my life, the one I call the Husband. He said I may, and I believe he heard me when I asked if I can feature him weekly on this blog. I have a lot of photos of the Dude, the Husband. He has a way of walking into my frame just as I'm clicking the camera.  And, then there's the sudden inspiration either of us get for him to pose a certain way. This photo, today, was his idea. I'm linking this post of my irreverent husband with Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . Click here to read other I posts with me.