WHY I LOVE MY WIFE

There are far too many reasons to enumerate in this short post, her intelligence, her caring for others, her honesty and integrity, and the way she tells a story, making me laugh, cry, or both, to name just a few.  But there is one reason I wish to share with everyone today – I can serve pasta every night of the week and she will not complain…ever.  I have apologized or asked rather weakly if she would mind a 2n or 3^rd night of pasta and she always said no, she doesn’t mind how often I serve it.  In fact the last few times she was obviously annoyed that I was still asking.  I am convinced that if I were to bring that up one more time she would hurt me.

Being the sensitive soul that I am, I am careful not to take advantage of her generous nature and am limiting the pasta to only 3 nights a week, plus leftovers for lunch.  Of course there are circumstances that arise necessitating an additional night of pasta – sometimes even two or three.  But that can’t be helped.  If Mid Town Market has a fresh batch ob Broccoli Rabe I have no choice but to get some because you never know if it will be the last opportunity to do for a long time.  And once you have the BR you can’t let it sit around very long, so we might have Penne with BR 2 times a week, in addition to the regular past nights.  Then there are the nights we have dinner guests.  It is understood that they will be served pasta.

So you see my problem…it is GUILT.  It does not matter that we ate pasta EVERY NIGHT FOR A YEAR 3 years ago, that was then, this is now.  I have to find a way to ease the guilt without the risk of bodily harm.  Although it is not my nature to be devious, sometimes circumstances require us to act outside our norm, and in this regard, I have my solution.  Borrowing from Patience’s playbook (She easily acquired whippets 2, 3. 4, and more naming them Maria, Caruso, Giacomino, and Luciano.) tonight we will have pasta with peas and artichoke hearts - her absolute favorites.  I might even toss in a Kalamata olive or two, her newest passion.

Linguine wirh pureed peas  2011

FULL MOON By P.C.Renzulli

I’ve always had the ability to make people laugh, usually with a spontaneous remark or comment that just seems to appear or happen, usually without pre-meditation.  Sometimes I worry that I am close to being a “smart-ass” with some of the things I say.

A few years ago I began writing a studio-galley newsletter on a regular basis (once or twice a month), and in the process discovered that just as in conversation, something humorous would suddenly occur to me and find its way into the writing.  Eventually I became determined to make the letters entertaining as well as informative, but sadly I discovered that my humor was like my smile, it cannot be forced or brought on my sheer will power, it has to simply “happen”. It is totally unpredictable, occurring during conversation, when writing, or when my thoughts are elsewhere.  I am entirely dependent on the inspired, unconscious quip.  Try as I may, like my smile, I cannot force it to happen; when someone points a camera at me my face turns to stone…Unless…

Let me tell you a story about one memorable “unless”.  We were living on the farm in Maryland and had just opened our new medical office in a rehabbed barn.  The local paper thought that was worthy of an article and photo and sent out a photographer to take some pictures of me in front of the office.  As this was happening, Patience was leading several horses to the paddock adjacent to the office and saw me standing there with an idiotic forced smile.  She placed the horses in the paddock and quickly returned to help me.  Standing behind the photographer, who had no idea she was there, dear sweet prim and proper Patience (that may be hard to believe, but yes, she really is quite proper.) turned her back to me, dropped her drawers, and gave me a full moon that is forever seared in my memory.  Needless to say, I smiled.  In fact I think I didn’t stop smiling for at least 3 days.  It was a great photo.

Humor is a funny thing.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Friday…5 PM mountain time

What is it about the best-laid plans of mice and men?  After an early flight from Paducah on Wednesday, I arrived in San Diego around noon, Pacific Time, looking forward to 6 days with my friends Harvey and Jean.  Late Thursday afternoon Patient calls to tell me she is going to the ER with a fever and severe headaches.  She was promptly admitted with a temperature of 103, looking awful and feeling worse.

I quickly called the airlines and arranged to fly home today (Friday); I left SD at 2 PM Pacific Time, and am currently in the air, half way to Chicago.  If all goes well I will be back in Paducah at or about 10; 30 CT, hoping with everything I have that They will find out what is wrong with P and successfully treat it.

Saturday…9 AM

I arrived as scheduled and reached P’s bedside by 11 PM last night.  Her temperature has been normal for 24 hours, and if it remains so, she can come home later today to an overwhelming greeting by her canine family.

I woke up this morning somewhat confused...Had I really been in San Diego?  It has all happened so quickly.

 

SOMETIMES I GOTTA WONDER...

My dear wife hates to shop. Just this morning I heard her say, "mention the word mall and I break into tears". It is not unusual for her to return from a shopping trip in that very state of mind...crying and miserable. She hates to shop, especially for herself.

This week we were invited out to dinner, and for the occasion Patience needed new black shoes.
So armed with a fortified sense of resolve she headed to the mall where, among other things, she found a pair of shoes that felt quite comfortable. Unfortunately, upon returning home she found that the left shoe was causing a great deal of pain in some of her toes, confirming her notion that shopping sucks and throwing her into a tizzy. She wore the shoes and suffered through the evening like a real champion, and this morning she was preparing to return them.

Here are the shoes:



And here they are again...look closely at the left shoe:



And here is the cardboard insert that caused her so much distress, physically and mentally.



I love her dearly, but I'm not sure she should be allowed to shop alone, ever.

SAVED BY PATIENCE ONCE MORE

Once again my best, and favorite, critic came to my rescue. In my last post I explained my dissatisfaction with the most recent painting, and after several days of looking I finally called in the big guns. Patience took one look and said, "get rid of the road"! And I did, and I'm glad I did.


The Barn acrylic 30x40

With the road gone I was able to make a few adjustments in the foreground. The result...a much better painting.


The barn detail

Thanks Patience.

WHERE IN THE HELL ARE THEY?!

Ok, my patience is running out (no pun intended...I’ll explain later). The studio is reorganized with new open working space, I have a painting sitting on the easel awaiting my attention, and I find myself sitting here looking out the windows or reading some mindless mystery, anything but painting. I can’t get excited over any of the many ideas flowing through my head. I tried forcing things with a couple of small watercolor sketches, but that didn’t lead to anything but 2 small wc sketches. The muses are staying away longer than usual, and I can’t help thinking, they are trying to send me a message. So I’ve given up efforts to do anything but sit and listen to what they have to say in the quiet stillness of my studio. We can hear more in the silence of our soul than in the noise of others or the noise we make ourselves.

Regarding my patience, and my Patience...she is Sweden! For the next week it will be just me and the nine whippets. Now if it were only me, there would not be nine dogs in my home. But when you love someone, you love who and what they are, and the woman I love is about animals, specifically dogs, and more specifically, Whippets. Therefore I am about whippets, nine of them to be exact, and they do test my patience.

I do 3 walks every morning, one short one with the old dogs and 2 long ones with the rest. Thanks to our friend Karen who accompanies me on the 2 longer walks, what could be a chore has become a chance to spend time with a friend.

After the walks comes the poop scooping in our fenced in yard, but that is another story.


I believe I've posted this photo before, but It such a great shot...by the amazing photographer and friend, Laurie Erickson...I just had to show it again.

L to R, back row...Swede William, Giacomimo, Delia, Lucianno, and Sam I Am.
front row...Fat Charlie and Mamma Pajama. Not shown, Lindy Loo.

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

Ever since I selected a new screen saver I have been spending more and more time on my laptop, always finding some excuse to be looking at it. Can you blame me?


Patience...


with just 2 of the loves of her life.

THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE

Patience and Swede William

I have been blessed with the most remarkable women in my life: my mother, my daughters, and my wife. It is my intention to write about each one of them, putting into words my profound respect and appreciation for them, and all that they have meant to my life.

Yesterday I had the rare pleasure of visiting with all of my daughters at the same time, to see them together, talking, laughing, and just being who they are. In my very darkest hours, uttering those three names brought tears to my eyes even as they held me together. Living under different roofs was devastating, and my only my only means of coping was to remind myself that I had a lifetime ahead of me with my children, and not being in the same household would be but a very small blip on me life. And it worked! I value my relationship with my daughters as my most important accomplishment and credit all four of us for making that happen.

To be with all of my children I had to travel from my home in Paducah to Maryland, and this meant leaving my wife, Patience, at home. (Because of our waggle of whippets it is very difficult for us to travel together.) And as always, as soon as I leave, I miss her dearly. For those of you who do not know her, Patience is a most remarkable woman, and it would take several postings to do her justice, but I am prepared to state unabashedly, that she is the one person who has made my life complete. I cannot imagine how the last 25 years of my life could have been any better than they have been with her as my partner.


The Warburton Whippets,,,not present is Lindy Loo, a puppy when this was taken