.
He pays the bills
And balances the check book
I write poems and blog
He makes investments
I paint watercolors
Years ago we both taught
All his life he has hunted
Wild turkeys, deer, antelope, mountain goat
Elk, moose, rabbit, partridge
We cook and eat game
He fishes trout, Chinook salmon, white fish,
We cook and eat fish
Sometimes he smokes it.
Sometimes while he travels into the wild
I visit museums to see Michelangelo, Carravagio
And Mary Cassat
Sometimes we travel together
To distant lands: Mexico, Africa, Egypt, Israel
To find hidden treasures and
Something holy:
Exotic languages and peoples
Jungles, sea ports, mountains coral reefs
Where I photograph the fish
And he wants to spear them
I go to artist colonies where
I can meet comedians, musicians, painters, poets
Inspired I come home and write and paint
I love solitude as well as people.
He is the sociable one
He frequents the VFW, American Legion
the Eagles the Elks
And they drink beer trade war stories
And if he tells the guys it is our anniversary
They buy him a drink.
It’s an interesting life.
It’s a good life.
He’s a man: I’m a woman
What can we do?
I would only caution you to one thing. And that is that some basic things regarding living in the house should be understood and shared by both parties. When one member of a fantastic couple like yours suddenly dies, the partner that is still alive may become lost not understanding certain things like how the family money is managed.
My brother has lived alone during a spell between marriages. When he lost his wife suddenly two years ago in an accident, he was easily able to deal with her wishes that she had written down in detail. He wrote me yesterday about golfing with local officials and going out with friends. He has made the transition remarkably well, although he complained that it took him six months to get all the financial aspects worked out.
Ron
Always,
Deborah