Marriage Vows

The Wonder Husband and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary. To pay homage to our marriage vows, we drove up to Shasta Lake which is just a few miles from our home.


We've had so much rain this year that the lake's 365 miles of shoreline is completely accessible. The steep, sloping hillsides, flush and green, send up eau de pine and manzanita.


The Tail O' the Whale Restaurant, at the Bridge Bay Resort, offered us its sumptuous lakeside view as well as tasty cuisine.


We headed upstairs to the Pelican's Perch. Sitting outside on the deck, we had boat drinks, hand holding and sweet, sweet kisses in the light of the setting sun.


Today, I'm contemplating how lucky I am to have made marriage vows with a man like the Wonder Husband instead of one like King Henry VIII. Taking vows with the wrong person can be a sharp and cutting experience. I like my head where its, right on top of my shoulders, thank you very much.

One Year at a Time

Disclaimer: Those are not my hands. They belong to one of the nail techs at Claws.

I am a massage therapist. My fingernails are short, round and natural. No one appreciates

a therapist with nails like those. No matter how pretty they are, they are scratching weapons.

When you learn something new, the best place to start is the beginning. So it is with blogging. I gave birth to Ronda's Wonderland on New Year's Day, one year ago, for no other reason that I wanted to give it a go. My first few posts were read only by my best friends and sister, who I also count as one of my best friends. I'm really glad because they were awkward and tenuous.

Somehow, I don't mind my friends seeing me as I struggle to learn something new. I know that no matter what weird stuff I try, and believe me, I have a taste for the eclectic and esoteric, they are always there to put a bandage on my knee.

Reya, of According to the Cosmology of Reya, and Mrsupole, of Mrsupoles' Place, encouraged and supported me with my first teetering, baby blogging steps. They, and the rest of you, nudged me into toddling along on my own. Through the process, I eventually, began to find my "voice." And, to pay it forward, I've helped other new bloggers get started.

One of the things that really surprised me about blogging is that it is one of the final frontiers. Not like outer space or the brain, but in the sense there are no rules. Like the wild, wild west, we do what we want out here. The freedom of personal expression and access to an immediate audience that exists in Blog World is unlike any other. I've never understood the appeal of reality shows but, I think I just got the concept. Being a blog author is like being the star of your own reality show. And you know what? It feels great!

So, please help me commemorate my first year in Blog World. Stop by and have a glass of Champagne, a bite to eat and nice visit. For your sustenance, I offer a fresh, green salad with tangy, Italian dressing, a pasta salad with feta cheese and black olives, soft, warm homemade rolls and cheesecake for dessert. The Red Queen says, we'll leave the light on.

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Quickie

Gravel crunching under the tires of his '67 Buick Skylark GS, the Wonder Husband rolls up the driveway. With the sapphire metal flakes of the paint sparking in the low angled sun, he silences the rumble of his powerfully muscled motor. This is not his normal routine. He usually gets home from work two hours late instead of early.

His face is set with a sly grin. A come hither statement shines from his eyes. Taking my hand, he pulls me to him. A quick kiss. A whispered sentiment laid softly in my ear.

"We just have time for a quickie."

"Are you sure?"

"YES! Let's go."

Hand-in-hand, we gently let the door close behind us...

He heads for the tool shed and I head for the green waste container. He, swift and strong, goes ahead and lops the tree branches. I follow behind as clean up crew.

"Husband, do you know what today is?"

"The day after my brother's birthday?"

"Uh, no. This is two days after your brother's birthday. And you'd better call him tonight since you obviously haven't! No, it was one year ago today you were in the hospital having your heart attack. This is your one year anniversary and look how far you've come!"

I look away as a painful shudder passes over him and a remembrance, dark and deep, clouds his eyes.

"Oh. This is a much better place to be," he says quietly with a far away voice.

In no time at all, just as darkness threatened an end to our assault, we had our dropped tree limbs stuffed into two containers and wheeled out to the street for pick up. The Wonder Husband was right. We did just have time for a quickie. Now it's time to go inside for a warm and proper anniversary celebration.

Happy Anniversary!

The Wedding Toast

Child in foreground waiting for cake!

Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. My husband, Randy, and I were married on this perfect Saturday evening in May of 1976. The ceremony was held in my parent's back yard. All was wonderful until later in the evening. My Maid of Honor's cousins got into a fist fight out in the middle of the street. What were they fighting over? Who was going to steal the empty keg, return it to the liquor store and pocket the deposit money. Family. Ya gotta love 'em.

Marriage is ebb and flow. We are in flow at the moment, thank goodness. Anniversaries are much happier celebrations when this is so!

The Honeymoon Car-'68 Cougar XR7

Cheers!