Dancing in Life

Tonight that Spouse o'  Mine and I were in the kitchen, making pizzas.  His: Ham & pineapple.  Mine: Vegetarian.  We were listening to my all-time favorite Saturday evening radio show, The Retro Cocktail Hour.  As we waited for the oven to heat up, we began dancing across the kitchen floor.  It was fun!  We laughed and danced and laughed.  And then I reminisced about our sweet Michigan neighbors in East Lansing:

He was head of the Math Department, and wore a wry smile and a Scroodge McDuck hairstyle.  She, a petite thing, sported a brunette pixie cut and a calm demeanor.  Such great neighbors they were!   They were both jolly and positive folks.  We could not have asked for better neighbors.  They seemed to get a kick out of our young brood - a four year old, a three year old, and an infant.

Our Michigan winters were long.  They started early with short daylight and meager temperatures. For Halloweens, we planned our kids' costumes around heat and warmth.  We could have snow until May.  It was OK.  Everyone makes adjustments to their particular winter deals.

So, back to tonight, dancing along to the Retro Cocktail Hour:  I reminisced to that Spouse o' Mine about an evening in February, so many years ago:

Our good neighbors would put Christmas lights outdoors every year.  Annually.  And they never took them down until mid-February. She explained one year that they kept the Christmas lights up until after their wedding anniversary in February.  I thought this was stellar.  (Having a February anniversary myself.)  I thought that was so sweet.  The Michigan snow would build and build onto these outdoor lights until all we neighbors could see was a hedgerow of white snow interspersed with glowing lights of all colors.  It was a hazy mix, there in the winter dark.

One particular year, in February, I walked into our kitchen to do whatever it was a young mother does: get baby breakfasts ready, make formula, assess the laundry, WHATEVER.

And I looked out our north kitchen window.

Dark and full of snow.

Next door, beyond the hedgerow of white snow and glowing lights were our two sweet neighbors, dancing together.

I knew it was their anniversary.  I love that I witnessed their evening.