February 7,2008, Chevy Chase. Cacoon

These past two weeks Ken and I have been wrapped in our own little cacoon.  First in the hospital for six days and then in the apartment for ten days we  have been together in the same space.  This is a very unusual situation for us.  But we have survived and thrived.  I keep projecting forward twenty years when we are both in some tiny apartment both house bound. I wonder.  I went to the office today for a short time, and I must say the real world looked mighty good.  Ken is getting better bit by bit.  I still hear those "ah shit" from time to time tho.

Ken and I have been married for almost 50 years, and I must say that many friends who knew us when we married had grave doubts that we would ever stay married for 50 years.  I think the key to our marriage was that we both had our own separate work worlds that we didn't share much.  We were like railroad tracks parallel to each other, tied together with the children,our travels and our friends, but both with a whole world of responsibilities ourselves.

The other thing we have always done was switch tasks.  Ken paid the bills for a few years, then I did.  I cooked for 25 years, then Ken cooked for 25 years.  Somethings never changed .  Ken was responsible for the outside and I for the inside of the house.  So we worked it all out.  We are also very stubborn.  So for Ken and I to be together for two weeks is very unusual.  We operate at differing speeds; we think along differing patterns;  but it worked.  Now Ken is getting better.  And this is a good thing.