Opinion: November never disappoints

What an enormous week this has been. The two most important men in my life both celebrated another year on the big blue marble we call earth.

The week started with my husband’s birthday, proceeded to my brother Brian Hill’s birthday and finished with my 40th wedding anniversary.

I actually have two wedding anniversaries each year. Not wanting to be like one of those sitcom husbands who forgets his wedding anniversary, Fred and I were married 40 years ago on the day after Thanksgiving. I’m not sure his logical-mathematical mind even knows what the actual date is. In his mind, our anniversary is the day after Thanksgiving and that is all there is to it. So whatever passes for our celebration is held the day after Thanksgiving.

Tradition holds that the 40th wedding anniversary is the ruby anniversary. Since I am not much of a jewelry person, I will have to figure out something else I want. A few years ago, it was a tires and tools anniversary. Don’t tell me we are not romantic.

While I guess I am not supposed to have a favorite brother, Brian was always my choice. He was the only one in my immediate family who understood me. My mother taught us to love each other but fully acknowledge we didn’t have to like each other, at least not all the time.

I always got the feeling our older brother Rocky would have preferred to be an only child. In high school, his two best friends were Larry Badorine and Johnny Kocoris. He loved those two guys much more than he loved Brian and me. We lost Johnny to a stupid swimming accident in the summer of 1969. A part of Rocky and our whole family never got over that loss.

I tend to marvel at people, mostly women, who say they are married to their best friend. My husband is many things to me. He is my rock, my protector and my adult supervision. My question is if you are married to your best friend, whom do you talk to when you want to complain about your spouse?

I had a male friend who said men and women could never be best friends because the sexes are too different. He believed men and women could be equal partners but never best friends.

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I have never had much fashion sense. Long sleeve, screen print T-shirts with peddle-pushers (remember those?) make up my everyday wardrobe. My podiatrist called me a hippy because I wear Birkenstock sandals pretty much year-round. When it gets cold, I have a pair of Ugg boots to keep my toes warm.

I have a third-hand London Fog trench coat in bright red that I love to pieces.

When it comes to costumes, I go for comfort, rather than style. This year I wore Halloween Peanuts pajama pants and a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown t-shirt, painted my face orange and wore my hair in a topknot bun.

Not an award-winning costume by any means but comfortable as can be. I think the most fun was when my friend and I went to a class reunion to take pictures before going to the Halloween Ball. Since I can’t be in two places at one time, I picked the party I thought would be the most fun.

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Long days and pleasant nights, have a good weekend.

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Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.