DIARY OF GEORGIA: MY LIFE MY LOVE 1

DIARY OF GEORGIA: MY LIFE MY LOVE 1

Georgia,is my love, she has a voice like honey. I love everything about her I will never will hurt her in any way. She brings joy to my life. With every breath I take she is always on my mind.

We met in the summer of sixty two and I thought she was the most amazing woman I had ever met in my life. We are exact opposites but we blend so well.

I'm back home, it is early morning, about six am and she has made a golden stack of waffles with a hint of grated orange rind. She places a heart shaped pat of creamy butter on the top and has a small pitcher of slightly warmed orange blossom honey on the side. I bring the Lo-Heet drip coffeemaker filled with deep rich coffee on a tray with cream and sugar, The mugs are on the table.

She drinks her black coffee and devours a waffle then another. I am still stirring my coffee with cream and sugar and she has finished already. Where she gets this boundless energy I do not know. Georgia looks exceptionally beautiful in the pink peignoir set I brought home from Paris. It is so complimentary to her skin tones and the blue and green embroidery with the deeper pink roses enlighten her fiery hazel eyes with dazzling excitement. She waits for me to nibble at my waffles and pours herself another cup of coffee.

I'm back home after being in Paris for three weeks on business and she was here busy as usual and painting. We chat about what did these weeks apart. Yes we did miss each other but we also have a wide variety of interest that the other does not have any interest. This is what makes our thirty year union so unique. We are opposites but we do attract !

"When I came in last night I saw that you had painted the three walls downstairs and it is gorgeous !" Georgia says the color is citron-yellow the color of the scarf I had bought her two years ago. She goes on to say that the room feels much warmer when the flames from the fireplace dauntingly reflect onto the walls. The fireplace is made from soapstone and the back wall was originally layered out in a slightly lighter sandstone with slight flecks of yellow that complimented the fireplace stone. “Did my crate of pictures arrived from the Artist Gallery she say yes.

"Well did you open it?' I as I excitedly. "Darling it was addressed to you, yes,

I was curious but waiting for you to be the one to open the package." After all these years she never opens my mail or packages she leaves them for me. We both agreed long ago it was alright if either of us opened the others mail or at least the packages.

"Sweetheart , you go get dressed and I'm out to the shed for the ladder...meet me downstairs and be prepared to work." She gives me that already knowing look.

I get the ladder and she is dressed in her old citron- yellow paint spattered jeans

a white shirt with a yellow belt and of course her four inch heels ! I am always amazed that she can scramble up and down a ladder in those impractical heels but she has been wearing heels since she was eighteen years of age. She of course knows what I am thinking always and even gives me that smug smile so I take her in my arms and kiss those full red lips and say," Merry Christmas Sweetheart lets open the crate."

Once inside she sees there are six black and white pictures boldly framed in driftwood with ebony matting in four various dance themes of dancer Martha Graham.

Appalachian Spring

Blood Memory

Lamentation

Joan of Arc

one with Erick Hawkins

(they had been

married a short time)

one of her with President Ford

receiving the

Medal of Freedom,

the highest civilian award

in the United States

We both decide at the same time that they will be placed on the walls along fireplace so that the dancing flames will illuminate the black and white photos. Now I am wondering how in the world did she have the foresight to paint the walls citron-yellow ?

We both worked diligently all day to place those six pictures seeing them as you entered also while sitting in front of the fireplace as these were the only photos in the room. The fall leaves are twirling around like dancers and the air is crisp. Soon there will be snow on the ground. We decide to take a walk before lunch and bundle up and go outside for a walk with "Bebe" and "Frito" our two adopted stray cats. Walking through the countryside sure makes you build a huge appetite and I am hungry as we approach the door. Enter the barn I smell the distinct aroma of Navy Bean and ham hock soup. Hmmmmmmm she set the crock pot to low just before we left knowing we would be famished from that long walk. Getting the Oyster crackers and bowls out we have a feast in front of the fire admiring our Martha Graham photos. Dinner is over, cats fed now it's our time so I carry my sweetheart up to our bedroom with wild passionate lovemaking we both fall happily asleep.

©Julia A Knaake