40

Forty things I love about Politica, in no particular order:

1. She doesn't give up.
2. She speaks Norwegian.
3. She loves me.
4. She supplies me with Broadway music even though she's not a big fan of the genre.
5. She reads me mythology while I'm falling asleep.
6. And then she'll tell me what I missed the next day.
7. She is teh fun mommy to Curious Girl.
8. She didn't complain when I dragged her on a veeerry long hike in Norway, not even when she lost a few toenails in subsequent weeks (although she was very happy when I later got her proper hiking boots).
9. She learned how to garden even though she thought she couldn't.
10. She happily comes with me to quirky museums (the sardine museum in Norway, the ironworking museum in Budapest, many a barbed wire exhibit in Texas) that she'd never glance at on her own.
11. She believes in me.
12. She taught me that boundaries are beautiful.
13. She taught me that travelling more slowly is fun.
14. She plays the guitar.
15. She sings.
16. She is silly, sometimes.
17. She is smart.
18. She is strategic.
19. She has beautiful, beautiful blue eyes.
20. She is funny.
21. When she has a good meal, she says, "food is good."
22. She gets involved.
23. She knows her limits.
24. She plants zucchini every year, even though every year, something eats it. (Marge Piercy would not have written this if she lived with us.) Such optimism!
    
25. She is amazing at playing with kids.
26. She is political.
27. She has a generous, loving heart.
28. She is reflective.
29. She takes the high road.
30. She is strong inside.
31. She is adaptable, in the long run.
32. She is a great teacher.
33. She is musical.
34. She is a nerd (we met discussing our mutual interest in a certain Congressional testimonry and how to access the government docs in the M Go Blue library). I love feminist nerds.
    
35. She makes great pestos.
36. She is beautiful.
37. She laughs at me just the right amount.
38. She smiles at me.
39. She is ethical.
40. She is fun, and she learns new things, and she loves art and photography, and walking through art fairs, and she is a wonderful driver and the best person I can think of to take a long car trip with, and there is always something new to do together to learn just a little more about her....
    

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you.