Characters in my life

Quagmire ... A predicament, a "sticky situation", a swamp ...

I love the sound of this word - quirky and fun, but a word not used often enough. I have a thing for words, and this is one of my favorites.

Our plumber, Heating/AC, welder extraordinairre is quite literally a walking dictionary. A while back he used "quagmire" to describe a plumbing situation he had to fix - along with several other colorful words. RG, that's his name ... Robert Garland aka "RG"

is a character

His passion is Civil War reinactments and cussing. He is younger than me (early 30's), has a long, scruffy beard, and every time I've seen him he's been in overalls and work boots. I don't think he owns anything else. But, don't let his attire fool you. He talks with a southern twang he's quite proud of. He says words like "tater" "tamater" "reckin" "the old lady (his wife), and "crick". He has the gift of gab and can talk for hours on end. My husband, not a big talker, has been known to tune out RG's longrunning dialogues after an hour. But that doesn't bother RG. He'll talk for another 2 if he's not in the mood to go home. He has a rebel flag hanging in the front yard, right next to his American Flag. He listens to talk radio, NPR, watches CNN and any other news program he can locate. He is a REPUBLICAN and proud of it "dammit". When he was a kid he read encyclopedias and dictionaries for fun. He dropped out of school before he graduated. He is an all around genius, and if he doesn't know what he's talking about you'd never know it!

RG recently became a father. When he looks at his baby girl I see a softness in his eyes that I've not seen before. His little girl has him wrapped around her tiny little pinky. He is as honest as the day is long, and he has a big 'ol heart for old ladies with plumbing and heating problems. He is their knight in bib overalls - he just can't say "no" to them. He is a walking conflict. He is a character!

Are characters what make our lives colorful? I wouldn't want mine any other way!

What I know: My mom is such a blessing to me - without her I wouldn't be the person I am today. She loves me unconditionally, taught me how to be a good daughter, wife, and friend. She prayed for me all my life, and as an adult I can say she is one of my best friends. Thank God for my mom!

~ciao