Tuesday, February 18, 2014

GRATITUDE TUESDAY: FOUR WILLIES & DOUBLE DECK PINOCHLE

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

Today I am especially grateful for four men, each named Willy -- but my Willy in particular -- and the game of double deck pinochle.

How to explain?

We'll begin at the beginning. As you know, the love of my life (other than Favorite Young Man, The Hurricane, and Middle Child and her children) is named Willy Dunne Wooters. Mr. Wooters and I do not share a residence. I have my little house. He has his apartment near where he works. We usually get together once during the week, and then spend part of the weekend in tandem in my humble abode. (I won't go to his apartment. He has lived there for eight years and never cleaned the bathroom, but don't get too upset about this failing. He is clean and shiny when he's in my house. He understands my little OCD ways and he returns his coaster to the coaster holder on the lazy susan in the kitchen, among other vital tasks required to avoid rocking my world.)

Recently, Willy Dunne Wooters announced he would have to spend part of a Sunday away from me. "Smith" is flying in, and I'm going to the airport to meet him, Willy Dunne Wooters said.

I felt quite perplexed and requested details.

When I lived in *******, Willy Dunne Wooters said, "Smith" and "Jones" and "Wonka" and I got together every week to play double deck pinochle. "Smith" has a fairly long stop here today, so I'm going to the airport to pick him up. We're going to have lunch.

Pray tell, I uttered, doth "Smith" have a first name?

Oh, yes, Willy Dunne Wooters answered. His name is Willy, Willy Dunne Wooters explained. All four of us are named Willy so when we got together to play double deck pinochle we always called each other by our last names, Willy Dunne Wooters added.

You're shitting me, I said. All four of you are really and truly named Willy? I asked.

Oh, yeah, sure, said Willy Dunne Wooters. We've been friends for years. They all call me Wooters.

Then Willy Dunne Wooters went off to visit with "Smith" for a little while, and I called The Hurricane.

You won't believe it, I told her. Willy Dunne Wooters used to play double deck pinochle with three other men and every single one of them is named Willy.

The Hurricane might have been even more astonished by this news than I was. Willy is the only Willy I've ever known, I said.

I know a Willy, said The Hurricane. I work with a Willy, she said.

You know what I want? I said. I want a painting, I began

like the dogs playing poker, The Hurricane continued

BUT IT WOULD BE THE FOUR WILLIES PLAYING DOUBLE DECK PINOCHLE, we finished together.

Great minds do think alike.

Can you even imagine having four Willies in the same room?





Willy Dunne Wooters, thank you for being you. I'm so grateful you're in my life. Forevermore, the thought of four Willies and double deck pinochle will bring a smile to my face.


Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

32 comments:

  1. That is awesome. I would like to see this painting as well.

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    1. Unfortunately, The Hurricane does not have time to paint these days.

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  2. What a great and very fun story! You should get that painting.

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    1. Thank you, Barb. Maybe someday The Hurricane will have time to paint it for me.

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  3. ...he returns his coaster to the coaster holder on the lazy susan in the kitchen, among other vital tasks required to avoid rocking my world...

    That was the funniest line. :-)

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    1. Accommodating my OCD is an important part of our relationship.

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  4. This gives me the willies, Janie Junebug! Seems every Tom, Dick and Harry is named Willy. If it turns out all four of them bear a striking resemblance to Ryan Gosling, it'll be downright spooky!

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    1. Oh, I'm quite certain (in my feverish imagination) that they all look like Ryan Gosling.

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  5. I just love this post so much and can't even narrow it down to one reason why.

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  6. It sounds like the beginning of a joke, "four Willies were playing pinochle, when one Willy..." Or maybe a limerick. If it were a painting, it would have to be on velvet.

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    1. Black velvet with a red border. I'll hang it over my bed.

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  7. Oh, I want to see the painting now! You can't ever have too many Willies in your life, can you?

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  8. LOL! Four in one place? That might be too much for me!

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  9. Don't worry, dear. I'm an experienced older woman. I can handle them.

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  10. I knew a Willie in college. Actually named Will. Not William. And I played double deck pinochle for years. A marginally small world, isn't it. Unless my old Will was in that room. I don't want to know.

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  11. I don't know why, but this made me think of what we said to each other when we were kids:
    "No shit?"
    "Absolute constipation."
    We played pinochle, too.
    And drank beer.
    Good times, good times.
    No shit.

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    1. I suspect the Willies did some drinking, too. I have no idea how to play pinochle. WDW wants to teach me. I don't think an old bitch like me can learn new tricks.

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  12. Calling friends by their last names is quiet common in the military. It is stenciled on your shirt. Of the 30 or so men in my division, I only knew a few by their first name. Everyone else was last name. I run across it frequently on my Facebook page, too.

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    1. I don't think he knew the other Willies until he was out of the military. I think using last names is more of a guy thing, but in their case they did it to avoid confusion.

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  13. Hi Janie .. well you've certainly got your work cut out with all those Willies! Just hang on to your Dunne Wooters ... and have fun! Cheers Hilary

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  14. What are the odds of four Willies? Though I did go to high school with a Willie. Well, truth be told there were at least as many Willies as there were boys, but only ONE was actually named Willie ;)

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    1. It's one of the strangest and funniest things I've ever heard. Truth is always stranger than fiction.

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  15. I've never had 4 willies in the same room as me. Well, at least, not that I could see.

    -andi

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    1. You've probably been with more Willies than you'll ever know.

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  16. All those Willies would probably give me the willies!

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    1. I bet they wouldn't if they look like my Willy.

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  17. Poor me, I don't think I even know 1 Willie. I have to think on that.

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