Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

After a hard day, when many things went wrong, we met in the kitchen to cook dinner together. Our conversation went something like this:
Jon: So you live on this campus, too. Where are you from?
Beverly: Mongolia.
J: You came in from Outer Mongolia?
B: No I came out from Inner Mongolia.
J: And what are you studying?
B: Organic farming.
J: So you’re into health foods?
B: No, we bring pipe organs from around the world to soothe the minds of farm animals. What are you studying?
J: Solar heating.
B: Saving the environment, huh?
J: Actually, we develop heat for your shoe soles.
B: Sounds great! I’d love to have some soler heat when I get cold feet.
J:. Come to the lab and I’ll warm you up. What’s your phone number?
B: It’s on the internet.
J: Great! What’s your name?
B: That’s also on the internet, right next to my phone number. Bye!

Then Beverly begins to dry lettuce in the salad spinner and Jon puts the fish on broil.

The Road to Power Snuggling
One of the best ways to keep refueling a serious, loving relationship is taking time for play and acting silly. Yes, act silly like a child. Role playing might work, but if you’re not into that, try some of these:
Take turns throwing a deck of cards, one by one, around the room and see where they land; when you’re with your kids or grandkids, choose an animal and mimic it’s action and sounds and tell what your animal is thinking; surprise your partner by cooking a strange combination of foods (some we tried were salmon soup and a sandwich with tuna, raisins and apple slices); splash each other with water on a hot day; dress up sexy for dinner; have a pillow fight; one blows bubbles and the other “catches” them – or reenact various ways you had fun when you first met.

Your weekly homework
Pick a few fun/silly things and do them this week. Then email us some of your favorite activities over the years to share with others. We won’t reveal names or emails.