DAY AFTER DAY | #AtoZCHALLENGE (D) #MusicalMemories

81 Comments#AtoZChallenge 2017, #MusicalMemories, Memoir, Music, Writing/Blogging

Musical Memories #AtoZChallenge 2017


Welcome everyone, to the#AtoZChallenge Blogging Extravaganza, where hundreds of bloggers publish 26 posts in 30 days, one for each letter of the alphabet, covering a myriad of topics! “Musical Memories” is my theme.

Click HERE to see all posts and HERE to view the A to Z Blog. Please support our efforts by visiting, sharing and commenting. We have all worked long and hard on this project. Have fun and thanks for reading!

Day 4, April 5

DAY AFTER DAY | #AtoZChallenge 2017 (D) Day 4 #MusicalMemories #dogladysden Click To Tweet

The time: Winter 1971/72
The place: Toronto suburbs/City of Toronto

DAY AFTER DAY | #AtoZChallengeI met my ‘soul mate’ in March 1971. He had moved here directly from Italy six months earlier and barely spoke English.

We took an instant dislike to one another, which made for an awkward situation, as we shared the same social circle. (Read more about that in the ‘M’ post on April 15th.)

Slowly, our relationship became more friendly, then took a romantic turn when he asked me out on a date, that October. One night and we were both completely besotted!

We often went into the city, for soccer games, dinners, concerts and also to visit his cousins. They were such a jovial bunch! Despite the language barrier (their English was as bad as my Italian), we always had fun.

The best part? Unlike his relatives on the other side, they cared not a whit that I was neither Catholic nor Italian.

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Getting plenty of airplay that winter was Day After Day by Badfinger:

We’ll be celebrating our 44th wedding anniversary this August.

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Where were you in 1971?
Did you ever have a problem with your partner’s family?

Looking forward to your comments!

Debbie

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81 thoughts on “DAY AFTER DAY | #AtoZCHALLENGE (D) #MusicalMemories

    1. Thanks, J.Gi.! 🙂 It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. You’ll hopefully get there, too. I’m glad the song is somewhat familiar. Thanks for coming back to read my posts. I’ll have more time to reciprocate after this week, but I am sharing them all on Twitter via RSS feed.

      1. No hurries, Debbie. You can go check out the posts anytime. That’s what I am doing with others’ posts, because however much I try, I can’t get to everyone’s blog immediately. And thanks for the share on Twitter! I always click on the heart thing, he he…

  1. I’m loving your stories and how music is so connected to your life. It’s great that you are strong in your 44 years together even if you had to deal with his relatives. My hubby’s parents are dead so I think I’m lucky. My first husband, I loved them and they loved me even after we separated.

    1. I’m glad you’re enjoying my theme, Birgit. Apologies for the late replies. This A to Z Challenge has gotten away from me! 😮 Hubby’s relatives were a pain, but we showed them! They all said it wouldn’t last. 🙂 How nice that your former in-laws still liked you after the split.

  2. I love these love stories! Debbie, you look so pretty in that picture 🙂
    And completely besotted on the first date? Sounds familiar 😉 Many congrats on 44 years! So thrilled for you 🙂

  3. 1971 seems so long ago. I was in my mid teens so music was important to me. Enjoyed your post and congrats on 44 years.
    My A to Z Theme: Sharing Family History via #GenealogyPhotoADay
    Fran

  4. Thanks for sharing your story – I do love a love story. Love the song too – brought back memories of my youth – listened to this song day after day.

  5. What a great story! I love instant romance and that it wasn’t a fly by night thing. Fantastic to be up to 44 years and still going strong! We’re up to 34 so a bit of catching up to do!

  6. In 1971 I was in college and I had met my future husband (and husband of nearly 43 years) several months before. We were in the same geology class. His parents did not appreciate a non-Catholic non Italian girl from the Bronx dating their son, especially his father, but it did not stop us. Fortunately, my father’s side of my family was more accepting. I liked Badfinger very much; thank you for the memory.

    1. It seems we have a few things in common, Alana. 🙂 Relatives’ disapproval didn’t stop us either. They all said it wouldn’t last, but we got the last laugh!

  7. In 1971 I was busy being born and getting my diapers changed. 🙂 Funny how we sometimes suddenly start to click with people that we didn’t get along with at all previously.
    Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

  8. Well in 1971 I was busy being born and getting my diapers changed. 🙂 Funny how we sometimes suddenly start to click with people that we didn’t get along with at all previously.

    Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary!

    1. It looks like most people are younger than me, but that’s okay. I’m still young at heart. 🙂 Thanks; we ‘re amazed how quickly the time passed.

  9. Congratulations ahead of time on your 44th!

    Mom didn’t want Mary and me to get married because Mary wasn’t Irish. Then she didn’t want my brother to get married because his fiancee wasn’t Catholic. Finally, the next brother married a girl who was both Irish and Catholic, and she and Mom got along like a lit match and gasoline. Funny how things like that work out…

    1. I remember that story! Thanks for re-telling it. 🙂 Sounds like your Mom got what she deserved.
      We got the last laugh on hubby’s relatives, who all said it wouldn’t last.

    1. Good to stay out of those family squabbles. They’re no fun at all. 😛 Thanks; we’re still in shock that it’s been so long.

  10. I remember this song. It’s a good one. Love the grainy film of all the long haired lads in the band. So typically seventiesh.

    Great story of how you and the hubs met and it took a while before the sparks flew. Wow, 44 years! Good for you! Congrats!

    In 1971, I was only 11 on the brink of puberty. Don’t remember too much about that age but OMG turning 12 more than made up for it getting my period and filling out. And the rage of hormones of course. OH JOY! I could write many YA books on just being 12. No one would want to read that much angst though!

    1. Hard to believe we’ve been together that long! Even more incredulous is the fact that we’re both over 60. 😮 There’s a huge market out there for YA books, Cathy. 🙂 Something to think about? Angst is a good old German word that describes fear and anxiety. There was more of the latter and less of the former, for me.

  11. We got married in 1971. The end of my second year at university. He’d graduated and we took the plunge. Still together today, with 3 children, 5 grandchildren and 4 other chosen grandkids. Thanks for another great walk down memory lane.

    1. Congratulations, Susanne! 🙂 Longevity in marriage is cause for celebration, given the divorce statistics. Thanks for your support. I’m glad you’re enjoying my memoirs.

  12. Interesting tale on how you met. 44 years, congratulations.
    I got along pretty good with my ex-wifes family. Especially her Aunt and Cousin. Though divorced for 10 years, I still keep in contact with her cousin and aunt and we still get together from time to time. How odd is that?
    In 1971, I was probably crying somewhere in Milwaukee. I was only 1 at the time.
    Like your playlist for the day. Back in Time from Huey Lewis is well known to me.
    Have a great A-Z month.

    1. Thanks, Jeffrey. So good to see you, my friend! 🙂 I think it’s great that you can remain friends with your ex’s family. Just about everybody here seems to be younger than me. I remember your love of all things “Back to the Future”.

  13. A friend of mine’s daughter in law loves her. When her sons brought someone home she made it a point to be extra friendly and courteous. Her reasoning was how many people do you know dislike their mother in law because of something they said when they first met.

  14. My husband’s family liked me much more than my own family did. It’s probably why he won my heart, for the first time in my life I had or felt I had ‘family’! Interesting, never thought of it like that before! Sweet story! Thanks!

  15. Married. My mother-in-law was a wonderful person and that was great since my mother and I did not get along. As a matter of fact, we kept in touch after my divorce right up until her death.

    1. I didn’t get along well with my mother either. Thankfully, MIL lived in Italy, but that was the ‘command centre’ for the family. 😛 How nice that you kept in touch with yours, even when she became an ex.

  16. That’s adorable love story, best wishes for anniversary , lucky you that they accept you with open heart
    I was not exist at that time ?

    1. The cousins liked me, but not the rest of the family. 😛 I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Yes, I know, most of you are much younger. That’s okay. I’m still young in my head. 🙂

  17. I love that song, Debbie! I still have the vinyl! The riffs are great! I’ve even sung it with a mock mic! Those were the days, eh! 1971 would have seen me in 4th grade, i think and my biggest goal in life was to enjoy that big eggshaped chocolate filled sweet at the local baker’s! My wedding was an unusual one. We expected a max of 250 people to attend, but almost 800 turned up. Who knew? My partner’s folk like me very much.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the song, Vidya. 🙂 That must have been some wedding party! 😮 You are fortunate to have loving in-laws. Mine were somewhat unenlightened. 😛

  18. 44 years? That’s so great. Really great. I’m not convinced there are such things as ‘soul mates’, but I’m glad you found a life partner.

    1. Yes, that is probably true. If you feel that strongly against someone, it is easier to turn it around than if you don’t care one way or the other. 🙂

  19. wow – what a fabulous story. How’s your Italian now? In 1971 I was on a ship coming from Europe to India around the Cape of Good Hope – and then the Bangladesh war broke out.

    1. My understanding of Italian has improved a lot, but I don’t speak it all that well. Takes practice. 😛 That must have been a difficult journey for you! What an adventure, though.

  20. I always enjoy hearing the stories about how you met your husband. They are always entertaining (or maybe I’m just a nosey person). Looking forward to your next installment!

    1. It’s been a long, interesting life and there’s more to come, yet. 🙂 I think most of us enjoy reading about other people’s lives. Thanks, Mary!

  21. 1971 was ten years before i was born….i think many marriages are spoilt by unnecessary spoken words and hence the initial language barrier you had helped in laying a strong foundation for your relationship

    1. We disliked each other on sight and that’s a universal language. 🙂 Most people here are much younger than me. Oh well, stories from “grandma” can be interesting, sometimes. 😀

  22. Ha, where in world do in-laws come completely problem free? at least one member who’s a miserable git, if not the whole bunch 🙂
    44 years is seriously neat, wowza! So, so precious! Congratulations! Wish you many more years together.
    And I am totally old enough to remember ‘Day after day’ though can’t quite recall the first listening – must have been on the radio – that’s all the gizmo we had in the house back then related to music. The record player came later in the 70’s…
    Am really enjoying your series… and the songs! Thanks.

    1. One side of the family was upset because I wasn’t Catholic or Italian The cousins in Toronto from the other side weren’t the least bit disturbed. I don’t understand why people are so xenophobic. We’re all human, yes? We can scarcely believe so many years have passed or that we’re both over 60 now. 😮 Thanks for your support. 🙂 I’m enjoying your theme as well.

  23. It would be such a relief to be accepted as I am by the in-laws! Don’t have much hope for it though, things being in India the way they are. I am happier being single, I guess.
    Happy AtoZing!

    1. I was dealing with an old-world Italian faction of my husband’s family. At least his cousins in Toronto were welcoming. Some people truly are happier single. Whatever works best for you is the way to go. 🙂

  24. Well I for a minute thought this was another song which had “day after day” as the chorus. I can’t remember the name nor the singer but I think it is of the same vintage and possibly you know what I am talking about…. Anyways, it was a nice hark back to the old days…. And aren’t we all out laws of our in-laws?