Story 2 - Skål Participation Ribbon

This beer was created in anticipation of the warm Canadian summer; but the seasonal focus slowly fell off and became a year-round option…leading to the name…

In my household, there are no chores I can do quick enough or well enough for my wife to see how great I thought I did (I mean that with positivity and an immense appreciation for he skill, speed and drive - I love you, Babe!).  I cannot count how many times I have had the lawn mower gassed-up and over a dozen rows complete; and then I’ll stop to grab a beer.  Or I’ll be in the middle of folding 4 loads of the family’s clothing, leaving 1 bin for a moment, and I return, seconds or minutes later, and she’d have the task completed.  Or how I’d “help” with dinner.  I’d make the veggies (which is just putting them in the microwave), maybe the air fryer, but I’d be lost when it came to “the mains”, so she’d finish that off.  Or I’d collect the garbages and miss a room; she’d get it.  To that end, I named this beer the “Participation Ribbon” because, in all the help I thought I was offering, in all the greatness I thought I was demonstrating, I would be unable to finish whatever chore or task I started.  Mel, absolutely, deserves a crisp red, first-place ribbon; but all I deserve is the purple participation ribbon :)

Since I was getting the “Participation Ribbon”, I thought I could name this beer that way so I would always be eligible for another beer :)

 

This theory and mantra started to span across the seasons…

In the Winter, I’d shovel the drive way, start working on the sidewalk, and Mel would have finished the end of the drive before I could turn around…

In the Spring, I’d pack 1-2 bags/items for donation and spring cleaning and walk into the other room where she’d have used her super-skills and 75% of the room had already been bagged, boxed, sorted for the different donation locations, and stacked in the corner so it wouldn’t be in the way…

In the Summer, we would go fishing.  I’d pull in a medium or small pike, and Mel would tangle in the largest large mouth bass I’ve seen come out of that lake in my entire life…

In the Fall, our birthdays land within a week of each other. I’d plan and budget for some of the most thoughtful gifts or experiences…And she’d beat me there too…Although she would have surprised me with a super thoughtful and above budget gift, she’d tip the scales in her favour as she’d wake up beside me and, without much more than “Good Morning”, she’d tell me she loves me - And there’s no gift that could ever beat those words from such a priceless and valued woman.

 

So;

When your team finally wins a game…

When your golf score is less than 100…

When you finally do all the chores before being asked…

or

When you finally remember an anniversary…

That calls for a ribbon;

a Skål Participation Ribbon!