It probably isn’t obvious that these socks are special. I mean, to be honest, I’ve referred to these as the Spaghetti-O socks since the Puddinette brought them home. Because to me, just like any kid of Generation X, orange rings the rough color of cheese/tomato sauce just sing Franco-American. But these socks, unlike the 182 pairs that came before them, actually have been the only ones to become the dreaded Mateless Pair before they even got to the Drawer of Plenty.
I won’t lie; we all knew it was going to happen sooner or later. The fact that it did…well, that makes this pair, more than all the others, just right for today.
Why? Because my amazing wife, who has been putting up with me for nigh-on 18 years at this point (for reasons that still escape me), celebrates another successful trip around the sun today. She is the lynchpin that keeps the gears of our family machine turning, and the force that makes my crazy, sometimes ridiculous ideas even marginally feasible.
Which is to say, there would be no Great Sock Project of 2018 if not for her.
So even though I know she‘ll hate the attention, I hope everyone who knows me or reads this take a moment and wish her a marvelous, amazing birthday. Because without her, none of this works. I just don’t work.
I’m glad this pair of socks turned out not to be mateless after all.
Almost as much as I’m glad I didn’t turn out that way either.
Feliz cumpleanos, Querida. Te amo mas que…
Puddintopia 
Happy birthday to you, Pudinette! I hope your birthday was a sparkling one.
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