Take, for instance, this holiday season. I've been here visiting Augustus and Kasie since Tuesday last week, December 23. We have made love many times, of course, but that is not how we have spent the majority of our time.

On Christmas Eve, we made a late turkey dinner, then went to Midnight Mass at the church Kasie and I attended growing up. I'll confess that we lingered late in bed on Christmas Day, but then, starting last Friday, we undertook a major redecorating project at Augustus's house. We helped him repaint a guest room, then helped him pick out new bedding, window treatments, and ceiling fan for the room. We even helped him replace the old ceiling fan with the one we'd chosen. That was interesting and sweaty work!

We then turned to the main upstairs bathroom. A former lover of Augustus had decorated it for him at least a decade ago in a Carribean theme. That was cute, but had become timeworn.

As it is the bathroom we women primarily use when visiting, we decided we would decorate it to our tastes. It is now a medium purple with deep green accents in a subtle floral theme. That all turned out to be a bigger job than we imagined, as it required some unanticipated repair work on part of the ceiling, We also again practiced our household electrical skills by swapping in a new light fixture. It took us until Tuesday to get it all done.

Rose got here early yesterday. She and Kasie made a unbelievably scrumptious standing rib roast for supper last night, then we settled in for a relaxed evening playing Bridge with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on in the background. At midnight, we popped Champagne and exchanged kisses all around. Then we ate pickled herring, an old tradition in both Augustus's and Rose's families.

Now, on New Year's Day, we're all together watching football, specifically, the Badgers against Auburn. All of us except Rose grew up in Wisconsin. Augustus and I are Madison alumni. Go BADGERS!

Put simply, our days are the same as anyone's, regardless of what sort of relationship they enjoy. We do make love, of course, but most of our time is spent doing other, often mundane, things. The only difference might be that our activities, sexual or otherwise, are even more fulfilling because we share comfortable companionship, fascinating friendship, and true and lasting love with more than just one other person.