I’ll be the first to admit it. I am a hopeless romantic and I enjoy settling in with a good Hallmark movie. Of course, lately, I enjoy the fact I can “rest my eyes” for a minute or two and still follow the storyline. Besides, I still have quite a few hundred ways to go before I nail the 1,001 ways to present a Hallmark script — not including the seasonal fare like Christmas, Christmas in July, Valentine’s Day, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The romantic side of me dates back a few decades when Karen and I would cuddle up with a good chick flick. We called it our Saturday dinner and date night, courtesy of Netflix before streaming. She would generally pick out the weekend movie and await the little red packet to arrive sometime during the week. Occasionally, she would let me pick out the movie with the caveat, action is okay but mindless mayhem isn’t. We never had to worry about horror or the supernatural because neither was in our respective genre tastes.

Of course then came DirecTv, which we purchased for the football package (go Green Bay. It included the Hallmark Channel. HGTV, DIY Network, and the Food Channel were her during the day watching preferences, but Hallmark and selected broadcast shows flashed on the evening screen — and often on DVR to be watched at a later time.

Viewing patterns become ingrained. After she died, I found myself watching the same series — including the insanely stupid Psych — and genre of movies we watched together. And I found myself drifting more and more toward the Hallmark Channel for entertainment sans the dinner and the date. I looked forward to its Saturday night premieres and, with the advent of its separate offerings in Drama and Movies & Mysteries, I now had additional DVR material.

I bring this up because last night while watching Timeless Love, it struck me how riveted I was to Hallmark. It reminded me how I had to set my alarm about 18 months ago to find out just how the main characters in One Winter Proposal advanced from Cara returning to the chalet in casual attire from a day of snowboarding to being all dolled up as she found Ben under a rose-laced trellis overlooking a picture window showcasing the snow and mountains.

Fantasy. Sweet fantasy. Besides, in addition to the gushy romance, a number of storylines center on two of my favorite things — food {from cupcakes to restaurants} and writing {book stores, book tours, writer’s block}. That, of course, brought me down another rabbit hole. As I scanned all Hallmark has to offer, it struck me how many I have already watched — more than half, well more than half. In fact, I would be pretty scared if I hadn’t taken a nine month hiatus while I was on the road.

Do not fear, however. I have the DVR set for Aug. 1 when Romance in the Air premieres … and still enough “to be watched” films in the queue.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Three things in life that are constant: God, Change, Death.