Thankful Moments

Yesterday was a lively and family filled Thanksgiving day.   I looked back at other posts I did and realized that they pretty much go the same way....food, family, full bellies and good times.  Sometimes we have more folks here and sometimes less.  This was a "more" day and we couldn't have been happier.    There are those who aren't here in body but thoughts of them are so heartfelt.  Jack and I talked about the Thanksgiving dinners we had when his folks were alive.   I know he misses them at this time of year so I try and make the traditional foods his Mom made and know I can never make them as good...she was a southern gal who could make the best gravy!  But nobody has complained around here so I think all was good!  My sister and Mom were planning on coming this weekend but the 6 hour drive seemed a bit too much for Mom this time, so they stayed put and enjoyed the family in Chicago.  We talked on the phone and sent videos of everyone to Mom and to our son Craig out in Portland...wait, he wasn't in Portland...the family went to Amy's family in Spokane, Washington.   I know they have many traditions that our from Amy's family and then mix them with their own.  That's how it's done, I'm sure, in many families all over the country.  There's something comforting about things being the same each year.  It centers you while the world keeps spinning around.   I hope your day was great and time was taken to remember blessings.   I'm so grateful for my family and this wonderful country we live in.   Happy Thanksgiving.

Turkey and stuffing getting ready for the big day.

Me with no makeup....nuff said.

Post dinner festivities...the blasting of the pumpkins.  Sorry neighbors...(not sorry)

Lexi is a darn good shot...and knows gun safety too.  Her sister, Addy,  says she doesn't like guns at all and hates to even touch one.  So we went for a walk.

On our walk I spotted the next door neighbor's pumpkins and wondered how they would feel about donating some for the cause...then reconsidered since the noise may not be their favorite part of the day!

Evelyn went with us and I  stopped for a  Kodak moment.  Can you spot the photo bomber? It's not real, just a cut-out but we had a good laugh about it!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours...take a deep breath and enjoy this weekend!

Yep, It's Monday

I guess I should have been happy to see this week start since last week I started out on Monday not feeling very good and by Tuesday I was certain I felt like crap.  A cold.  A simple pain the bum cold.  I haven't had one in many years and I'm blaming this on the flu shot I was forced  invited to take.  They give many threats incentives to help you make that decision.  Things like $25 dollars if you take it.  You don't have to wear a mask all day...even while eating...if you take it.  You can wear the sticker they put on your ID badge proudly if you take it.  You won't infect the whole world population and kill your family if you take it.  I could go on but I'll just say I'm blaming everything that has gone bad in the past week on the flu shot.  Actually, nothing has really gone bad except my sore throat, coughing, squeaky voice the feeling of just not feeling good.   Anyway, I'm better today and I'm blaming that on the zinc I took.   It's Thanksgiving week and I have  much to be thankful for....family, friends (blog and others) Chubbs, food to eat and a warm home thanks to Jack getting the wood burner up and running.  So, as we prepare for this Thursday to host family, I'm wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you're safe, and healthy!  I rarely put a post up without a pic so here's all I've got for today:

My sister and I with a turkey we made around 1973 or so...can't tell it's the 70's?  The crappy Polaroid and the wallpaper are hints but Midge's shirt and my plaid are sure fire 70's!  Happy Turkey Day!

Thank You Veterans

Just a quick post to shout out a very grateful  "THANK YOU"  to all our veterans.  We celebrate your bravery, willingness to serve, and love of  this great country.   It saddens me that we have so many that say we are not great but do nothing but grandstand and draw attention to themselves instead of putting energy into making it better.  Did you vote?  Do you take part in community improvements? Do you find out as much information about issues and make good choices for political changes?  I'm pretty far from perfect on these myself but I'm trying to do better and will always support those who risk their lives for us.  Will I ever "take a knee"?  You bet...in prayer daily and I pray we can be the great country, wonderful people of America, and strong supporters of freedom.  God Bless America and a humble thanks again to our service men and woman.   My Dad served in WWII and my brothers in Vietnam...so proud of them! 

Miss my Dad every day.

A photo of war torn Berlin that my Dad took during the war.

Yep, he's the guy with the green X! 

Howdy November

Ahhh, November, the quiet month.  I say this because once December hits it's all about getting ready for Christmas and that can be a really busy time.  Even the hospital gets busier because everyone wants to get their surgeries done before the beginning of new insurance deductibles.   November has the promise of Thanksgiving, turkey, family, and not as much hustle and bustle. 

We still have many trees that haven't turned yet. Walking in the Creepy Woods yesterday I was happy to see a little color.  It's been the latest Fall leaf peeping ever around these parts.

Some pretty yellows.

The Creepy Woods gets much less creepy as the leaves fall and it's more open and easy to hike.  We've had some crazy weather around here that will probably take care of many leaves.  Tonight we heard the tornado siren go off.  There was a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado warning.  Tons of rain, lightening and from the looks of Facebook, maybe a tornado touch down near here.  We never lost power so I'm glad of that but hope our friends and neighbors are doing OK. 

I put a bench out front near the driveway.  What's funny is my kiddos came last weekend and nobody noticed it...really.   My sister said "How could they not notice it"...my answer: "My kids were raised by wolves".   She just said I was weird.  She's right!  But today I did see a funny thing in the back yard.  It's probably better to see this than a pink elephant:

I'm not sure if it's domestic or an albino wild rabbit.  It wasn't friendly and ran away, hopefully to it's home!  Jack is super allergic to rabbits so no rescue from our point.  Anyway, howdy November!  It's time to really count my blessings and enjoy the calm before the storm.