November Gift

 

Typically around here November is cool, most days in the lower 50’s or upper 40’s.  But we recently had about a week of the most beautiful weather—deep blue, cloudless skies and temperatures in the low to mid 70’s and no humidity.  It was such a gift, especially since I missed most of the gorgeous October weather we had due to the hospital adventure.  I took full advantage and spent time outside as much as possible, opened the windows in my house, fired up the grill and had a return to summer, (except for the very early time the sunsets now).  It was wonderful but it’s over.  We just had a few days of dreary, rainy, cooler weather to remind us that winter is on the way.  So, too, are the big holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

The holidays are going to be quite different this year, given the resurgence of the virus.  It would be a sad time anyhow, since it’s the first holiday season without my brother Dan.  Now it really won’t even feel like a holiday, something that has happened all this year since the pandemic hit.  At least in the summer we were able to be together outside with people we know and love.  It’s just how it has to be this year, and hopefully next year there will be a vaccine and some immunity so we’ll be able once again to gather together to feast and reminisce, laugh and tell stories from our family’s past.  I will still make the traditional feast for my husband, daughters, and myself but will make smaller amounts.  I’ll pull out the china and wine glasses, and we’ll be thankful that we at least are together.  Maybe we’ll call or facetime with the family that we’ll be missing.  It will feel strange, but it will still be good.

I hope that you all are going to have a good holiday season, and make the best of whatever your circumstances are at present. 

Home and November

Home. Home sweet home!  I didn't realize how much I loved being home until I wasn't able to be for a month.  That's how long I spent in the hospital with Hillary recently.  Getting coffee from the machine on the hospital unit she was in, or when their wasn't any, running down to the hospital cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast before any of the many doctors made their rounds was not the best way to start the day,  This picture is of the first breakfast I had at home in a month, and I ate it in my robe at my leisure and even had a second and third cup of coffee just because I could and without interruption.  It's true that we really do miss the little things and that there truly is no place like home, as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz movie.                                                                                                                                                   

The ghosts and goblins have come and gone                                                                                              

A new month starts with the dawn

This is the month we most give thanks

For veterans, voting, and (fill in the blanks),

Please don't rush through this month November,

Take your time so you can remember,

Everyone you are most thankful for,

Feeling thankful for them is not a chore.                                                                                                                    And now we are in November.  The voting has been done but the counting of ballots is still going on.  The  pandemic still rages across our country, as does controversy, mean spirited debate between ordinary citizens, and politicians acting like children who only want their way no matter what.  It is disheartening, and depressing.  So to combat all of that, I am trying to think of and look for the good, the positive, and uplifting, as well as losing myself in books and reruns of crime dramas just because I want to.  Right now the weather here is beautiful and sunny, and unseasonably warm.  We are trying to spend time outside while we can without freezing our noses off, because I know that one day soon we'll be shivering and hiding inside under blankets watching clouds roll in filled with either cold rain or snow, or worse yet, sleet and freezing rain.  Those are dark days to which I don't look forward,  For now I won't think about them and will just enjoy the beautiful weather, and write my little poems and things when I get the chance.  I intend to also be mindful of all that I have to be thankful for, such as Hillary's recovery, nice weather when we get it, road crews who treat the bad roads when the weather gets icy, the sound of my wind chimes ringing in the breeze, ingredients to make food for us to eat, and friends who check in, as well as family who are dear to me.  These are strange times we live in, and it's not easy to keep things upbeat. We try, and keep moving forward trying our best not to get discouraged.                                                                                    

                                                                                   

  

                                                                                                           

                                 

Holiday Thoughts

Time is passing so quickly and we are now into December!  I kept meaning to post on here but somehow things just didn't work out that way. A broken iPhone, broken refrigerator and all the general busyness of life kept me away from this.  I did, however manage to compose a few poems for my Facebook page.  So here they are with a few thoughts about each one.



When everything is said and done,

And things are figured out,

You'll find it's who you see each day,

That really, truly counts,

All the anger will subside,

We'll live our lives as we must,

Love your family and your friends,

They're the ones that you can trust.

**I wrote this one the evening of the election, before watching any of the results coverage.  I confess to being unhappy with the results and removed the post the next morning as I was finding it hard to feel the way the poem suggests.  Now that we are a few weeks past that and trying to move forward I can say that I do feel that way again.  However, I have much concern about what will happen in the future in our country.  Hopefully there are enough sensible heads helping to keep things going in a positive direction.**

Thanksgiving Ditty

May your turkey be moist 

And your stuffing be yummy 

May you have enough food

To fill up your tummy

May goodness surround you,

Your loved ones as well,

And thankfulness fill you 

To make your heart swell.

**So I skipped ahead to Thanksgiving because that seems to be how things went, we recovered a bit from the election and suddenly it was time to prepare for the feast.  We had a very nice time, although tinged with a bit of sadness from missing Alison. Her sudden death the end of August has left the family feeling a bit off balanced.  Seeing my brother and his kids making their way forward through the grief of losing his wife and the children's mother is as heartbreaking as it sounds. The holidays will be  especially difficult for them. Still, we were all glad to be together for the day.**

Are you making turkey soup?

Or shopping 'till you drop?

Perhaps you're watching football

Or wielding broom and mop?

Perhaps you're working at your job

And helping others out

Or maybe you are reading?

Well whatever you're about

I hope this day's a good one

And you get some time to rest

Don't forget that in yourself 

Some time you should invest.

**This was written the day after Thanksgiving, on so called "Black Friday"".  I did not go near a mall, and never do. Since I host Thanksgiving every year, I take that day to rest and putter around the house cleaning up from the big event and putting away the holiday dishes, silver, pots and pans. I also take some time for myself and work a nap into the afternoon since I'm exhausted from all the preparations. I wouldn't change a thing, though. I love hosting Thanksgiving! The leftovers are nice, too!**

Thanksgiving's over

The feast is done

Just turkey soup remains

The rush has started

With the shopping and stress

Of Christmas and New Year's again

Shouldn't we pause

And take some time 

To enjoy everything we plan?

To consider the meaning

Of the season we love

Before it all comes to an end?

**The Monday after the Thanksgiving break is a tough one for me. Getting motivated and returning to work are challenging  enough but then thinking about getting all the Christmas preparations started feels overwhelming.  It all seems so rushed knowing that the biggest holiday of the year is bearing down and there are only 4 short weeks in which to shop, wrap, decorate, send packages and cards, bake cookies, attend parties and concerts, visit friends, and prepare for another family gathering. Yes, I host Christmas dinner as well. It's easier with Hillary and I do enjoy having everyone here.  So, I try to slow down and simplify and enjoy all the things that make this a meaningful time--extra time with family and friends, and thinking of how Christmas came to be in the first place through the birth of Christ. It's not easy to avoid getting caught up in the frenzy of this season, but it is important to try because daily life is stressful enough without adding unnecessary and unreal expectations to it in the name of Christmas. It's supposed to be a time of peace.  I'm trying. I hope you will too.**

Remember November

The ghosts and goblins have come and gone

A new month starts with the dawn

This is the month we most give thanks

For veterans, voting, and (fill in the blanks),

Please don't rush through this month November,

Take your time so you can remember,

Everyone you are most thankful for,

Feeling thankful for them is not a chore.

by S. Donald

Welcome to November, the most rushed through without acknowledging it month. It seems we go directly from Halloween to Christmas in a rushed haze barely sparing a thought for any of this month's events. Election Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving are all pretty important days but seem to be an afterthought.  How hard our ancestors fought for the right to vote, and some people in other areas of the world still don't have that right. Yet how many of us simply blow it off because either it's not an "important" election such as for president or because we don't like any of the candidates. Well I'd say every election is important because it gives each of us a chance to send a message. Even if the candidate we chose doesn't win, someone notices that x number of people don't agree with the person who won. Doesn't that help (at least in theory) send a message that there is important work to do in bringing all points of view into play? That may be too simplistic for some people's taste but hey, I'm just expressing my opinion which I have every right to do largely because of the people we honor on Veterans Day. Those brave men and women who gave service to our country so that we might all be able to sit around reading blogs where others share their thoughts on any subject they like from the comfort of our cozy homes. That's a pretty important day! Then there is Thanksgiving which has been diluted to be an excuse to over eat, over drink, watch football and plan Christmas shopping strategy. I hope we all pause in our indulging to be thankful for all that we have, material things and food but also our friends and family. The people who help make our lives as rich and full as they are. This is another important day!  So we have 30 days to try and keep a slower pace and bear in mind all we have to be thankful for. Let's not let the month go by in a blur, but live it one day at a time savoring the feeling each event brings.