November 29th: Today I Am Thankful for Snow

 The snow has piled up. It has made driving difficult. It has kept people from traveling to places they wanted to go. It has slowed down football playoffs and the start of school.

 I still love snow. I love how it blankets the roses and protects them until spring. I love how it covers the weeds that didn't get pulled as Indian summer turned quickly into a cold autumn. I love how it shimmers in the sunlight with tiny diamonds dancing in the light.

The snow is here for now. It made hiking around the playground today difficult for my students. It caused a few falls as the ice settled in under the snow.

I still love snow. I love how it brings out the child in people of all ages as snowmen are built, a few snowballs are thrown, and people stand and let snowflakes touch their tongues. I love the younger children at school that waddle around at lunchtime in their snowpants knowing in a few minutes they will be flying down the steep hill on the playground once again.

More snow is predicted. The shovels, snow blowers, and plows will be out again. I still love being inside by the fire and watching snowflakes fall on the deck. I love it when the dogs race through the snow, getting buried in a pile before they are done running. I love how the cats leave little pawprints all the way down the driveway.

Yes, I love snow.

November 28th: Today I Am Thankful for Life

  I am always pleased when I stumble upon a new poem or new poet. Eleanor Lerman and I have shared similar experiences. We grew up during the same time. She reminded me today what life does. I too shared that late night pumpkin pie with my dog this week-end.

Starfish
by Eleanor Lerman
This is what life does. It lets you walk up to the store to buy breakfast and the paper, on a stiff knee. It lets you choose the way you have your eggs, your coffee. Then it sits a fisherman down beside you at the counter who say, Last night, the channel was full of starfish. And you wonder, is this a message, finally, or just another day? Life lets you take the dog for a walk down to the pond, where whole generations of biological processes are boiling beneath the mud. Reeds speak to you of the natural world: they whisper, they sing. And herons pass by. Are you old enough to appreciate the moment? Too old? There is movement beneath the water, but it may be nothing. There may be nothing going on. And then life suggests that you remember the years you ran around, the years you developed a shocking lifestyle, advocated careless abandon, owned a chilly heart. Upon reflection, you are genuinely surprised to find how quiet you have become. And then life lets you go home to think about all this. Which you do, for quite a long time. Later, you wake up beside your old love, the one who never had any conditions, the one who waited you out. This is life’s way of letting you know that you are lucky. (It won’t give you smart or brave, so you’ll have to settle for lucky.) Because you were born at a good time. Because you were able to listen when people spoke to you. Because you stopped when you should have and started again. So life lets you have a sandwich, and pie for your late night dessert. (Pie for the dog, as well.) And then life sends you back to bed, to dreamland, while outside, the starfish drift through the channel, with smiles on their starry faces as they head out to deep water, to the far and boundless sea.

November 27th: Today I am Thankful for The Kittens

 These kittens I brought home in June are hardly kittens any more. In fact,Grayson and Junebug are making a trip to the vet Tuesday "to get tutored". ( an old Far Side cartoon line I have always loved.) It has been entertaining to watch them in the snow. It has also been more difficult to catch them for photos because they are so active. Enjoy!

The kittens were interested in the dogs next door, the dogs, Everett chopping wood, and the other cats. As you can see Kit isn't bothered by much. He just loves blending into the snow.

November 26th: Today I Am Thankful for Everything

Today I am thankful for quality time spent with my husband, a nice overnight stay out of town, a safe drive home, cats to greet us, a home that was intact, wood to warm the house, homemade chicken noodle soup, pumpkin pie, Almond Roca, and an early night to bed with a new book to read. Bliss.

Thanksgiving Thoughts From the Blog Archives

Good Grief! What happened to Thanksgiving?
I love harvest decor and the Thanksgiving holiday. When I see cans of Libby pumpkin, canned milk, and little jars of Kraft cheese waiting on display shelves at the grocery store I am taken back to childhood preparations for Thanksgiving. Because of the food associated with Thanksgiving the holiday does still exists in grocery stores.

What happened to the other very large discount one-stop-shopping stores? One day we were tripping over Halloween candy, costumes, and pumpkins with steam coming out of the tops and then out came the Christmas stuff. How did we go from Star Wars costumes to Santas that dance when you walk by? Good grief! I waited too long to shop for Thanksgiving. All I wanted was a table runner that had a fall motif. What I found were candy canes, snowflakes, and things that sing Christmas songs as you walk down the aisle.

When did this happen? I used to love to look at the cute turkeys that could be placed on the table for dinner. I loved the fall colors in napkins and candles. One year I know I found place mats in harvest colors. I found one clearance shelf last week with leaf place mats and finally stumbled on a shelf of turkey paper plates hidden between holiday food and Santa displays. Perhaps the harvest decor was so popular it sold out quickly? Where are the pilgrim candle holders? What about the cornucopias? Grrrr!
Now don't get me wrong. I love Christmas and decorating and all the preparations. Just not the third week of November.

I will return to do some last minute Thanksgiving shopping tomorrow. I will look for a fall bouquet, fresh cranberries, and apple cider. I just hope none of them are already adorned with glittery red and green wrapping. Just give me a brown label, an orange bow, or golden ribbon. Remember Thanksgiving...that holiday some stores keep forgetting. We have much to be thankful for. Gobble, gobble, gobble.

We Gather Together - Thanksgiving Hymn!

Today I am thankful for Thanksgiving songs.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZW73Qzju4A&feature=related