Food, Family, Friends and Fellowship

My brother called last Thursday morning to wish me a happy Thanksgiving and inquire if I had plans. More on the plans in a few paragraphs, but we somehow got on the subject of foods eaten during our childhood. The not-good-for-us foods. My brother didn’t remember the Velveeta macaroni and cheese mom and dad made from scratch during lent and his better half bellowed a big “Ewww” when I recounted how dad made fried-in-butter bologna sandwiches on Wonder cardboard whiteRead more

Beholden

Sitting here, wondering, what do I praise? In a week filled with stuffing and turkey Surrounding self, I fix a knowing gaze Faithful gratitude is never murky A bike, a home, gray and white purring cats Family, friends, community feels right I step on the earthen beholden mats And wipe away thanklessness with delight Upright and breathing is who I am now Fed with food and love and blue butterflies Embracing what matters like sacred cow Receiving life’s blessings isRead more

#WATWB: Tradition

This is going to be a short post for the November’s We are the World Blogfest (WATWB). It is the Thanksgiving weekend here in the U.S. and between cooking, feeding my face on Thanksgiving Day, and engaging in my own holiday tradition, I’m going to be a tad busy for a few days. Instead of focusing on a particular person, I thought we could focus on holiday or family traditions. Or create new ones from the possibilities in the followingRead more

#CBWC: Bigger than a Breadbox

This week’s entry for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge (CBWC) includes photos of anything bigger than a breadbox. I’ve chosen to share updated photos from a 2019 Thanksgiving trip to Washington D.C. Join the fun of black and white photography by clicking on the link at the beginning of the post. Details and weekly themes can be found HERE and Cee publishes the B&W post around mid to late morning CST on her main blog page HERE.Read more

Acknowledging Abundance

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”― Eckhart Tolle I blogged about this before, but in case you missed it, I have been keeping a gratitude journal since May of 2019. I acknowledge three things to be grateful for every day, no matter how big or small or weird (rainbow and unicorn hope is a thing). Repetition is okay, especially if it’s near and dear to the heart, like summertime, bacon andRead more

Stop Touching Me!

“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches.” ~E.E. Cummings~ It snowed in Wisconsin on October 25th. Too damn early. Although it’s always a possibility, I prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving to witness the first snowfall. First snowfalls tend to be the prettiest, except when they come a month before anyone is ready and I’m not ready. Then again, it could be worse. Check out this post from Shelley at Quaint Revival. While she also livesRead more

SoCS: Around the Sun in 12

Three hundred sixty-five and one-quarter times around the sun. Twelve months. Another year has passed by and 2019 is almost finito. I thought I would take each month of the past year and share one or two things I remembered about it (good or bad) and see what kind of picture is left. January – Horrible winter month. I worked from home one day, toward the end of the month, because the wind chill was -50F (-45.5C). Brrrr. February –Read more

Breaking for Pie and Family

  I’ll be taking a break from blogging for the next ten days to two weeks. The brother bought me a plane ticket to Washington, D.C., for a long Thanksgiving weekend. There will be food and drink and laughs and perhaps a ride or two on the metro or in brother’s car. I haven’t been there in about three years, so I plan to be focused on doing the many things as I can in four full days rather thanRead more

The Working Girl’s Purse

The last “mom” post was in August, when she turned 99. Not much has happened since, other than she keeps eating, drinking coffee and taking lots of naps. She’s having a hard time holding her head up as this is one of the effects of dementia – her brain is forgetting to tell her body what to do. When I visit, I never know if she is going to be alert or have a sleepy day. The most recent visitRead more

My Pants

“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.” ~Kevin James~ It’s the day before the day in the U.S. when all citizens give thanks for their blessings. And eat like a roly poly pig on a mission. Turkey, mashed taters, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, warm rolls and butter, pumpkin pie and more. There are some of us that watch football on this day. Some that play games with family. Or go to the movies.Read more

Nothing and Everything

It’s 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon and I have nothing. Nothing in the “inspiration to write something cute and funny” department. Nothing in the “I have a story for you!” department. Nothing in the “here’s another poem or cat photo” department. And, yet… I have everything. I have everything in a job that affords time off during the holidays. I have everything in friends who invite me into their lovely home for Thanksgiving and present a royal feast of turkey, stuffingRead more

Perpetual Thanks

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” ~Henry David Thoreau~ Truth. This is Thanksgiving week in the United States and November 23rd is Thanksgiving Day. I’m leaving town on Wednesday to spend two thankful days with friends; to receive the generosity of my hosts; and to feel the perpetual grace that God gives to my life in so many extraordinary ways. I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, if you celebrate. (EatRead more