Yesterday we got the dishes washed from the Thanksgiving cooking and went to Peters Orchard to buy some apples so I could make more applesauce to put in the freezer. I got Jonathans this time, but had to select carefully so I wouldn't get bruised and rotten ones. They have the apples in huge boxes and you just get what you want for 25 cents a pound. These were starting to get "mushy", but were fine for applesauce. I got quite a bit of applesauce made yesterday afternoon.
I just put a new header picture on my blog of our two cats peering across the pasture at the neighbors' runaround German Shepherds on our property. It's a good thing the grandson doesn't worry about deer-hunting any more, because those dogs keep them totally chased away.
We really don't do Christmas gifts in our family, but I took advantage of black Friday to buy some new pillows. Cliff's head sweats year around for some reason, so when Kohls has their cheapest pillows on sale, I buy two or three of them and toss the old sweaty ones out. I spent $6.49 yesterday for three pillows, and that included tax.
It's strange, but now that I'm old, I'm glad to have each holiday over and done so I can get back to normal. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Thanksgiving; it just isn't anything like it used to be, when families weren't broken and people seemed steadfast and didn't cut relatives out of their lives. This world is not my home; I'm a stranger and pilgrim in an unfamiliar land.
Where are the heroes to step forth and get our country on the right again, by the way?
Of course I ate too much pie yesterday (and other leftovers), which leaves me feeling stuffed and wanting to get back to our normal meals. I enjoy the steady pulse of uneventful days.
I know, I sound like an old woman longing for the "good old days". It's my turn to do that, and I need to vent about what I feel once in awhile.
Even so, I have everything to be thankful for. Cliff and I agree that we grew up in the best times, but perhaps everybody thinks that way simply because when you're a child, you don't know all the bad things going on in the world. I suppose for my kids, the 70's and 80's were the best times.
At both my churches, it's common for the pastors to ask if anyone has joys and concerns, and they start with joys. I seldom know of anything to say, because I'm sitting in a pew thinking, "Where would I start? I have a home, plenty to eat, the best husband ever... I don't have time to tell about all the things that give me joy. Would everybody like to know how often my dog and cat make me laugh out loud? Or the inappropriate conversations Cliff and I have when there's nobody around to correct us?"
We'd better not go there.
Peace.
Sounds like you are certainly aware of your blessings! I am too. I no longer have a husband but I had Bob for 57 years. I have great kids!! And good friends...What more could anyone want!
ReplyDeleteLife seemed so uncomplicated and halcyon in the past, probably partly because we were unaware of what was going on in the world and often in our own families. There is something nice about getting back to a normal routine although with Xmas just around the corner, I'm feeling some stress about that. Family things are, as you mentioned, very tricky.
ReplyDeleteBlessing are always there. We can choose what we focus on. Pick the good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI think everything comes and goes. We used to have big Thanksgiving get togethers but as my Grandparents and Mom passed on and brother moved across the country, they are small now. Sometime in the future they might get bigger again as my children start raising families of their own.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you that you have much to be thankful for. I am also grateful for what we have. We did have our first Thanksgiving get-together in 3 years with the family and it was exhausting. I am now gearing up for the next holiday scramble.
ReplyDeleteCute picture of your kitties looking across the field.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I have so much to be thankful for. I am truely thankful that my family all get along. I see it in other families and I pray so often that we stay close and don't let something pull us apart. I can't imagine that.
My kids were here for Thanksgiving and we had so much food, but I sent most of it home with the kids when they left to go home. I DO NOT want turkey and stuffing and the fixin's for the next week or more. Wendy