ONLY ONE YEAR AGO...

 

Thanksgiving is

 just a couple of days away.  

There is no need to say 

that we will be enjoying 

our Thanksgiving dinner

 separated from the ones we love. 

 We are all in this same boat.

 

 We will miss everyone 

but we will still be thankful 

for what we have and 

talk to each other over

 the phone, Skype, Zoom, or whatever 

is our technology 

of choice.

As we sit down at our table, 

we will enjoy our dinner and 

try to ignore the chaos around us.

 

 Is it just me 

or do we all have such a mess 

preparing for Christmas

 until the final box is emptied?

 

 Every year I have the same wish, 

but for some reason,

 it is never granted! 

 I swear 

those boxes, when in storage,

 just keep reproducing! 

 

Just keeping it real.

I am making a pot of

 butternut squash soup, a dessert,

 and the rest of our dinner

 will be courtesy of Raley's.

  We did this last year

 when the kids were here and 

we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

  

Besides, 

with just the Captain and I,

 we will have enough left overs

 to last at least a week or two.

  Can't wait for all 

those turkey sandwiches!

I am starting 

to put up some Christmas decorations.

  Last year, 

Thanksgiving was later than usual 

so we didn't have much time afterwards

 to get Christmas going. 

 I love it so much and 

would like to keep it going

 for as long as I can. 

 Especially this year 

when we all need something

 a little extra.

It is hard not to be thankful 

when I can look out

my kitchen window and 

savor the beauty of a fall day and 

think back to only one year ago

 when I looked out this same window

 and saw this same tree.

None of this has changed 

and yet...

Only one year ago

 things were normal.  

Only one year ago

 life was what you made it. 

 Only one year ago 

we could live happily ever after. 

 One year ago 

seems like a 

lifetime away.

In the short span 

of one year 

so much has changed.  

We don't have the freedoms 

that we had then. 

 Times have changed to the extent

 that what seemed like promised time then

 is now time to be watchful of,

 to keep our eyes open and 

to think before we act

 about so many things 

that have usually been 

taken for granted.

It won't always be this way, 

it almost never is. 

 Things happen in our lives 

that affect us to the very core, 

but we are resilient and 

we can come back

 to a safe space.

Sometimes we learn great lessons

 during times like these and

 sometimes we don't, 

but we must always know 

that we can.

 

 This year, during the holidays,

 it might be harder than usual

 for some of us 

 to keep up

 our spirits.

We all have

 personal pictures 

of the way things ought to be, 

but that can't always

 be the reality. 

 Whatever your personal pictures are 

this holiday season, 

love your families,

 be thankful for all times spent together

 and know that our worlds

 are made to turn

 right side up again and 

so they will.

I would like to wish 

each and every one of 

my family and friends 

a joyful and thankful Thanksgiving. 

 Lots of good food to eat and 

lots of very sweet memories

 of those who can't be 

sitting at 

the table.

 Stay Smart

Stay Well

and

Wear the Mask.

Happy Thanksgiving

 to you all...

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

PLAYING HOUSE - FOR REAL...

 

When I was a little girl,

 I loved playing house and

 I was good at it! 

 No matter what the situation, 

I was always the mother.  

The one who cooked and cleaned 

and did the shopping. 

 Certain weeds and flowers

 that grew in my mother's garden

 were stand-ins for groceries 

and my bike was the car 

I drove to the market.

My dad had built

 my siblings and me

 a two room play house

 and this was where 

I spent my days.

 

 Long ago memories 

that have settled down 

into places almost forgotten

 but still very much a part

 of who I am today.

Blogging is like 

giving myself a do-over. 

 Playing house was always fun

 and now, 

because of content and sharing,

 I am giving myself a present

 from the past. 

 Now, making house work fun 

 is about the ideas,

 the implementing of those ideas 

and the photography and the story.  

To me,

 seeing the final details

 is as fulfilling as 

I would imagine 

an author feels 

when finishing 

the writing 

of a book.

Because of the pandemic,

 this year

 the holidays will be quite different. 

 Families will not be 

spending time together around 

the Thanksgiving table 

or the Christmas tree. 

 Our hearts will be sad, 

and our hands won't be held,

 but our spirits will be strong still.

 

 We can hope and pray

 beyond reason 

that this will not be so,

 but most likely 

it will be the way it is. 

 There are great hopes 

starting to come forth 

but, unfortunately, 

not in time for

 this year's celebrations.

Just because extended families

 can't be together, 

that doesn't mean that

those who can 

won't have a

 beautiful and memorable time. 

 I feel so fortunate and blessed 

to be with my friend and partner

 of over 60 years

 and to know that my kids 

are all safe and well.

 I have put myself 

in my playing house mode

and set up a pretty table 

that the two of us will sit at.

  It starts with a lantern,

 that was gifted to me

 from our sweet daughter, 

 along with a fall gathering 

of autumn colors 

that look perfect 

by candle light...

...and place settings that include

 china and cutlery

 thrifted long ago, 

chargers from The Dollar Tree,

 place mats, napkins and napkin rings 

from Pier One, 

salad plates and stemware

 from Home Goods...

...our after dinner tea 

is courtesy of 

Home Goods.

We will sit down to dinner 

with thoughts of loved ones

 and even though 

it won't be a

 traditional time...

...it will be my version 

of playing house for real 

and even though 

it could be better,

 it still is a time 

that we are 

thankful for.

Stay smart

Stay Well

Folks are dying out there

 and that is the 

very real fact 

of our lives now. 

 There is no hope

 that we will have the help 

we need as a country 

until next year,

 vaccine or otherwise, 

so it is up to us 

to take charge 

and do something

 for all our

 fellow human beings.

 

 As you sit around 

your dining table 

this Thanksgiving, 

 please include, in your prayers, 

the ones

 that aren't so lucky 

this year 

and their families 

who are missing them,  

and remember to  

Please,

Wear your Masks!

We are on the verge 

of another total shut down.

  

Those who won't or don't

 wear the mask and self distance,

  are part of the problem - not the solution!

Here is another 

little sneak peek 

of Christmas.

 No,

 I haven't gotten

 my new knickers in a twist 

and become a minimalist, 

there will be

 more added - you can be sure.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'...

 

Finally,

 we have some

 autumn color in the garden. 

 It may look a little wind blown 

or a little watered down, 

but it remains

 true autumn colors.

We had a little rain and

as I am writing this (Friday, November 6,

 one day before my birthday) 

the light coming into the Cottage is dark,

 but somewhat comforting. 

 So lamps are lit and

 candles glow, 

making what usually would be 

a spot of winter depression, 

a bright and cheerful place to be. 

 Believe me, 

this feeling won't last

 throughout the whole of winter, 

but in the beginning

 it is pure perfection.

Now today,

while fall is still hanging on, 

perfection has happened 

in another aspect of my life.  

The American people

 have done the right thing and 

elected a new president. 

 It felt like touch and go for awhile,

 but our better angels have prevailed and

 I bet there are not too many of us

that can say that 

on the day of our birthday,

we got a new pair of boots,

 new knickers and

 a new President. 

I am a very lucky lady.

 

You must all know by now 

that I find Donald Trump to be 

a despicable and repulsive individual.

 

 I had a

 whole other descriptive

 post planned 

for this occasion, 

but have decided 

that we have all been

 so divided over the last four years and 

now that the voices of

 the American people have been heard, 

and we have 

the leadership that has been lacking,

 I will not be the one

 beating a dead horse. 

 It is time for 

uniting our country.

Together,

 we can make America ours again...

...so,

 I am looking forward

 to a new future, 

leaving all bad behind and 

seeing the good that is on the way. 

 Let's face it, 

even though none of us is perfect, 

and the next four years 

may not always be perfect either,

  I can guarantee you,

 come January 2021,

 we will have compassion and decency

 back in the White House.

 I heard a comment from 

the mayor of Paris, France: 

Welcome back, America! 

with the sound of

 church bells ringing

 in the background.

That says it all and 

now, hopefully, I can breathe easier

 for the continued prosperity 

for my kids and grandson.

 That was mainly

 what scared 

the hell out of me.

  

The American people

 did elect Joe Biden, 

but Donald Trump, himself,

made it possible.

There is a lot of

 hard work to still be done

 but now 

there is hope.

From 

November 3, 2020 to January 20, 2021,

 let us all heed 

the words of

 Bob Dylan:

"Come senators, congressmen,
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
The times they are a-changin'".

Bob Dylan and The Boys In The Band
Verse Three
Times They Are A-Changin"

1963

I am building a frame work 

just in time for Christmas.

  My happy place. 

 Some things around here 

aren't changing though,

 so I will still remind you to...

Stay Smart
Stay Well
And
Wear the mask

Now is the time

 to get this virus under control

 so we can all continue on

 to our

 happy places.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

Keep In Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles