Thanksgiving 2012





Isn't the above a beautiful photo? It's Thanksgiving bounty personified. I love that cornucopia and next year I am using one in my Harvest decorations.  The photo is from one of my favorite blogs, Frances Schultz' blog, her Thanksgiving post to be exact.  Her blog always inspires me to decorate, bake, enjoy.  She has the best ideas, I snagged her idea for Thanksgiving placecards for my Thanksgiving dinner, that is her work below.  Mine had, more or less, the same notion, but hers is way, way prettier.  That is one talented, artistic lady.  When my neighbors commented on the placecards, I 'fessed up and told them where I'd gotten the idea.  Hey, Santa is watching and I do not want coal in my stocking!  It was a lovely Thanksgiving this year, one of the nicest on record since Life changed.  I have a lot to be thankful for.  I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed.

Have been cocooning since Wednesday evening when I got home and firmly closed the door on the world.  Thanksgiving morning, I woke up, made breakfast and went into baking/cleaning/puttering mode.  The scent of corn muffins, brownies and cakes baking filled my little nest, with just a hint of lemon-scented Pine Sol.  Had a lovely Thanksgiving with my neighbors, hands were linked, grace was said and food, delicious, delicious food, was enjoyed.  Afterwards we sat around the table and talked.  It was lovely to spend time with family, just relaxing, sitting around talking, noshing and sipping, then just walk a few steps and I was home!  With leftovers.  Aren't Thanksgiving leftovers the best?

And now Thanksgiving weekend is over. Tomorrow it's back to the real world. For most of us, anyway. I got lucky and was able to take this week off. Need some serious decompression time. Plan to garden, decorate, do a bit of shopping, a lot of reading, some reorganizing, baking, just taking time to breathe. I am done with tilting at windmills.  This week my neighbor and I will garden, we'll do a bit of shopping.  I will de-stress.  Speaking with Most Magical Wondrous Fabulous Fairy GodMother Martha today I told her I have been so angry lately.  A combination of stress from work, life in general, being tired, so tired, all the time, the state of the world, dealing with the muck that is Miami traffic on a daily basis.  Usually I am a glass half full type and take all that in stride, after all eventually I get home, to my mouthy cat, little garden, my cocoon.  I light the candles, give thanks for getting home safely, have dinner, but lately, lately I've just been so angry.  Cynical.  I stopped seeing the good, and just saw all the muck going on in the world, the friends that only call when a favor is needed, the lies and deceit.  Someone told me I am an anachronism and want to live in the 50s, which really ticked me off.  I don't think I am an anachronism, I just happen to like traditional family values and have a problem with people that are in a supposedly committed relationship stepping out on their partner and giving it no importance whatsoever because "everybody does it."  Nooooo, not everybody does it and even if that were to be true, it would still be wrong, you know it's wrong, don't come to me whining about it and expect me to say, there, there, it's okay, you weren't wrong, you just slipped up.  Noooo, you knew what you were doing, you screwed up, now deal with it.  Just because people change partners like I change purses does not make it right.  If you want to mess around, then you should not be putting a ring on anybody's finger or accepting a ring from anybody.  The "it was just one time" deal does not work with me, it's still wrong and you have to deal with it.  Man up, woman up, be an adult, don't just shrug and go "Whatever." I swear, next time I hear that word I am going to slap somebody. That nonchalance bothers me. I think it is indicative of the malaise that affects our world these days. Besides, what is wrong with having traditional family values?  To me traditional family values mean you have faith in God, you love and protect your loved ones, you do not turn your back on them, you love unconditionally, you respect the flag, you do not hurt people on purpose, you do not mock, belittle or mistreat, you behave in a moral and ethical fashion.  In other words, you are a decent human being.  However, having traditional family values does not mean you accept being treated like a doormat.  Being nice doesn't mean you are an idiot.  It doesn't mean you put up with behavior you do not agree with.  If that makes me an anachronism, so be it.  Darn, got on the soapbox again, didn't I?

But like I said above, I am done with tilting at windmills.  I am going to concentrate on my artwork, writing, garden, bake, decorate and get ready for the holidays.  This most special season, I will keep my traditions.  I will start decorating for Christmas on the 1st of December.  On December 11, I will bake a chocolate cake (and make homemade frosting with Hershey's cocoa) in preparation for putting the tree up on December 12.  That was my Mom's birthday and the day we always put the tree up, even when it fell in the middle of the week.  Her favorite cake was chocolate-frosted chocolate cake.  The woman hoarded her chocolates like squirrels save nuts for the winter.  (One Halloween we ran out of candy, she had a huge stash of king-size Snickers and charged me double what she'd paid per candy bar.  She loved Snickers, Hershey's Kisses and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which is why those are the candies I always give out on Halloween.  Well, that and the fact I happen to also love them.  Chocolate is in my DNA.)  Christmas Eve, I will celebrate with loved ones and attend Midnight Mass.  The other day I overheard someone say family is who you choose, relatives are your biological relations. I think it was on a t.v. show.  I thought, hmmm, that's a bit sad, but I understand the sentiment. Thinking about it over this four-day break, it came to me that I wouldn't change or trade one single member of my friemily.  Biological or not, they are mine and they are loved.

It really is the most magical time of the year, a time for wishes and wonder and dreams to come true.  I will celebrate the true meaning of the season.  I will see the beauty and the wonder, watch way too many sappy movies and bake cookies for Santa.  The season of ultra-commercialism is upon us, try to keep a little of the wonder of the season within you and remember Santa is watching, so be good for goodness' sake!  I leave you with one last glorious photo from Frances Schultz' blog.

Until next time, keep the faith, be joyful, stay safe.  Look for the Silver Linings, I promise they are there.