It has been a while since I wrote.  We kind of got swept up in small groups at church since Jim is an ordained minister a few friends want him to come to theirs.  I have to admit I find his knowledge interesting too.  Well we finished one and got one set aside until after the new year so now there are just two a week.  Choir was cancelled for tomorrow night, Thanksgiving, and the choir director kept reminding us not to come. LOL.

 

My daughter sent me a lovely 4 ft christmas tree with lights.  It just plain makes me feel good.  The lights are multicolored.  The last couple of years I didn't have one and I really missed it.  I have set up a Pandora station with Christmas music so I can really enjoy that.

 

Today we took our Grandson Drew to lunch and to Borders where we each bought a book.  We were going to the library but then remembered it is closed for remodeling. That is always special to have time with a grandchild.  Drew will be twelve on Monday.  When he was born I went to Illinois when he was born.  They live here now.  Hi seven year old sister went with her Mom for a pedicure and manicure.  That must have been very special for her.

 

The book I bought was Dewey, the library cat.  It has become very popular all overe the country and in other countries.  It is a true story of a kitten that someone dumped down a book return slot on the coldest night of the year.  Almost everyone I know that read it has cried at least once and some more, even my brother.  They say it is such a beautiful story.  I read 62 pages when we got home.  There's a lot about northwestern Iowa and history in the book too.

 

Tomorrow we will have Thanksgiving with Jim Jr. and Suzy.  My nephew will come over when he gets off work.  And one of my other sons wants to come by and see us if he can work it around his wife's plans which he didn't know about.  Jim, Suzy and I have a Scrabble game each holiday and it is so much fun.  We'll have one tomorrow and then again on Christmas.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this.  May you be surrounded with love.

My DH came to me a couple of hours ago and asked me a funny question.  He was updating his profile on a site that does book reviews and needed to list three of his favorite books.  He had a senior moment and couldn't think of them.  I reminded him of Elizebeth Peters and her Egyptian novels, The Chinese Judge Dee books, Isaac
Asimov's books and a few more.  He said that for him favorite means he would enjoy going back to them.  He liked the Harry Potter books but wouldn't read them again so they didn't qualify.

 

This got me thinking about my favorite books.  There are way too many to name.  I usually like the mystery genre, but read others too from time to time. My definition would be different, in that I probably wouldn't reread them, but watch for each new book the author puts out.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Earlene Fowler's books are wonderful.  She has a series about a woman and her family and friends in San Celina, Calif.  Each one has a title of a quilt pattern.  She has done a few unrelated books that are equally good i.e. "The Saddleman's Wife". The title put me off a bit but it was wonderful too by a really good author.

 

I read all of Elizetbeth George's books about a New Scotland Yard  officer who solves Brittish mysteries.  Her books follow the same main characters who are intelligent and gripping an I love the land descriptions of places I've known in England.

 

I like several series of Cat stories.  The Cat Who series by Braun is probably the most well known, and I've read them all.  But now we are wondering if they are being ghost written as they are different.  The author must be very old, as her first book was about 65 years ago.

 

I also love Mary Stewart's books.  So many good books out there.  I'd love to hear some of the favorites of my friends.  Reading is so much fun.  It extends our world and knowledge.

I wonder if music brings memories to others as it does to me?  My husband set me up with Pandora and while I work on my computer I can play my favorite songs.  With each one I can mark it as a thumbs up or I don't like it.  If I like it it will come back from time to time along with other songs they think I will like.

 

Tonight I danced with Larry.  We both were enrolled in a college course in Ballroom dancing.  We were also in the Westminster Foundation too, where many of us ate lunch together and talked or studied together.  Larry is an old man now as I am old too. I have no idea where he is or what his life was like.   But every time I hear, "Getting to know you" I am back in college dancing with Larry. a handsome blond fellow and I too am young again.  It was such a nice feeling.

 

When my husband of 55 years and I were separated for a year while he got his first year of seminary, and I finished my last year of college, we wrote every night. He was in Chicago and I in San Diego.  Our song was "Til I waltz again with you".  Since he was going into the ministry, I kind of thought,"Oh we aint got a barrel of Money" was kind of what might be ahead.  I later decided a little money wouldn't hurt and not having much maybe wasn't so romantic after all.

 

When I hear, "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord", I am back in high school singing with an all city chorus from all the city high schools in San Diego.  It was a mother's day concert diriected by a Dr. Zimmerman who was a fabulous director.  It was in Presidio Park in San Diego.  I'll never forget the sound when for the first time we all opened our mouths to sing, and the thrill of the sound of several hundred voices.

 

Once when we were going through a rough patch, my song was,"When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high".  I sang it a lot when I was alone in our home in Muscatine, Iowa, and it gave me courage.  At the end of the storm there was a golden light and the sweet silver song of the Lark.

 

Well this is the extent of my musings for tonight.  I do wonder if others haave these associations with music.

 

 

Suddenly it is November.  Snow is predicted for the mountains tonight.  We have had the most beautiful fall that I can remember.  Our Maple tree outside our window was a brilliant red.  From the upstairs window I could see it against a background of yellows, and green evergreens. 

 

It has lasted much longer too.  The leaves are just beginning to fall now.

 

This picture is slightly different from the one Jim put on his blog.  The back row on the stairs is me and three of my children.  The young man all the way to the right is also our son, Peter.  Jim Jr. took the picture.  Next to Peter is Andy's wife,  The rest are grandchildren. 

 

It was so wonderful to have all of our children and most of their families together for a whole week. Have a wonderful "rest of the year".

Some people were very upset about our law that you have to be a natural born citizen to run for office in our country.  One person exclaimed that that was unfair to those who were born by C-section.     Pretty bad, huh?

 

I'm sorry I have been off so long.  I had that wonderful week with all of our kids and their families with pictures and tons of happiness.  Then I spent the next week trying to catch up with all the things I got behind on.  It began with paying our taxes on our home before the end of October, and ended with an advent devotional I had to write for a booklet our church puts out each year.  We each had two OT and two NT scriptures to read.  Then we had to select one.  Then write about some personal experience that fit with it and end with a prayer.  It was a good feeling to get it finished.

 

Another crazy, unexplainable thing in my life, is that I have had five days in a row that I have actually felt better physically than the usual CFS groggy sicky feeling all day and long sleeps.  Usually when you get one or two better days and hope you are over it, it comes back with a vengence.  The only thing that was different was that I had a few chocolate covered cherries each day that were sold to raise money to fight breast cancer.  I'm laughing, as I'm sure this had nothing to do with it, but wouldn't it be nice to lick this with such a delightful treat.  Guess I'd better go and buy some more. huh?

 

Well I'll try to think of something else for tomorrow.  (Two more days and the agony of the last 2 years will be over- hopefully.  Yeah!!)