Thanksgiving Wonder

Wonder of wonders. This 4-person Thanksgiving Day was probably the best, quietest, most serene I have spent in many a decade. This is a day that has sent me home in tears, or caused ultimatums of dire proportions, or just been too loud and too crazy, or I've felt put-upon, sweating in the kitchen alone while everyone else sits around on their fat asses.

As usual this year, the meal took all day to cook and we ate it in 15 minutes. This always seems absurd, but it is the way it is. Only this year, my brother, who is on many meds and can be horribly over the top and incredibly "inappropriate" for a 50 year old, actually acted like a pretty normal human being, during and after dinner. My Mate and I decided that we should segue immediately into a game of dominoes to head off any collapsing on the couch by guests while we played an old holiday movie. This turned out to be a grand idea. Instead of a movie we played "Light Classical" music from the Dish Network music thing and at points we were all singing opera. We taught Mom and Brother how to play Mexican Train and we played for several hours, only stopping to have pumpkin pie with huge blobs of whipped cream that Mate almost turned into butter with his gung-ho whipping. Mom sort of got the hang of the game and Brother finally started to win some torward the end. All were satisfied. Next year we'll have prizes for the winner and the Big Loser.

By the time the dominoes tournament was over it was 9 pm and time for guests to head on home. I didn't have a tension headache, the kitchen was mostly cleaned by Mate (he won many husband points) and nobody got mad. A great and wonderful success in my book!

Okay...So...It's the Holiday Season

Let's do it one more time. Or...let's forget about it one more time. Or...let's hide from it again this year like we did two years ago. Shall we trim the tree or get a dead branch and decorate it like I did the year my last child left home. Shall I send Christmas cards? Shall I make one of those letters? And what about Christmas Eve? Why do I feel differently about Christmas every single year? What's up with that!!! Why is Christmas such a hard-ass question mark? How come it's so full of STUFF?!&*(^^%%&%$r*&^(*)_(!!!@@@

On My Way to Work

On my way to work, nearly every day, I pass a tiny house with a flagpole in its front yard. The tiny house is lived in by a small, elderly man. Every morning he comes out to put his flag up. The unusual and moving part of this scene is that several school children line up for the school bus on the road next to his home. And every day he asks one of the school children to help him put up his flag. I have seen him, with a child, helping the child hold the flag off the ground, helping that child attach the flag to the line that hoists it up the pole. I don't know what he tells the children about the flag. I can only imagine. He might be a veteran, he might just be a patriot. I am moved by the fact he is out there every day with the kids, even in the rain, teaching them something about their country's flag.

I'm not in any way a "patriot". In the 60's I could have burned a flag if given half the chance. I'm not impressed with patriotism at all. But I am impressed with this elderly man and his committment, to his flag raising and to the kids. The connection between him and the kids is obvious, even if I've never heard a word exchanged between them. What a wonderful thing for all of them, what a memorable part of the kids' childhood, what a great way for the old guy to keep in touch with youth.

I know one day he will be gone but I hope it's not until after I retire, because if I have to see this ritual end it will make me cry.

Last Night

Last night I cried. I haven't cried for a pretty long time. I cried because my grandchildren live too far away and the littlest one, in particular, has so much competition for her time that others are getting to her before I can and maybe she won't even know me. My dear man, who knows when to hug and sooth, reminded me that soon I will be retired and then I will be able to go as often as I want to watch her grow and that she will know me very well. I hope he is right. It pains my gut so much to know she is growing fast, she is cutting teeth, learning to roll over, sitting up, eating real food, drooling, crying, laughing, and I am not there to see.

I am trying hard today to get some links on my page, so that others can go to the pages that I like to visit, but I am having a devil of a time. If anyone knows how to do this properly I would sure like your advice!

The day is dark and rainy, but it's a good, hard rain, not that misty crapola that I hate. At least you can get your windshield wipers going at a decent speed and not have to turn them off every couple of minutes. I don't use umbrellas anymore, just a good, big waterproof man's hat. Makes me feel macho in the face of the damp! Good day for coffee. Wish I was home.