Holiday Weddings

















Twenty-eight years ago Thanksgiving weekend, we gathered to witness the marriage of one of my sisters.

I had married the Christmas before.

See me there on the left?






In fact, I think most of my siblings married around the holidays. Two of us at Christmastime (five years apart), one at New Years, another at Memorial Day. I guess the convenience of an extra day off helps with scheduling.

So far, one of our daughters has married at Labor Day, another at Christmas (on our anniversary ;-)).

In 2010, I have four nephews getting married.




First comes love,
then comes marriage,
then comes the baby
in the baby carriage!

The First Thanksgiving


When the Pilgrims
first gathered together to share

with their Indian friends
in the mid-autumn air,

they lifted their voices
in jublilant praise

for the bread on the table,
the berries and maize,

for fields and for forests,
for the turkey and the deer,

for bountiful crops
they were blessed with that year.


They were thankful for these
and they feasted away,
and as they were thankful,
we're thankful today.



by Jack Prelutsky



It's quieter than normal here today. We're headed to Grandmother's daughter's house. It is over the river and through the woods.

I'm in charge of two veggies: roasted cauliflower and green beans almondine.

Three of our daughters are gathering in Detroit, the fourth in Elkhart.

Looking forward to a louder Christmas.

Here's a link to this year's thankfulness.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE GRACE


It takes you by surprise
It comes in odd packages
It sometimes looks like loss
Or mistakes
It acts like rain
Or like a seed
It’s both reliable and unpredictable
It’s not what you were aiming at
Or what you thought you deserved
It supplies what you need
Not neccessarily what you want
It grows you up
And lets you be a child
It reminds you you’re not in control
And that not in control is a form of freedom.







by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre


Watercolor Rose
Vera Holcombe
1917

Brown Thrasher
















He's outside. I'm inside.

In fact, I'm about ten feet away peeking around the corner of the oven.

Here's some perspective.
























Can you see him?

Best I can tell, he's just sunning himself and enjoying the view. Not trying to eat from the feeder. He's so large, he'd have to contort himself in order to get his beak into the cylinder.

I'm having fun watching him and learning how to improve my pictures in Photoshop.

Red Chrysanthemum