"Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother's House we Go ... "

Hmm ... no horse ... no sleigh ... and no "Grandmother's house" any more in MY family (except for my brother's widow who lives in Hemet, but she's my age ... and we can't be old enough for this role, can we?) ... I plan to avoid mirrors today :-).

Until my siblings and I each got married (and for a few years afterwards), we observed Thanksgiving Day at home or with extended family. When we celebrated holidays with Dutch relatives on my Mom's side, it was always in someone's home ... with dinner served on the best dishes around a huge table, in a "formal" atmosphere, and staying out of trouble presented ongoing challenges, for I was the baby of the family, always trying to measure up to the "bigger kids" standards.

When I was born, my sister was 4 and my brother 9. Until my arrival, they had the dubious honor of being the youngest kids in the extended family because my mom was youngest of five and my dad second youngest of thirteen. Many of our cousins on my Dad's side of the family were married and had children our age & older by the time we arrived on the scene, so those were huge family gatherings ... often "potlucks" in a centrally located park ... where the men could play pinochle, the women visit while doing hand-crafts of some kind, and the kids entertain themselves playing together.

Turkey smells permeated the air and everyone helped with preparations. My mom's pies were the best! She made the thinnest, flakiest, melt-in-your-mouth crusts ever ... and I miss her presence here on earth. My Dad and brother have also passed on ... though memories fill my heart and soul.

Later, my siblings and I took turns having "Thanksgiving" at our respective homes. Mom always made pies, but we cooked turkey with all the trimmings ... and always invited what my brother-in-law laughingly referred to as "strays" ...(friends who for one reason or another couldn't celebrate with their own families)... to join our celebration. This year, my sister and her husband are off traveling in their RV (currently on the East Coast near Jekyll Island with two of my best friends and their husbands). They'll be celebrating the holiday together. How interesting that what goes around comes around ;-)

This year, my neighbor and friend who IS "Grandma" has invited me to share Thanksgiving at their house ... surrounded by kids, grandkids, and dogs of all sizes. Should be fun and I'm looking forward to the festivities. I wish you and yours a wonderful day of gratitude and fellowship.
Hugs and blessing,

Saturday's Saga or Life Away from the Computer

Late Friday afternoon workmen arrived next door to "tent" the neighbor's house for fumigation. I knew it was happening and planned accordingly for Saturday.

Molly and I took a long walk early and played "fetch" in the front yard until she was exhausted (it's no small thing to wear out a not quite three year old Lab). I showered, dressed in purple & red, donned a red hat, gave Molly a "Greenie" & a new Nylabone ... and left her safely indoors with the windows shut ... to chew & snooze away until I returned to play with her again.

Thus I left home (and the virtual world of bloggers) to join my favorite Red Hatters out in the world. I picked up A and we drove together ... joining the other gals at a Red Hat Holiday Boutique before moving on to have lunch at a Soup Plantation restaurant in the area. This year's boutique was tiny compared to last year's event and some of the women seemed disappointed, but I'm trying not to spend money anyway ... so I enjoyed visiting with everyone I hadn't seen for a while. The folks at the restaurant set up tables for the 12 of us and we had a wonderful time together. These gals know how to have fun.

In case you don't know about Red Hatters, you can learn about the Red Hat Society at their official website.

"The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and elan. We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next." Sue Ellen Cooper, Queen Mother

Women 50 or older wear purple with red hats while those under 50 wear lavender with pink hats. During our birthday month, we reverse the colors ... wearing either red with a purple hat or pink with a lavender hat ... so feel free to wish us "Happy Birthday" when you see our colors switched.

I joined the community of Red Hats a few years ago when I found myself alone (after my sister retired and hit the road with her husband ... and my best friends left for a few months simultaneously). I knew I needed someone other than Molly to get me out of the house. So I logged on to the official website, entered my Zipcode, looked around, found an event close to home, donned a purple outfit & red hat, and went "tea tramping" ... in search of folks I liked. That's how I encountered Sisters at Heart, the gals I "played" with yesterday. I occasionally link up with two other Red Hat groups for a meal or activity as well.

But I digress ... back to my vagabond sister and her husband. After retiring from the work force, B & R rented out their house (for gas money they explained), leaving Jeff (a friend of their oldest son) living in "Grandma's quarters" (you might recall mom died in 1989) in charge of collecting and depositing rent from others in the house. However, they returned after about 3 months when she fell and dislocated her kneecap. Fortunately Jeff agreed to find other lodgings allowing them to move back in into their house during her recovery & physical therapy. Living with strangers in the rest of their house presented interesting challenges for all concerned, but they were home for about 6 months before hitting the road again ... this time leaving a room available for future emergencies.

This time they meandered through Northern California, Oregon, Washington and Canada ... visiting friends & seeing sights along the way as they headed for Alaska where they spent a month touring with other RVers ... having a wonderful time. Afterwards they drove through Canada into Montana ... and on to Colorado where they visited with more friends ... experiencing snow for the first time as RVers ... eventually heading south through New Mexico and into Arizona ... intending meander through the South on their way to Florida. However, once again (this time after being on the road for almost 6 months) health issues brought them home unexpectedly around Thanksgiving of last year. It was my brother-in-law's knee replacement that "came apart" and needed to be redone ... requiring about six months of recovery & physical therapy. As I've written elsewhere, they're currently on the East Coast and plan to winter in Florida.

This is all to explain how it came to be that I didn't post anything yesterday. Here is Saturday's saga ... and perhaps I'll find something to blog about before this day ends, posting a second piece to make up for missing yesterday ... or not. :)

"Oh my Lord, there's so much to do! Tomorrow I think I'll pour a bucket of water down the mail shute!" ELOISE!!! (That's my name.)

Do you recall that song? I used to LOVE "Eloise" as a child. She did all the things I didn't dare try. I was such a good compliant child (otherwise known as a "wimp" or chicken) back in the day. Who knew I had such a wild child within?

And that reminds me of one of the songs I used to teach my students ... way back when. Always a big hit with the kids (who never failed to laugh hysterically whenever we sang it), parents used to share that it was one the entire family used to sing together ... often ... especially whenever someone blew it big time. Actually, that happened frequently in the middle of class as well ... always defusing embarrassingly tense situations.

I don't recall who wrote it ... or where I picked it up. Like the Eloise ditty ... it's a part of my memory from wherever. If I knew how to record it on YouTube and upload it there (as Olivia at Happy Luau did with her Gratitude Dance) perhaps I'd sing it for you and provide a link ... but I don't. So, here are the words. They'll have to suffice. If anyone knows the source, let me know and I'll add credits later.

Chorus:
I'm not perfect and I know I never will be
No one's perfect ... I know it's true.
Sisters and brothers, even dad's and mothers
All make mistakes, and I do too.

Verse 1:
In the yard I left the rake.
By the stairs I left my skates.
When my mom and dad discovered them,
I knew I'd made a big mistake.
When my bubble full of air ...
Got too near my mother's hair
I tried to pop it but it was too late!
I knew I'd made a big mistake ... Well

Chorus
I'm not perfect and I know I never will be
No one's perfect ... I know it's true.
Sisters and brothers, even dad's and mothers
All make mistakes, and I do too.

Verse 2:
My friends and I were having fun
Playing ball, I hit a run
When I heard the plate-glass window break
I knew I'd made a big mistake!
Filled my squirt-gun very full.
Then the trigger I did pull.
When the water hit my teacher's face,
I knew I'd made a big mistake ... well

Chorus:
I'm not perfect and I know I never will be
No one's perfect ... I know it's true.
Sisters and brothers, even dad's and mothers
All make mistakes, and I do too.

Verse 3:
Grannie baked an apple pie.
I ate so much I thought I'd die.
When I couldn't sleep for the belly-ache,
I knew I'd made a big mistake.

Uh -oh ... my memory just pooped out on me all of a sudden.
Sigh! These things happen. If someone out there remembers the rest, please add it in "Comments" and we'll all be grateful. Forgive me if it's out of order. I don't think I've even THOUGHT of this song for DECADES so I'm surprised this much remains. ;)

(It seems appropriate to end with)

Chorus:
I'm not perfect and I know I never will be
No one's perfect ... I know it's true.
Sisters and brothers, even dad's and mothers
All make mistakes, and I do too.


After thoughts:
--One thing I do recall is that we substituted the word "teachers" for the word "even" in the chorus to make it more inclusive ... so we sang "teachers, dads and mothers" instead.
--Remind me again why the arts no longer are included in public school curriculum. Seems to me there are valuable lessons learned through art, music, dance, play, drama and other subjects I loved to do as a kid and teach in my classroom later on. How did we let this happen?
--Maybe when I finish my month of daily Sacred Life posts at Sacred Ruminations, I'll switch to weekly Sacred Life Sunday posts and take up the One Thing - Be Brave challenge for the next month. Who knows ... I might even explore YouTube and sing this little ditty.

(Enough! THAT'S a topic for another day)