Thanksgiving Begins

The first event of the Thanksgiving season was daughter Lise’s arrival. We picked up grandson Nathaniel from college and waited longer than expected to get Lise from the airport. Her flight from Denmark was delayed, making her miss the connection in New York. We were relieved that she was only four hours late getting to Charlotte. We were home by midnight and fell into bed.

The next morning we hurried to pack for the trip to my brother’s home in Winston Salem. Nathaniel deflated the air mattress by lying on it.

Nathaniel is thin, but he looks almost flat in this picture.

Son John $pencer and Rose participated in the mirror ceremony, when Nathaniel moved the hall mirror to a higher hook. He will move it down again when he leaves.

Meal prep was underway when we arrived at Beth and Bob’s house. I took a photo showing a few people, not realizing how many would soon be there. We think there were 23 people to eat this feast on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

John, David, Don, Bob, Kate, and Nathaniel

I’ve never seen a group that could mix and mingle as easily as this group did. At one point Lise and niece Julie had a few minutes together on the sofa.

Grandsons David and Nathaniel were joking around near the back door with Grandpa. Nathaniel and cousin Kate modeled their leather jackets, both bought at thrift shops.

The photo I enjoyed taking the most was one of Lise and Zeke. When I was introduced to Zeke, I knew immediately who he was. Forty-four years ago his sister Mary visited us on Long Island. She was on a missionary trip, raising funds for her work with Wycliff Bible Translators. Mary’s first cousin was Bob’s first wife, who was the one who engineered her visit to us. All these years I remembered her talking about her family. She was the oldest, followed by two boys. When the fourth child was on the way, she set her heart on having a sister. She said she was so angry that another baby boy arrived that she said she was going to call him the ugliest thing she could think of. That name was Zeke. When I retold the story to Zeke, he laughed and said that was just like Mary. He claimed his mother said she was not going to have any more children and nicknamed him Zeke because it began with the last letter of the alphabet. With a twinkle in his eye, he asked if any of us knew his real name. We didn’t. It is William.

I showed Zeke a photo I took of Lise and Mary when she visited in 1977. Of course he recognized his sister, and he was happy to pose with the grown-up version of Lise.

Lise and Zeke won the honor of being the ones who traveled furthest to our gathering. Lise lives in Denmark, and Zeke lives on a sail boat in Seattle, Washington.

A Day in the Mountains

Grandson David had a day off, and son John $pencer and Rose were free. We had a delightful day driving in the mountains, first going through Cherokee and on to Robbinsville. Eating at Lynn’s Place was great. This eatery is like a small diner, one three of us had been to before. One of the wait staff asked where we came from, and when she heard Waynesville, she said they have a customer who comes often. She finds any excuse to be there for a meal.

We drove on a skyline drive, one that I could spell if I could remember how to pronounce it. Surprisingly, there were more leaves on the trees in Tennessee than we have. Most of the leaves were gone near the edge of the road, so we could see the mountains through a filter of bare branches. Sadie seemed content to rest on the seat next to David, which delighted him. She went around the car occasionally, greeting the rest of us. It was fun having her with us.

David expressed interest in seeing Bald River Falls again, the place where he and his mother went swimming one time. No one was interested in touching that cold, cold water! It was fun to watch the falls from the bridge, well away from the spray. Everyone was willing to pose, except for John taking a nap in the car and Sadie trying to smell every inch of the bridge.

Rose shared two pictures I requested – David with Sadie and my son with me.

Sadie Gets in Her Licks

As I put the biscuits in the oven, I asked son John $pencer if Sadie could lick the bowl. He held it for her as she performed her prime job here – pre-washing the dirty dishes and bowls. Sadie is spoiling me by making the kitchen floor look clean all the time.

I apologized to the camera for getting flour on it. It just shrugged and cleaned itself off in my pocket.

Zero Birthdays

Both son John $pencer and friend Rose had birthdays ending in zero while they were traveling out West. We wished them happy birthday via telephone, but we had to celebrate in person when they came back. John prepared his spaghetti sauce, and I used my mother’s Apple Crisp recipe for our homespun celebration. It was wonderful to have them home again for a while.

I told $ the little present for him was a gag gift. It was a set of salt and pepper shakers in the shape of owls. I couldn’t tell by his expression if he remembered I gave him the same thing last year. We raised him right, and he said thank you sincerely. I explained that I spotted them in the store, knew he’d like them because he likes owls, and bought them. After I got home, I remembered that was exactly what happened last year – same thought, same store, same time of year, same price. Aauuggghhh! At least my thinking is consistent!

Geography with Logan

It’s easier to keep up with neighbors in warm weather when people sit on their porches or work in their yards. We hadn’t seen neighbor Logan and his parents for a long time, so we got together after school for dessert and a quick visit. We knew they had an appointment and couldn’t stay long. That explains why the exit photo had a deer-in-the-headlights aura.

Shawn said she is going on a mission trip next year, causing John to bring the globe to the table. Logan found the country, and that led to John’s talking about the Gulf stream. That’s the wonderful part about having a living encyclopedia in the room. You get information focused on the present topic. I once likened John to an interactive screen. You press him, and history comes out.

There must be a magnet in that globe. We all find it irresistible once someone begins looking at it. Shawn said geography isn’t taught in school any more. I asked grandson David if he knew where Africa was, and he pointed to it and continued identifying Australia and New Zealand as the globe turned. David was just out of camera range, but he was in on the conversation. I was relieved he had map skills, some of which must have come from early schooling.

Goodbye Season

One of the last pretty trees on our morning walk held onto some of its leaves until I took a picture of it. Autumn did not shine in the mountains this year, probably because we had a dry season when the trees were thirsty. We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway three or four weeks in a row, trying to catch the peak of the season.

On one of our jaunts, John stopped the car beside a little waterfall so that David and I could hear it gurgling. We found the sound both soothing and satisfying. Soon the Parkway will be closed for the season, so we won’t be passing such delights again until spring.

We said goodbye to the best supermarket cashier we’ve ever had. For about five years, Laurie scanned our groceries efficiently while chatting with us. It’s amazing how close you can feel when you have snippets of conversation regularly. She has taken a job where her husband works, and they are looking forward to having lunch together.

We sincerely hope we’ve said goodbye to the yellow jackets in our garden. I was stung two different times, and after each encounter, John sprayed the nest. It was hidden under a patch of Lamb’s Ears. Recently I saw lots of the critters buzzing about some evergreen bushes, so I watched them go in and out of the nest every time I was in that area. Yesterday I found a large hole where the entrance to their nest had been. It was about five inches wide, ten inches long, and at least a foot deep. The camera was in my pocket, so I took a picture of it at dusk. I called John and David to look at the photo on the monitor. They saw it and said, “Let’s go look at it!”

I had noticed several pieces of comb, something like honeycomb, scattered near the hole. I began to wonder if a bear had dug out the nest. I read on the internet that bears do go for yellow jackets, but they are more likely to eat them in the spring when berries are scarce. The article mentioned that raccoons and skunks prey on yellow jackets at night. They must be the culprits, or heroes, as the case may be. I saw one yellow jacket walking on the comb, and David saw a few others. They will probably be killed in a day or so when our temperatures drop sharply. We will not be sorry to see them go.

Mug Shots

Grandson David and I were chatting with daughter Kate. We pressed the speaker icon so that we could both hear her. She shrieked when we told her she was balanced on the mustard while we were eating.

She laughed when she received the photo that David sent on his phone. She countered with her mug shot that says, “happy fall y’all.” She said she should bring it to North Carolina the next time she comes. I said that she should keep it in New Jersey to let her Southern roots show.

I shared a photo of the mug I was using featuring the Peanuts characters. John and I found it last year and bought it as a remembrance of my mother, a great fan of the comic strip. I’m sure she would have gotten a kick out of it.

Do you have silly conversations like we do?

Best Pun of Year

John came home from choir rehearsal telling about grandson David’s show-stopping pun. Bear in mind that Asheville is noted for people who have a very liberal lifestyle. Choir member Nick saw an equal number of men in the tenor and bass sections. He asked the director, “Would you rather I’d sing tenor or bass. I can do either one.”

David said, “Nick is bi-sectional.”

There was stunned silence for a moment until people realized it was a pun, and then everyone burst out laughing.

Halloween with Logan

Neighbor Logan (9) makes Halloween worthwhile. He came dashing through the rain after school, proudly wearing his costume. I kept myself from asking what character he was, because I would probably have lost stature in his eyes for not knowing. I’m short enough, as it is.

His eyes zeroed in on the bowl of candy by the door, only for a nanosecond, before he looked at my face. Now if that isn’t self-control, I don’t know what is. Take a proud bow, Shawn and Bob, for training in good manners.

I was surprised that Logan took off his shoes, because I thought he would have too many other things to do than spend time here. He said he could stay for a little while. We had a drink and played with a balloon. I used my hands; he used his feet. As he bounced around, he shared that he had broken a record of the school. If I understood him correctly, that school has existed for 38 years. I don’t know what the previous record was, but Logan ran a mile in 6 minutes, 11 seconds. No wonder we thought he ran very fast in our yard! He’s a winner, that’s for sure.

I had two items for him to find today. Usually I hide a granola bar for him, but this time he was to look for two packs of orange things. He quickly found the faux-Lego pieces in the dining room. His choice was to play with them here or take them home. Home won. When he left, I put the blocks in a bag and dumped all the candy in, as well. Some day he might realize there were hugs included with every piece.

A Visit from Logan and Lily

Neighbors Shawn and Bob stopped their car to say hello to us while we were walking. We noticed Logan and his niece in the back seat and found out there was no school today. The two children came over to visit as David was leaving for work. I loved the way Logan (9) looked after Lily (7), interpreting her speech for me when I couldn’t hear what she was saying. We usually hide something for Logan to find, so I hid two items. I quietly suggested to Logan that he not tell Lily when he found the first one and to keep looking for the second. He signaled when he found the first in a mug and kept searching until he found one in an antique egg beater on the wall. He gave hints to her until she found hers. The children posed for a picture, cooperative as always. I thought Lily looked cute with her cat whiskers and lashes. I wondered if, in twenty years, she runs for elective office and will be hounded from the roster because she dressed in cat-face.

All four of us played with a balloon, and they went outside to fly the gliders. Lily was diverted by the horses, staying by the fence while the fellows flew the plane and retrieved it from the evergreen tree. I was on the deck and zoomed in with the camera as Logan joined Lily.

The horses loved the children. They won’t do more than look at me and walk away, unless I have treats for them. Not so today. They stood still and let Lily pet them. Logan asked if we had anything to feed them, so we got an apple and some horse treats. John doled out the treats to the children, freeing me to aim the camera.

John went inside when he got cold, followed shortly by Logan. They took advantage of being alone and played a game of checkers. Lily perched on the fence, chatting to me and the horses. DW kept nuzzling her, making me wonder if he spends time with children when his owner takes him away from the pasture for months at a time. He liked the smell of her hair and her sweatshirt. Lily and I were still with the horses when Logan called her in. The children were told to come home in an hour, and Logan kept an eye on the clock. We enjoyed their visit, having missed seeing the young set for weeks.