The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving

"They" have stolen Thanksgiving!  The proverbial "they" have decided that Thanksgiving is not important, or at least it's not as important as say....Christmas.  I challenge you to go to any store today and find Thanksgiving decorations, table cloths, or table settings except maybe in the way back on the double discounted sale section.  They are gone!  As soon as Halloween was over the shelves were wiped clean of anything orange, brown, yellow or black and replaced with red, green, white, silver and gold.  No pumpkins, pine cones, pilgrims or cornucopias to use when the family surrounds the table on Thanksgiving.  Apparently I was supposed to do all of that shopping around Labor Day.  Oops!

I challenge you to find this section in any store today.....except maybe the grocery store.

As someone who lives in the moment (procrastinates until the last minute)  I have been a little mad and little sad that Thanksgiving will be a mere blip on the radar and Christmas has bullied its way into our stores and our psyche.   I'm blaming it on "them"...the marketing geniuses.  I like Thanksgiving!  It is about being thankful, eating lots of delicious food, being with family, plus there are no gifts involved!   Not only does the absence of  Thanksgiving frustrate me but the presence of Christmas decorations, commercials, and music makes me a little crazy.  For some reason all of this bombardment is making me anxious.  It makes me feel like I should have the house decorated and the gifts bought, wrapped and mailed by now.  I am so screwed!  I was busy trying to have Thanksgiving here.  There is so much life to live before I even start thinking about Christmas and all its trappings.

I am choosing to honor Thanksgiving and will try not to let Christmas creep into my life until December!   So cheers to Thanksgiving!  Bring on the lists of things we are thankful for and the turkey, pumpkins and pilgrims.  I, for one, will leave my fall wreath on the door until AFTER Thanksgiving!  Please join me.

Finding Extraordinary in the Ordinary

 I've been struggling with whether the blog is still relevant.  Every once in a while I'll go back and read some of the old blogs and think to myself, "That was good!"  or  " That was such an interesting perspective, I'm just not thinking these days.  I need to pay more attention or be more creative.".  Self congratulating and criticizing all in the same breath.  I'm sure you have noticed my posts are getting farther and farther apart.  I don't really want to make this a boring journal.   Who wants to read about that?  Maybe my mother....but certainly not anyone who didn't give me life.  Mothers read anything and everything their kids write and love it, that's why we love them.

At least three times every week I consider a topic for a post, and it will simmer for about five minutes, because lately that is my maximum attention span, and then I think....."Nah, I've already written that."  or "Booooring!".  Then I'll think,  "Maybe my life has just gotten too boring....or I've become boring."  Then I silently scream inside my head "Ahhhhhhh, a curse worse than death!  Say it ain't so!".  Maybe I should go hang gliding or base jumping, those aren't boring.  I can write about what it feels like to be scared to death and free all at the same time.  Instead, I have taken my dog to the vet for x-rays on her broken leg about 4 times in the last 7 weeks, that's almost the same as base jumping, right?  No?  You need more?  Me too!

She does not realize sometimes that she still has a broken leg.
Hope springs eternal!

When I read my old posts, I realize I've done a lot of traveling.  Which I'm very thankful for, it gives me something nice to write about and some beautiful pictures to post.  Every day life is so....ordinary.  I need to remember that the ordinary makes me appreciate the extraordinary. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just figure out more ways to make my every day life extraordinary?  Why do I need to wait for those "out of the ordinary" people, places and things to make me feel more alive or to inspire me to write something interesting?  I need to make the daily experiences special.

With this in mind as I look over my pictures on my phone from the last month, life hasn't been all that ordinary.

I got to see Kelly....and the Liberty Bell on Columbus Day.

My artistic photography effort,
 Independence Hall reflected in the modern Liberty Bell museum window.
There is even an American flag in there!.
Of course I couldn't resist the pink flowers.

Speaking of travel, wasn't I? Last Thursday night was one of those ordinary Thursday nights at home.  While watching TV, because that's what I do on an ordinary Thursday night, I stumbled upon Anthony Bourdain's show, Layover.  Three episodes later I was drooling over his trips to Italy, Spain, France and Turkey.  I was thinking if I had my own show I'd be a cross between Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown.  Not quite as profane and irreverent as Bourdain but not quite as perky as Brown.  I thought I'd provide a link for you to get the idea of what I mean and came across this You Tube video of them and it is absolutely hilarious!  It also confirms that I really enjoy both of them.  Imagine my surprise this morning as I read the newspaper and discovered that Mr. Bourdain will be in none other than Wolfeville, Nova Scotia this week attending the Devour Food Film Festival.  Maybe he and I have more in common than I originally thought...film, food, travel and Nova Scotia.  If I lived there I would absolutely check this event out, hint, hint. If you go, tell him I said "Hello, and I've been internet stalking him".

Over the last few ordinary weeks, the weather has been extraordinary.  Ever since I wrote this post the weather gods have seen to it to provide us with absolutely perfect weather.  This also explains why I have not been writing much.  I've been outside playing golf and running/walking.  I tricked myself into exercising by signing up to participate (note I did not say run) in a 5K the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I figured I needed a goal and nothing like the shame of finishing a 5K in over 40 minutes to get this 50 something year old woman off the couch and onto the sidewalk.  I'll let you know if I accomplish my goal.  Don't worry it's not a lofty goal, I'm not into setting myself up for failure!

Just one of the extraordinary days we have had lately!

Finally, I have witnessed some extraordinary football.  Extraordinarily good and extraordinarily bad.  We went to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Ole Miss game.  There is something special about going back to your Alma mater for Homecoming.  The memories just flood back!  Oh, to go back knowing what I know now....things might have been very different or just the same....and that is a whole other blog post.  The football game was epic!  The campus was beautiful.

Nice Homecoming decorations!

You know you are in Louisiana when you get drive thru daiquiris!

Even though most of the days over the last few weeks have been pretty ordinary, they have also been extraordinary.  Sometimes all it takes is a blue sky and a cool breeze or a straight drive on a beautiful golf course.

Let's Get Physical

How many of you look forward to your annual physical?  OK, you people are just weird!  I look forward to my annual physical about as much as I looked forward to final exams in school.   I wish my annual physical was as simple as taking my car in every 5,000 miles to get the oil changed and the tires rotated.  "That will be $49.95 ma'am, see you in another 5,000 miles".  Unfortunately, my aging body now resembles a car with over 100,000 miles.  I'm at the point when all the parts need to either be replaced or are on the "watch" list.

I always stress out weeks ahead of my physical. I fear the dreaded blood sucking so they can see what my cholesterol levels, triglycerides, sugars, salts, amount of wine I consume on a daily basis and whatever else a blood sample tells them.  Can't they just put a strip on my forehead like they do toddlers these days to find out if they have a fever and use it to find out all my vital blood facts?   It would be so much more pleasant for both of us that way.

After the results come in my side of the conversation goes something like this... "Yes doctor, I know that I should limit my alcohol, salt, sugar and exercise more.  I even do sometimes....really!  At least once a week  month!  Well, I exercise!  One out of four isn't bad.  And that ever creeping weight...just the result of all that good wine and restaurant food we now have the time and money to go out and enjoy....oh, and I'm getting older dammit".  Apparently, getting older results in the metabolism slowing down.  Getting older should have a few physical rewards... I'm still waiting to find them.  Youth is wasted on the young!  Can I just have my 25 year old body back?  Shoot, I'll settle for my 40 year old body, the one I should have appreciated more when I had it!  I keep remembering words I heard before, " You are never going to be as young as you are today, so enjoy today!".

I "passed" my annual physical without any red flags.  Of course, I'm still supposed to "limit" my alcohol, eat right and exercise....duh.  Just once I want to go the the doctor and have them tell me to slow down and eat and drink more!  Just once!  That is a physical I would look forward to!

Am I Delusional or Optimistic?

I keep reminding myself that I "wanted" to come home from the shore.  I am the one who said it was time to leave the green grass, the water view, the garden fresh vegetables in the backyard, the cool breezes and the friendly familiar surroundings.  For some crazy reason I thought, as I do every year, that it would be Fall when I got home.  The calendar says it's Fall, the sun and the moon say it, even the sweaters and boots in the stores say it.   According to all sources....except the weather, Fall is here.  I continue to hope against hope that someday Houston will suddenly turn into California and have low humidity and moderate temperatures in September and October.  I hope to arrive home to lovely evenings we can spend outside on the patio without being carried away by mosquitoes and sweating profusely.  Am I delusional or optimistic?

This is what my windows look like in the morning.  No, it did not rain!
It is so humid,our double-pane insulated windows even sweat.

When I walk into my kitchen and see the windows look like this, I know it will feel like a hot wet blanket outside.  Not something that screams, "let's go out and play golf", but I do anyway.  Eternally optimistic....or delusional?  Yesterday I played golf.  I drank a ton of water and sweat it out as fast as I could drink.  Yes, it was 90 degrees and humid like you don't even know unless you live in Texas or Louisiana.  The rest of you can just forget it, you don't know humidity like we know humidity.  Believe me, I felt delusional by the time we finished but it was probably just dehydration.

I bought a new shirt to wear to a football game in a couple of weeks.

Guess who is playing in the game?

I am hoping that since the game is at the end of October, I will be able to wear a 3/4 sleeve shirt and be comfortable.  Plus this cute shirt did not come in a tank top.  This is just the kind of thinking that continues to get me in trouble and disappoints me over and over.  Inevitably it will be hot and humid.... but a girl can hope..right?!  Delusional or Optimistic?

Speaking of football.... I still have hope that my team will not disappear into oblivion this season.  They are going to win some of the big games, I just know it!  Delusional or Optimistic?

 I examined a few other things in my life and realize this is a common theme!  I have always thought of myself as an optimist but maybe I'm just delusional.  I prefer to think of it as optimistic!  How optimistic of me....

I have been home for almost a month which means  it's time to go somewhere! So this weekend I'm going to escape the heat and humidity!  I'm heading up to Philadelphia to visit my LG.  Optimistically I am hoping for nice crisp clear weather and trees full of yellow, red and orange leaves.   I'll let you know how it goes!

Are you optimistic or delusional?

How Long is an Hour?

I know...it's 60 minutes!  But why is it that some hours fly and others creep?  Our perception of time passing is skewed by the events that fill that time.  When you love what you are doing, the time seems to fly.  When you are driving down I-81 through Virginia... the time will inevitably creep ever so slowly.  Well, at least that has been my experience!

In no particular order here are some of the fastest and slowest passing hours this summer.

Endless Hours

We spend many hours with our family and friends at the shore and somehow time just slips away.  I like to say, "it gets late early up here".  I blame it on being in the Atlantic time zone.  The sun sets so late in the summer that before you know it.....it's late.  Those hours go by very quickly!

Any hour spent at our neighbor's house or our house watching the sunset, eating dinner or just visiting  will fly.
Sometimes we wish time would just stand still!

The Hour or Hours I Wished Would Never End

Ever since I bought our croquet set many, many years ago I have wanted to have a family croquet game on the lawn at the farmhouse.  I had visions of a very Gatsbyesque event.  We had thrown around the idea of dressing in all white and having a lovely game sometime during the summer.  We even tried to schedule a game but to no avail.  Then one afternoon it just happened!  I love it when things "just happen".  Jehnna did a beautiful job of documenting that evening here.  It was a very civilized and classy evening, complete with our own butler.  I really have no idea how long we were out there but the time flew by and before we knew it the sun had set and it was time to move on.

One of the rules was you had to continue holding your drink during the entire game.
Who knew croquet could be a drinking game?!.

The Hour That Lasted Forever

Our drive home never seems to go by quickly enough for me.  Most of the hours crawl by while I stare out the windshield wishing we were "there already".  I am just not one of those people who loves a long car trip.  I think too many car trips have burned me out.  However, there is one hour on our drive home that stands out as THE LONGEST HOUR EVER!

I had been warned and knew it was going to happen.  TJ had a very important conference call one of the days we were driving.  He gave full disclosure and told me when it was and that it would last about four hours.  I would have to be the driver during the call.  I was fine with all of this.  What we did not plan on was that there are very few areas on I-81 in the mountains that get good cell coverage.  No cell coverage while driving meant we had to find a city....on top of a mountain... with a good cell signal... for the conference call.  Meanwhile, Sadie the dog and I got to cool our heels and ....wait.  I was prepared to drive during the call but not just sit and wait it out.  I was fairly patient for the first three hours of the call.

Sadie and I did a lot of walking during the call.  We found a nice park and walked.  We ate lunch.  We walked more.  I went into the strip mall and shopped.  I read my email.  My patience wore thin, we were burning daylight....to quote a loved one.  I was getting tired and bored and just wanted to "get there already".  The fourth and final hour of the call was the last straw and seemed to last another four hours.

The idea for this post happened right here...the sight of.the longest hour of our drive home!

The longest hour may or may not have resulted in me pitching a spoiled brat hissy fit.  FYI having a spoiled brat hissy fit only makes an hour last a lot longer.

The Best Hour of the Week

Our pastor likes to say that the hour we spend in church is the best hour of our week and sometimes he is right.  This Sunday was surprising.  I already had more than half of this post written last Sunday before church.  Imagine my surprise when during the homily the priest shared a little levity at the end.  It played right into his point but it also made me do a double take.  He did an entire list of things that ended this lead in,

"Isn't it funny how.....

-$100 looks so large in the collection plate at church and so small at the mall?
-we all cheer when a ball game goes into extra innings or overtime but groan when the homily runs 5 minutes too long?"

I know exactly what he means!  Isn't it funny how fast an hour spent watching the sunset at the shore or playing croquet on the lawn with some of your favorite people can go so fast and how slow an hour in a parking lot in TheMiddleofNowhere, VA waiting for a conference call to end can go by so slowly?!

Hope all your hours are full, fast and endless!

The End of the World, As I Know It

Four days ago I was ready to leave!  I think it had something to do with the skunking incident, plus the rain plus the fact I was just plain tired.  I wanted to go "home".  There comes a time in every summer when I am ready to go home.  It usually happens when I am tired and usually on a rainy day.  I think to myself, "I'm ready to leave, I'm ready for air conditioning, eating out at restaurants, retail stores within two miles, mindless television, city water and sewage, and last but certainly not least, college football."  Usually I get over this phase on the next sunny day when I am reminded how beautiful it is up here at this time of year and I remember how hot and humid it still is back home.

Serenity next door at the pond 

Last night I had a dream, more accurately... a nightmare.  I am not a psychiatrist nor do I play one on television but if I were one who analysed dreams this one would be a doozy!  In my dream I was outside chatting with friends in a driveway of one of our former residences and I noticed an interesting cloud formation.  That cloud formation turned out to be a mushroom cloud!

An image that might just wake you up from a sound sleep too!

In my dream I remember thinking, "Cool clouds....wait, that looks like an explosion!  Oh SH*#, what do I do now?"  I woke up immediately  from my dream and drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the night.  All night I thought about what I should do or would do in the case of a nuclear explosion.  These are not sleep inducing thoughts.  I also had the song by R.E.M., "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" running through my mind all night long.  Not much sleep happened! Do you know how hard it is to sleep when you are thinking about why you dreamed up a nuclear explosion and what you would do if there were one?  Do I run to my family, do I drop to my knees and start praying and ask for forgiveness for all the wrongs I've done, do I run and help those who need it, do I just run for cover and hide?  These are the thoughts that ran through my all too awake head last night.

This morning in the light of day, whew, I figured out what this dream must mean, because even though I don't play a psychiatrist on TV, I will stay at a Holiday Inn this week.  On the eve of my two day marathon of packing and closing up the house for the season, I am looking at the end of my life as I've known it for the last three months.  Eureka!

Sadly, my summer of sandbar walks, large quantities of fresh garden produce right outside my back door, simple living among family and friends is coming to it's inevitable end.  POW!  Just like that it will be all over on Wednesday, until next year.

no more sandbar sunsets

no more garden fresh veggies

no more fresh cut flowers all over the house

no more beautiful peaceful commute

So....it's the end of the world as we know it..........and I feel fine.   I guess.

A Romantic Day and Night in Halifax

We have had many visitors this summer!  Between all of our children, their spouses, our grandchildren and various friends visiting, we have had a lot of people around the house.  We love sharing this place with our family and friends.  Keep in mind that for most of the year we are alone together.  We also spend a lot of days and nights alone since TJ travels for work.  This being said, the prospect of getting away together before we leave Nova Scotia was attractive.

We planned to drive our last visitors, Mr. and Mrs. NYC, to the HFX airport and then go into the city, maybe have lunch, wander the streets, stop in a few shops, eat a nice dinner at a nice restaurant and then spend the night in a hotel downtown.  This was the plan, it was a loose plan.  We probably both needed to get away and maybe actually talk to each other.  It's been a while since we actually have been alone and able to just be Lisa and TJ.

We woke up this morning and our guests were busy packing, TJ was busy trying to do a day's work before skipping out of the home office and I was upstairs drying my hair before my romantic getaway.  Sadie the dog was just wondering what the commotion was all about.  She went to the door to go out and was let out.  Apparently she was in hot pursuit of none other than Pepe Le Pew who was under our deck!

"I was enjoying a nice morning under your deck and was very surprised by your dog!"
 "She scared the PEW right out of me!"

The people downstairs heard Sadie crying and then......the smell!  Mrs. NYC came running upstairs saying, "Close the windows! Sadie found a skunk!"  By the time I got downstairs TJ had Sadie on her leash, the house wreaked of skunk and so did the dog!  Did I mention the smell?  Yikes!  We all started our emergency readiness tactics by searching the Internet for skunk smell removal mixtures, closing all the windows and making "what's that awful smell" faces.  This was when I saw my romantic day and night plans go right out the stinky window.

TJ bathed Sadie (because at this point she is HIS dog!) in Dawn dish soap, it was all we had available at the moment and swift action was needed.  The smell seemed to lighten and we tied her up to a tree far, far away from the house to dry off and waft her perfume to the great outdoors.  Meanwhile the house still stunk!  We discussed plans for the rest of the day and decided heading out early was a good idea if for no other reason than to just get out of the stinky house!

"What is that horrible smell?  Oh, it's me!"

Things settled down until we were loading the car with all the luggage and it started to rain.  TJ went to untie Sadie from the tree and get her under the porch when she made a bee line straight back to her old friend Pepe Le Pew!  NOOOOOO!  Yes, she was skunked a second time and this time was worse than the first time.  This is when I sacrificed my day and said I'd drive to the airport and give up 4 hours of my day, TJ could stay home and relax.....and clean the dog again and live with the skunk smell, in the rain.  I'm such a giver....I don't think I knocked him down when I ran to the car but I might have.

TJ did the peroxide, baking soda, Dawn treatment and the tomato juice treatment just to be on the safe side.  We also heard if you use blue Listerine it gets the smell out so we have done that too.   Now our dog has lighter hair with a reddish tint and smells like mouthwash and skunk.  The good news is that it finally stopped raining and the sun came out!  The house does not smell like skunk anymore and we are hoping the mothballs TJ put under the deck have made Pepe decide to relocate.  How romantic is that?

Alone, at last.....

I have thought about what to write in the blog over the last few weeks and imagined I would write about something beautiful, inspiring or thought provoking when I finally had time to sit and reflect.  Then it hit me in the face, literally!   This is our last week at the farmhouse.  It will definitely be one to remember.  I hope Sadie smells more like a dog and less like a skunk by the time we have to spend 40 hours in a car together.  Yes, isn't that something to look forward to?!