My life lately ...

I have received my first Christmas cards!  Yikes!  Something else to think about.  I admire these people who get those special greetings out early.  I love receiving them; sometimes it is the only correspondence I have with a friend or family member all year.  I'll bet it's the same at your house ...

A little update on Mother: She is settled in the nursing/rehab unit at River Terrace where she lives.  They expect her to be there for about two months before she gets back to her apartment.  She's regaining strength from her hip replacement surgery followed by that unexpected (to us) heart attack.  What a close one!  But she is strong.  I know her goal now is to get back to her apartment a.s.a.p.  Thank you everyone for your visits, calls, cards, prayers, and positive thoughts sent her way.  She appreciates it.  And so do we (her family).

Thanksgiving was wonderful!  What weather!  Never thought I'd be saying that we spent most of our time outside or on the porch!  Way too many exclamation points, I know.  

First thing we did the evening the "kids" arrived was go for a walk and we took this trail.  Wendell cut this sign for me and I painted it.  (I'm always looking for the easiest way, you know ...)  There were a lot of sticks to be thrown off the path, and coupled with the walk, we worked up an appetite for a light dinner.  Followed by an endless game of Uno.

Perfect ending to a great day.  

Thanksgiving day was also wonderful weather; we ate turkey and all the usual side dishes.  Flew kites and played a game in the p.m. with a little TV football thrown in.  Just your typical Thanksgiving day.  Sigh ...  Life is good.

Yeah!  I finally got a new sofa!  Wanted to share this picture with you.  The entire family got to try it out last week.  Not the one I dreamed of buying, but this one is still okay by me.  I like it fine (can you tell I'm still talking myself into it?).  Our old one was 12 years old and looking it.  This is that microfiber suede cloth.  It's a neutral color so it should go well with some new chairs I HOPE to get (maybe next spring?).  We'll see.  Ray and Gloria brought our old chair and ottoman back over from the garage!  (The GUYS were supposed to do that Gloria!)  So the living room looks better now, I think.  I have always loved that old chair; it is so comfortable.  I'm glad to have to back over here.

On Saturday we went on a little excursion.  First stop was Denise Green's antique shop in Worthington (pictured above).  It is fantastically decorated for Christmas!  She has a talent for putting just the right things together and also has some unique items for sale.  If you're a rug hooker, she has everything you need right down to the binding tape.  If you're in or through Worthington, please stop in and check it out.  We both loved the Santa who is leaning by the door, waiting to greet you with a HOHOHO!  

After we left there we stopped at a couple other shops in Bloomfield (not worth the time) and then went down and got on I-69 at the Crane interchange.  Took it all the way to the end of the new section (Indiana 68) where we got off and went to Warrenton to the Log Inn for some chicken.  I always get chicken livers with white gravy.  YUM!  Way too much but that means lots of left-overs to take home for the next day or two.   The new interstate is really great, if you can call an interstate highway "great".  It is well designed and still scenic.  Since it hasn't been developed there are very few billboards.  Lots of open (and very dark at night) sections, especially near Petersburg.  No gas stations, fast food places or motels yet, so it looks like road you would see out west where civilization is thin.  We left the Log Inn at 6:30 and were home a little after 7:30.  Not bad.  Check it out ...

We have had flock after flock of sandhill cranes over the past few days.  One evening, just after dark, they flew over the house so low that you could hear them talking to each other loudly.  Wonderful.  God is good.

Tomorrow I bake 7 dozen cookies for a retirement party ... sigh.  Why why why do I say I'll do these things?