Just Another Regular Old Thanksgiving

 Just a little late with the picture, but the holiday was great. And we really celebrated on the actual day. All of John's family was able to be together this year after a much too long break. We were able to have a couple of days of Brafford Revelry before everyone went back to their respective states. It was so nice to see them all at one time. The baby is no longer a baby. My five bonus grands are stair stepped from ages nine til two, and as cute as can be.

                                                                  

                                                                   The Kids' Table

The Moran's had plans too, this year, but they had to change, after three of them came down with Covid, even though they have been "following the rules".  Everyone is feeling better now, and it hasn't spread any further. My children had four intimate little dinners, each probably missing some of the traditional foods. No traveling allowed. I have to say that my middle daughter and her family had their worst and probably most memorable holiday. Even though Meghan couldn't taste or smell anything, she made a dinner with last minute ingredients from online grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the oven broke and the door actually came off in Jack's hand when they were putting the cold dishes in to cook.

The dinner was transferred to the microwave. And a good time was had by all. Well, not really. Half the family was sick, and the other half was hungry. And, of course, they couldn't have any company. In a few days, I will be able to see them again.

My dream is to have everyone together this year for Christmas. So far it is looking good.

Challenge Completed

 

Here we are into November and I already feel like time is getting away from me. It sounds strange but I think everything went a little slower last month when I was writing every day! Here is my reward from PinArtWork. They have a lot of info about blogging and increasing your traffic, which I am still trying to absorb. So far it seems like all the info about increasing traffic has a big financial component.

I put away the Halloween decorations, except for some pumpkins. That's about all the decorating I do for Thanksgiving. I did buy a Give Thanks banner which I will decorate and hang. This year we will have a real family Thanksgiving again. Last year it was John and me and the Hy-Vee menu. We had two invitations this year. I wish we could visit both. I am really looking forward to a traditional Christmas. I hope it happens. 

I began this on November 4th and now it is the fifteenth. One of the things I learned last month was that I have a tendency to just float if I hadn't made a committment. Well, actually I didn't just learn it, but I did prove it. When I knew that I had to come up with something to write about every day, then I did it. There is a lesson for me there, I know.

November has been busy. John finally got to stop wearing the sling, and is now able to use his arm, even though he isn't supposed to do any lifting. He goes to physical therapy three times a week for a few more weeks. We have gotten used to having very unscheduled mornings, so that makes a difference.

We went to Galena this week and celebrated our second wedding anniversary a month late. We did see  some of the shops, but not nearly all of them. Just an FYI, many shops aren't open on Wednesdays. We also went to General Grant's Home. I had seen it several years ago. It is furnished in the same time period as my much loved Flynn Mansion. Flynn is much, much grander, although most of General Grant's house has original furnishings. We ex-museum people are always conscious of details like that. I have always said that once I started working in an historic home, I could never watch a period movie and just enjoy it. We all become very picky about authenticity. I always like to see other guides too. Ours gave out a lot of information (too much for John), but was very scripted. I don't think he appreciated questions. During all my years as an historic interpreter, I always liked to see how many ways I could say the same information. Factually, of course. And I did hear the dreaded "people were shorter back then" phrase. But it was fun to see everything. In an outbuilding they had a display of plates from most of the White House First Ladies China. I thought the most interesting was picked by Dolly Madison and manufactured in 1814.

                                                          

It was a little more vibrant and orange than it shows in the photo. The china came from Paris.

We stayed at The Irish Cottage Hotel which I highly reccomend. There is music on the weekends.

We are the music makers, and we

Are the dreamers of dreams

Wandering by lone sea-breakers

And sitting by desolate streams

World losers and world forsakers

on whom the pale moon gleams

Yet we are the movers and the

shakers, of the world for-ever

it seems.

I always thought I had quite a bit of Irish in me, until I had my DNA tested, and it was just a sliver. My children are still mostly Irish, on their dad's side, and with my tiny bit.