Thanksgiving Reveries

 Well, Thanksgiving is over, and I am ready to move on to Christmas. It was a nice day. The weather was almost warm, and it would have been wonderful to have one of those big, noisy holidays we used to have back in the days when we took these things for granted.

I have a long, long list of big Thanksgivings behind me, and, yet, I have never roasted a turkey. We had so many large family groups, with lots of food, family, friends, and friends of friends, and lots of cooking.  My late husband, Jim, was born into the restaurant business, and was an excellent baker. Everyone always assigned us to bring the pies and rolls. On Thanksgiving mornings, he would take some of the kids to Mass, and then to Moran's Cafeteria to bake. Easy peasy for me. But I don't think I've ever cooked a special food that people remembered or requested. Maybe I need to work a little harder on a signature dish. Maybe not.

When I was a child we had storybook Turkey Days at my aunt and uncle's farm. These continued through my own kids' childhoods, until we suddenly lost my Aunt Jane. Later, we traveled to Kansas City, and had great times at my daughter's. Her husband, Trent, was always our chef. He also cooked when I had everyone come to the Frat House for two Thanksgiving dinners. There are lots of memories of our Kansas City holidays. One that the whole family will remember is when the tablecloth caught fire just as Johnny Cash started singing Burning Ring of Fire on the radio. Everybody was sure it was a message from Jim, since it was our first holiday without him. We laughed and cried, and kept the tablecloth.

Last year was my first year with John. We had only been married a few weeks. We celebrated with part of his family. We have several children, and it is unusual to get everyone together at the same time. But that is my dream, to have all of us together. I certainly didn't dream that it would turn out to be such a complicated, difficult year!

Our Thanksgiving dinner today was just the two of us, with a pie delivery from one of his children. It was delicious, thank you. And there were several phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages. After dinner we took a drive to the nearby lake. 

Thanksgiving has never been at the top of my holiday list. I always enjoy it and I certainly eat more than my share, but I have never gotten that excited about it. There is always so much nostalgia, and missing things and people that we don't have any more. I try to remember that things change and people change, and that favorite foods don't always taste the same when someone else makes them, and that even though we are practically confined to our houses for the present, we really "can't go home again." But we can remember to be thankful every day, for the past, the present, and for the future.

BOO!

It's almost too late to show off my little bits of Halloween, and tomorrow it will be gone. I am really not too much about decorating for Thanksgiving. I'll turn the pumpkins around so the jack-o-lantern faces don't show, and pack away the ghoulies and ghosties. Leaves and acorns can stay. I do like the mysterious apothecary, but it will probably have to be packed away.

I made this Halloween book from an antique ledger several years ago, and it is always fun to page through. I have made quite a few altered Halloween books as gifts, but have no pictures. I never learn! There is also a Practical Magic spellbook that I received in a swap quite a few years ago.

My mom used to have a business with a friend called "The Trunkyard". They beautifully refinished antique wooden trunks and made ornaments out of the tin coverings. The tin cat was once part of a trunk. The three little witches print is from Paulina Cassidy. Her work is delicate, whimsical, and just a bit on the scary side. She is an artist, a writer, and a songwriter.

I have several of these little tombstones. I used to decorate them with tiny flower arrangements and ribbons, and I think they were pretty darn cute. The black casket is a Victorian paperweight. I bought it in an antique store in a little English village. It is quite detailed, and also very heavy.

The velvet pumpkin has several old brooches pinned on as ornaments, and some little leaves. It could use a little more work before next year. I think I will make more of them.

The top shelf of my favorite bookcase is filled with children's Halloween books. I am partial to friendly witches and ghosts. I'm really not sure about pumpkin faced people and skeletons. My favorites are probably banners, buntings, and garlands. This year I made quite a few from fabric yo-yos. (They are also known as Suffolk puffs in my favorite adopted country.) They are easy to make from gathered fabric circles and can always have buttons and twine or ribbon to perk them up a bit.

From Ghoulies and Ghosties and Long Leggity Beasties

And things that go bump in the night

Good Lord, Deliver Us

Happy Halloween

 

Still A Wonderful Life

 "Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? Clarence Oddbody; Angel Second Class 

Richard Thomas Moran

  Sept 27, 1979-Sept 23, 2010

I find it hard to believe, but it has been ten years since we lost Rich. And, still, there isn't a day that we don't remember something about him and miss him just as fiercely as ever. I always thought we would have a big party for the tenth anniversary. We would invite everyone we could think of and listen to their stories, and laugh and cry. He would have liked that, and there would be a lot of stories.

Of course, those were pre-Covid plans. Instead, there will be a small gathering with just some of his siblings. I feel sad that we can't all be together, but there will be Zoom. Not the same, but that is how a lot of things seem to be handled these days.

I've seen so many changes in the last ten years. If anyone had told me that I would move three times, lose my husband, mother, and brother, walk Bridget down the aisle at her wedding to Matt, help with grief counseling, work at a funeral home, travel to my favorite places, become a House Mom for a  fraternity, and re-connect and marry my wonderful John......Well, I probably wouldn't have believed any of it. I know Rich would have had a lot to say!

                                    

I still have his original "Bucket List" framed. I did the embellishing, after I found it. It sounds so much like him that reading it always makes me smile. He named authors that he wanted to meet, books to read, and places to go. Maybe now he has run with the bulls, and lived in a lighthouse, and talked to Shakespeare about his plays. I hope so.

John and I are blending our families. Between us we have ten children and thirteen grandchildren. We have both lost a son and a spouse.  I am still trying to find places for all the photos! We have been married for nearly a year. In normal times, we would have seen a lot more of  the family. I am looking forward to normal!

So Much Stuff

 I have opened a booth at a local antiques mall. It is just a small space and really can't hold too much. I am paring down little by little and finally hoping to get rid of my storage unit. That sounds great, but what we are really doing is transferring things from mine to his. His was practically empty. Mine had lots of treasures that have been hidden in totes and boxes for five years. Theoretically, if I have not seen something for such a long time, it should be easy to get rid of, shouldn't it?  But that's not how it works for me. I think of every box I open as Christmas coming early. And then I try to put a price tag on it. My sales have been pretty good, but I don't think this is my true calling. Over the years I have been known to buy back items that I had previously let go. I will persevere, because we are in our golden years, and don't really need so much. HaHa. 

                                   

I moved into a house that was filled to the brim with more treasures and memories that aren't my own. It has attics and storage areas all full from many years of happy living and collecting. It isn't always easy, but little by little, I am trying to make it ours. We talk about moving, and have looked at a few houses, but really like this one. I would like to find a house we both love, but so far when we do see a possibility, it sells while we are still thinking about it. We have such a lot to do before we would move, so it may happen, and may not. And in the meantime, we will just keep downsizing.

I am beginning a second blog. At this time, I am not positive why I am having problems with the first one, but it may be time for a new name. I love my Second Story cottage, and this seems like a good time for a name change. After all, I am living my second story everyday. I hope that you will join me.