Terrapin Station

Friday Five: Thanksgiving

Jan, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

I've been home from Russia for less than a week, and in less than a week it is Thanksgiving Day in the USA (Nov. 24). So for this Friday Five, answer these questions (and if they don't apply to you, list five things you are grateful for):

1. Where will you be on Thanksgiving Day? With whom? I will be at home with my sweet husband.  Because he is still taking all nourishment through a tube, attending an event where it's all about eating would be unkind to him, to say the least.  Also he's not feeling great a lot of the time, so going somewhere seems like a bad plan.  We are just going to chill.  I hope to get at least a little deep cleaning done (don't want to go overboard) and maybe start decorating for Christmas.  I have vacation on Thursday and Friday.

2. Are there any family traditions or memories associated with Thanksgiving?  Oh my, yes.  We always (in my memory) had all the Butler family over to our house.  I remember many Thanksgiving mornings helping chop celery & onions for dressing, or setting many many card tables with various sets of china and silverware, or raking leaves in the yard to get ready.  There would be 30 or 40 people there. That same group would gather for Christmas at my Gramma Beth's house and later Aunt Emily & Uncle Oliver's home on Lake Jackson.  What a wonderful gift:  a solid feeling of belonging to a solid family full of love.  (Really.  That group really did get along.  No joking.) 

3. What will be on your Thanksgiving menu?  Well, we are eating a lot of dressing (my personal favorite part of Thanksgiving) with giblet gravy (made by Ken).  We each eat it as we are able.  :) 

4. Are you trying anything new this Thanksgiving? Staying home and not entertaining. 

5. What is the weather forecast for this day (next Thursday)? Sunny.  High 62, low 47.  Can't beat that!  Looks like I may be doing some lawn cutting, too.

Bonus: Prayer, poem, song, or whatever you choose to exemplify your image of Thanksgiving (giving thanks).

At Butler gatherings we say grace before meals by standing in a circle, holding hands, and singing this:

 

                                                                

(While I like this inclusive version of the words, using only the word "God" to represent God, know well that the Doxology as the Butlers sing it refers to God as Him.  And we have a Father, Son and Holy GHOST.  No newfangled wording for us, thanks.)  (That's TRADITION for you.)

Friday Five on Saturday: Staycation

At RevGals, Kathrynzj says, I'm wrapping up a two week vacation that has taken me from beach to basement. WHAT?

It's true, I took a week off of work to clean out the basement. Sadly, to look at a before/after photo would not make it look like my time had been used wisely. Just about everything is still down there, it's just in a different pile. BUT... our church rummage sale this year is going to be very, very blessed.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there takes a week off of work to do a different kind of work:

1) Have you ever 'staycationed' in order to work on a project? If no, would you? Well, I mentioned in yesterday's post that this summer has been our Staycation to Beat The Hell Outta Cancer. But I think I'll choose something else for this play. So....one time on Spring Break I painted the kitchen. It was just part of it, but instead of unrelieved white, I got a nice little yellow wash on the walls above the stove and counters. It was very satisfying.

2) What project did you or would you tackle first? What I'd REALLY like to do is remove all the ugly, dark 1970's kitchen cabinets and strip them, and apply a much lighter finish and some different hardware, and remount. But gosh: I'm pretty certain that'd be more than a week's worth. And I can't bear to have it go on for 2 years...ugh.

3) Any other projects? Need to remove the storm windows and wash all the windows. Repair 2 porch lights. So, so many things. But here's one that really happened: My sister in law Gail repaired my kitchen drawer yesterday...we have lived in this house for 11 years and it's been broken since we moved in. Yeah. She has the tenacity of a bulldog, in a very gentle way. I love her insanely (and not just because she fixed the dang drawer!!)

4) What are the pitfalls of a staycation for you? I end up napping and reading instead of the project!

5) Never mind this staying at home business, where do you want to go and what do you want to do there? I want to take my hubby to Galveston for a week in our motor home. Just hanging out and resting, and he can go wade-fishing past the third bar when the blue water comes in. We can eat out on patios at seafood restaurants with our dogs, and watch the city we love as it comes back from Ike. And, I need to get to my beach in Florida soon, too.

The Deep Freeze

My workplace and most schools and colleges are closed today.  That's four days of the past five...effectively giving us a six-day weekend. 

How could that happen?  Well, the storm system that came through Monday night was so cold that it threw down 2" of sleet on this part of North Texas, and the lows over the past three days have gone from 9 degrees to 19.  So everything is frozen and impassable.  Our cities don't begin to be equipped to deal with roads in these conditions, and for the temps to stay this low, this long, is just an anomaly.  It hasn't happened in the 15 years I've lived here. 

I'm sitting looking out my library window.  My computer is to the right of the window and the snow is falling outside.  Last night we had 7 inches and it's piling up. 

I'm watching a squirrel dig up the sunflower seed I threw out for the birds yesterday.  I never saw the birds find it, but a bonus for this fellow.  Great example of casting your bread on the water...so to speak.  

 
Can you see the squirrel?  Just to the right of the hot tub.

I was to attend a Stephen Minister training tomorrow, but it's been cancelled.  I'm sorry because I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm not crazy about the idea of driving to Dallas before temps go above freezing, which isn't expected before midday tomorrow.  Especially since Ken is in Nashville for the National Pavement Expo, so my hardy rescuer is not available! 

Conveniently for the Great Gods Mammon and Football, for whom a grand festival is currently being prepared down the road in Arlington (Sunday afternoon), the weekend will bring us highs in the 40's to 50's.  Though more snow possible on Sunday. 

It's quiet around these parts.  I've nearly finished my library books (which I don't like...need a stockpile of books!) but have been reminded I can check out books on my Sony e-reader (I forget about that...) and am digging into some other reading, including Reframing Hope, the book for the RevGals cruise (in 22 days, woohoo!).  Also am casting on a knitting project for the trip.   The dogs are going pretty stir crazy...they go outside to pee and get all caught up in galumphing around (Boudreaux) and eating snow (Josie).  Then they have to go out again & bring in more snow. 

Reading:  I've finished the Maisie Dobbs series, which is wonderful...a million thanks to Jan for turning me on to these.  And yesterday I read Keeping Time by Stacey McGlynn.  Very, very highly recommended.  I also read the latest (for me) Stephanie Plum book, Sizzling Sixteen.  Good, but not enough Grandma Mazur for me. 

Writing:  I have a few RevGals posts to put together, and I'm writing this (a miracle, first blogging in a long time!)   And I have a Friday Five to post...with all the time in the world to consider it. 

Watch this space. 

oh, bonus photo: 

 

these are some Aunt Lugenia slippers.  Made by my Aunt Lugenia Culbreath, my Memamma's sister.  These are at least 25 years old.  Aunt Lugenia made hundreds, maybe thousands of pairs of slippers like this.  I tend to prefer barefoot, but in an old house with wood and tile floors, on a really cold day...these rock.  Here's to you, Aunt Lugenia. 

Staycation, all I ever wanted...

I went to my parents' on Sunday in the week before Christmas, and celebrated with them, my sister and her family.  

Nancy and I

My parents

Nancy's house had just been on the Mertzon Tour of Homes.  It was GORGEOUS.  She has a new kitchen re-do complete with mudroom and pantry bigger than my kitchen.  Jealous?  naw, not me.  ;)  

Mallory and my mom @ Cold Stone Creamery after Narnia movie

Spencer & Saxon at Cold Stone

Me and Brandon - we had our Christmas with him on Christmas Eve.  Great fun.  

Here he is figuring out one of his new toys.  I love stocking stuffers!!

Christmas Eve night I went to the 11:00 Mass, which was lovely.  Came home and Ken and I spent the next day lounging around...reading in bed...etc.  

Then on the next day, I arose and began to accomplish things.  

I cleaned the bedroom, arranged scads of tangled mess into my new jewelry box.  

I cleaned the kitchen, organized two cupboards and the pantry

I cleaned my office (the BIG one), clearing out tons of "stash and dash" stuff.  I thought my yarn stash was all put away in boxes...ha.  Guess what, there was a lot more there.  I rearranged the furniture in that room so I could put up and use my Total Gym (and oh, also use the room for what it is actually intended for: reading, prayer, computer, etc.)  I have boxes to go to the Goodwill store, the Recycled Books place, and our friendly EBay person.  

I caught up with laundry.  

Each night my lower back was killing me, but what a sense of accomplishment.  

And I rode my NEW BIKE:  

I am grateful for the long period all together...a long time since I did that.  I usually just want to lie down and read on vacation days...I think this time I managed to get up and move because I'd already had that time.  

Tomorrow, I go back to work.  It's a good thing.  There's lots to do and good folks to do it with.