Thanksgiving, 2012

Raspberry pie is a traditional food at my family's Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving

I think it's a good idea to have a day set aside for thanksgiving. I'm a positive person and I count my blessings more than once a year, but it's good to be reminded. What a great holiday. A whole day set aside for being thankful.

I thought of listing the things I'm thankful for, but you know what happens--the list gets too long. Of course that's why we do it--to remind ourselves how long our list is. My husband, my dog, my home, my friends, my life...how fortunate I am.

Blessings on you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Homemade pie has always been a big part of my Thanksgiving tradition. Do you like pie? What is your favorite kind?

Thanksgiving

Under southern California circumstances, a photo of chocolate turkeys in the rain is appropriate for Thanksgiving. Chocolate, turkeys and rain are just three of the many things I'm thankful for.

I could go on, but let it suffice to say that the list of things for which I'm grateful is far longer than the list of those for which I'm not.

I started writing this long, preachy thing about looking on the bright side on a rainy day, blah blah. But you know whether to be thankful or not. You know what's working for you and what isn't.

So let me just wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Today and every day, may you find your equivalent of chocolate, turkeys and rain.

Just Breathe

Today I have to make one more run to the grocery store. Tomorrow I'll be hiding out. If I leave the house Friday, you can bet I won't be going anywhere near where commerce takes place.

I can't remember the last time I went shopping on a "black Friday," but it was before they called it that. Something traumatic must have happened because I haven't ventured out again. Whatever it was, I've blacked it out. It's easy enough to reconstruct: traffic, overloaded parking lots, crowds, artificial bargains, fatigue. It must have gotten to me.

I'm better now, more relaxed. I'm just practicing my own, age-old holiday tradition of not shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'll see you out there next week and don't worry, I can handle it. I'll be the one screaming "ohm" at the top of my lungs.

Friendly Skies

I liked this view when I got out of my car at the grocery store yesterday. I don't photograph clouds often, but that's because we don't often have them. These looked like they decided to squat right down on the roof.

I expected frenzy inside the store, but I guess that doesn't happen until Wednesday. Is it cocky of me to think we have everything we need for the week? (As I knock softly on my wooden desk.) I don't mind going back to the store if I need to, it's not the worst thing. (The worst thing is shopping for gifts the day before Christmas.) I only have one rule for the day before Thanksgiving: "don't travel."

If I were looking for Mr. Right, though, I'd make an exception this year. Boy howdy! Who knows? You might find Mr. Right at the airport. I hear the TSA's a solid job. So if you have to travel, make the best of it. When life gives you lemons, they say, make lemonade.

day 283 - thanksgiving dinner no. 2 $

You know that whole "when your kids are quiet they must be up to no good" saying? TOTALLY ACCURATE.

When I rolled over this morning, Owen was standing beside me covered in green marker. Luckily it washed off without a trace. I found this out as green milk dribbled down his face and back into his bowl of Cap'n Crunch. God bless you Crayola. I've given you hell in the past for other things that have not been washable and made a hell of a mess, but you did good this time.



From there we were off to thanksgiving number two and to see the entire McDougall clan. As if getting a nice picture of three kids was hard enough,



let's try eight great grandchildren under the age of seven. Thank god the third boy is only a few months old because the photographer's boys were a big enough challenge on their own. By this time the boys had been chased down and put back on the step at least five times. As you can see from the look on Owen's face I was expected to get the show on the road pronto.



After that it was off to celebrate Jenn's birthday. Her birthday was a month ago but considering we don't get around to exchanging Christmas presents until February sometimes, we were pretty much on schedule.

It was just Jenn, me and "the Hoff".



I was going to marry "the Hoff" when I was five years old at the height of the Knight Rider craze. All bets were off the second I:

A. Heard him sing.
B. Saw him mutilate that whopper.

On a related note, have you seen the David Hasselhoff roast on Comedy Central? I highly recommend watching Lisa Lampanelli's portion of the roast. Please don't watch if you are: sensitive to the f-word and other colourful language, a holocaust survivor, Hulk Hogan's ex-wife or most importantly my mother. I would post a link but she'd probably disown me.

day 282 - thanksgiving dinner no. 1 $

Where has the time gone? Five years ago at Thanksgiving we announced we were expecting Ava. This year the three kids rode various pedaled vehicles to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. The boys rode their tractors and Ava rode her bike and needed her seat adjusted because it was far too low.

Here's the front row parking at Nana & Grandad's and Ava's favourite shoes that look fantastic but she can't tie herself. It's a work in progress:



While we were playing outside Owen tried to tell me he wants to ride a motorcycle. Dear god could you imagine? My hair is already starting to go grey. That would make it fall out in clumps.



The kids decorated Halloween cookies and had a great time. It's funny the difference between our house and my parents' house. Candies were hitting the floor as the kids were decorating. If I were at home I would yell "SCARLETT!" At my parents' house my mom it's "Jen, get the broom".



And last but not least, no family Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter would be complete without cranberry out of the can. You can keep your stuff with the tiny twigs and bits of bark. I like my cranberry showing the lines of the can it just slid out of. This is where the good stuff is at people.



Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanskgiving, 2009

I hope Paula of Pensacola Daily Photo won't mind me quoting her: "expressing gratitude isn't saying what you're grateful for, it's what you do with what you're grateful for." It's much like the old chestnut (or the old pecan), "actions speak louder than words."

I like that because it reminds me I can talk talk talk (or write write write), but it's what I do that counts. My actions are so much more important than my "blahbedy-blah Thanksgiving platitudes." (Shoot, I worked really hard on them, too.)

I'm grateful for so many things I can't list them all here but they include my husband, my dog, my home, friends, food and freedom. I'm going to spend time enjoying all of those things today.

I wish you more blessings than you can count.

Happy Thanksgiving

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A Thanksgiving Moment

As we savor this week of Thanksgiving it's useful to take a moment to reflect on what's important, before the rampant consumerism of Christmas sets upon us.

Ohm.

Thankful

Thankful we had rain the past two nights.
Thankful I have shelter.
Thankful I have meaningful work.
Thankful I'm safe.
Thankful I love my home, family, friends and my photogenic town.

And that's just for starters.

Some of you may remember our friend Abraham Lincoln of Brookville Daily Photo in Ohio. Abe has to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital with a collapsed lung. If you've got a minute, you might click on over there and wish him well.

(Hmm. Thankful for good health, too.)

Wishing you many, many things to be thankful for.

Turkey Landing

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I caught this turkey flying over Wollaston Beach a couple weeks ago with fellow kiters. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.