As I turned the calendar.

November 1 Sky 2010

As I turned the page yesterday on the calender to November many things crossed my mind.  I will have to endure the drudgery of lugging all of my plants inside this week as a hard freeze will be here this weekend.  They are like old friends or an old dog you have known for a very long time,  you love them but they can get on your last nerve!  Too big, too spindly, too much sun,  not enough, or BUGS!!!

Then there is poor old Susie our beloved 14 year old boxer with cancer........can she make it another winter......

The Falling Leaves

Then there is the rest of the family.  Winter makes everything more difficult for everyone.

Then, I stop.  I look at what I am doing and stop curtly.  Smack yourself girl.

Thank God above we have all made it this far.  Why look at those plants, some of which belonged to my late mother-in-law and others that came from my Mother and late  Dad's home in Florida, and there are some from Grandma Powell.  And look at Susie who's life expectancy was 8 or 9 to begin with!!  And,  I am so Blessed to still have my lovely Mother and all of my brothers and sisters, my husband, children and beloved grandchildren, nieces and nephews. 

HOW DARE I EVEN THINK ABOUT BEING GROUCHY OR UNGRATEFUL!

Shame on me.  So as I ponder where to start in the early planning of our family Thanksgiving and the Christmas Season to follow, I give thanks to God.  I thank Him for this wonderful family and this wonderful Country.  I praise Him for his Grace and Forgiveness and I thank Him for all of you.

I am thankful we all can go vote tomorrow in a free country.  I am proud that how ever our election turns out we are all still civil to each other.  My neighbors who have signs out for a political party different than the ones in my front yard will still wave and smile as we drive by.  We will still look after each others homes if something takes one of us away for a weekend.

Where else but in America ??