Thanksgiving 2010

The weather this past week has been wild.  First the snow, then the Arctic Blastand fierce winds that have kept the temperatures in the 20's and teens.  I love snow....when I don't have to drive to work in it at 6:45 am. when there is no way to get to my work place without having to navigate several steep hills, some of which have traffic lights strategically placed in the middle of them...such fun.  But we survived, as did the 2 hummingbirds who are still frequenting my feeders.  I had to take the feeders in at night to keep them from freezing and then put them back out in the morning.  I can't imagine how they survived the frigid night and 50 mph winds that blew last Monday, but they did!  The weather was supposed to break by Thanksgiving Day.

The Plan for Thanksgiving Day:  drive south to Des Moines, WA, to have dinner with extended family.  I was to bring sweet potato souffle and cranberry salad. 

The Reality of Thanksgiving Day:  4" of new snow on top of ice as the "Arctic Blast" kept the temperatures in the 20's.  We decided that what would now become a 6 hr. drive down and back was not going to work and we chose to stay home instead.  But....we have nothing but the potatoes and the salad to eat.  What to do....what to do.  Well, Fred Meyer is always open on Thanksgiving, so we made a quick trip to the store and purchased a Tur-Duk-Hen!  Ready to cook!  And....a marionberry pie on sale for $1.99.  Can't beat that.  Along with the potatoes, the salad and a glass of Sparkling Apple Mango Cider, our meal was complete!

Bookish

It's been five long weeks since I've had any time to myself.  Between work at school, Saturdays at Stoney Ridge and church, Sunday school and small group on Sundays, I've just been a blur as I have moved from one commitment to another.  Yesterday I had a blissful 3 whole hours to myself.  I lit all my collected lanterns, made a cup of Murchies No. 10 blend, finished reading Elizabeth Goudge's PILGRIM INN and started Jan Karon's newest book, the second in her "Father Tim" series. 

I first discovered Jan Karon at the public library when I randomly picked up AT HOME IN MITFORD from the shelf and read the blurb:  small town life, quirky characters and a dog...I was hooked.  This was long before her books started to make The New York Times Bestseller list.  I was completely captivated by the charm of her writing, so much so that I wrote her a 4 page letter.  This is only the second letter I've ever written to an author, the first was at the age of thirteen when I wrote to Albert Payson Terhune who wrote those treasured books about Lad and the other collies and dogs that were a part Sunnybank.  I read everything he ever wrote.  Sadly, dogs have never been an actual part of my life, but they have certainly inhabited my dreams and maybe someday.....dream will become reality!

In the meantime, three hours of bliss, what a treasure.

It was the busiest day ever at Stoney Ridge today.  We're guestimating about 8,000 people.  There were 900 hotdogs solds, 121 pies eaten and untold numbers of pumpkins, squash and apples that were carted out to cars.  We had a non-stop line at the gate from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm when it finally slowed down enough for us to drink some water and eat a hot dog!  It was a beautiful day and everyone was patient with the long lines and even though we're beyond tired, how can you lose when one of the resident bakers hands you a whole pan with a dozen homemade cinnamon rolls to take home.  We are blessed!



And Furthermore....

There are those who still consider books to be the treasures that they are, as so eloquently stated by Lanier in her most recent post!

Death of the Library...or Why My Job Isn't Fun Anymore

"The profession I chose...belongs to the past except in the minds of those who truly loved it and mourn its tragic demise. Even the educational path upon which it is based has become all but unrecognizable. What was once called library science now has a trend-driven hocus-pocus name, something like 'informational studies.' A library that is respectably up to date is no longer a temple dedicated to the guardianship of books or a sanctuary for the hallowed art of reading. No. A library is a zone of cyberkinetic values, a brain as viewed by the cold, lizardly pathologist: a numbingly gray place, of systems and wiring, of knowledge-related transactions that may or may not...require the use of books." from THE WIDOWER'S TALE by Julia Glass

Dinner's Ready....

Or later that same day.....the perpetrator returns to the scene of the crime!

Drama In Real Life

Remember the monthly article in "Reader's Digest" called Drama In Real Life? I used to read it religiously, actually not such a great idea as it only added fuel to my already overactive "what if" imagination.

In that vein, I walked out into the garage this morning to fetch something and as I walked past the window over my washing machine and dryer, I noticed this huge spider neatly wrapped up in a bundle. Next to it was a much smaller spider who apparently did the gift wrapping. By the time I grabbed my camera, he/she had hidden behind the fake ivy wreath I have hanging there, so I couldn't get a picture of the impressive difference in their sizes. Might doesn't always win!