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The last month of 2019 has arrived. Along with December comes the busy-ness of the Christmas season. Shopping for presents – gifts for those we hold dear, and gifts for those who may be not-so-dear. Holiday music fills the stores, is tuned in on the radio, and reverberates from the rafters of church buildings across the land. As we listen to the timely melodies, we notice different themes. Some songs remind us that we are honoring the birth of Jesus. …..
Another holiday is coming up, and sometimes I find it hard to face the idea that there will be someone missing at my Thanksgiving table. I remember the first meal my family had together after my husband graduated to Heaven. Things got quiet when we bowed our heads for the blessing of our food, but this time the silence wasn’t broken by the voice that usually offered our prayer. I am not sure who stepped into the void; the main…..
Sandwiched between all the hoopla of Halloween and the Christmas hubbub is the holiday we call Thanksgiving. In years gone by, this day seemed to have a lot more meaning than it does currently. Halloween was less of a production, and Christmas lights didn’t show up until December. Stores were closed on Thanksgiving instead of vying with other vendors for pre-Black Friday sales. We appear to have forgotten the purpose of a time that was supposed to be set aside…..
Someone forgot to tell the weatherman that November is an autumn month. The forecast for the next several days sounds more like winter. By the time this column comes out in the newspaper, we will know if we have descended to the predicted lows, which could be record-breaking. All I have to say is “Brrrrrrr!” Since last week’s weather forecast kept mentioning the cold front headed our direction, I decided that this would be an excellent time to get out…..
I can’t let October get away without featuring apple recipes. I have collected them for years and have tried lots of them along the way. Several years ago, a friend of mine called me the “apple lady” because she was fascinated with all the different things I made with them. I used to spend a lot of hours at the orchard picking our favorite varieties. When the season for harvesting apples was over, my freezer would be full of them,…..
Fall is really beginning to show its colors after the frosty mornings of last week. Summer green is evolving into the reds, golds, and oranges of autumn. Speaking of last week, several days of mine were filled with caring for two of my grandsons, Liam (8) and Colton (3). Their parents took a delayed trip to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, which was in August. Liam started school the day of their actual anniversary, so Adam and Candice waited until fall…..
Children’s toys are so much more sophisticated now than they were when I was young. They include many of the things my contemporaries and I had to produce with our imagination. However, sometimes I think we were better off because we learned to be creative. It’s funny, though, how even now kids will choose to play with boxes instead of the toys that came inside. For some reason, I keep picturing some of the favorite toys my sisters and I…..
Remember the cartoon character Popeye? The one who was “strong to the finish” because he ate his spinach? October must have been his favorite time of year, as it has been designated as National Spinach-Lovers’ Month. I learned to eat many different types of greens when I was a child. It seemed like my mother loved them all. Kale, collards, mustard, turnip greens, and even pokeweed were often served as side dishes at family mealtimes. Notice what is missing? Spinach. …..
This past weekend was something I had been anticipating. The plan was for it to be filled with time with my grandchildren. Things started out well; my son Jonathan brought his son Elijah (4) on Friday morning. After Jonathan left, Elijah and I went through a book filled with cookie recipes; I let him choose two different kinds for us to make. Following a trip to town to purchase some needed ingredients, plus taking time out for lunch, Elijah and…..