The corn and soybeans have been harvested and the wheat has been sown. Winter is starting to assert itself. I have finally pulled out my long sleeve shirts.
A NICE, SLOW THANKSGIVING. We had the best Thanksgiving! It was nice to slow down and enjoy a few days off. The day before Thanksgiving we finished getting all the leaves out of the yard. This was the first year in a long time where weather and schedule have cooperated so we could get this done by Turkey Day.
On Thanksgiving we enjoyed a very nontraditional meal. We had chicken spinach lasagna which happens to be one of my favorites, so this was fine by me. We also had hommade spaghetti and meatballs. The meal was simple and took far less effort to fix than what Vicki has done in the past. We all ate over at Pauline’s.
Black Friday was our day to pull out the Christmas decorations. We started with the tree and then worked on the knick knacks around the house. We also put up Pauline’s tree. This continued with the outdoor decorations on Saturday. As we were pulling out the nativity scene Ben reminded me that there was a bit of snow on the ground when we set up the nativity scene last year. I don’t remember snow, but I do remember it being cold. This year we were working in short sleeve shirts. That evening we all went out to eat. Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob had driven up for a visit so we made our traditional visit to the Catfish House.
By Sunday evening Vicki was starting to feel a little sick so the kids and I got out of her hair and went over to Aunt Mar’s for a while. While there we got out all her Christmas decorations and set up her tree. I don’t know that I’ve ever had all three trees up before December.
SNOWFLAKES. It may not be snowing here in Cross Plains, but we have snowflakes at our house -- big one. Ben learned how to make paper snowflakes at school this week and he has been obsessed with making them. He even has his brother and sister in on the act. Now if we can just get him to throw away all the little bits of confetti he leaves on the table when he’s been making snow...
CHRISTMAS PARADES. Cross Plains held its annual Christmas parade this morning. Boy, was it cold! Our children’s ministry entered a float this year and it sure looked great. I got nominated to pull the float so I enjoyed the warm comfort of my truck cab. Our float was made by Todd and Sherree Totten, Buzz and Tammy Graves, and Brandi Clark. They made a big gingerbread house to sit on the trailer, and did a fantastic job.
We had several adults walk beside our float during the parade. This was partly for the safety of the kids and partly to pass out flyers about our AWANA club. I kept trying to drive at a comfortable walking speed, but the floats in front of me kept running off and leaving me so our escorts were pretty tired by the time we got to the end of the route. Vicki has already had one severe leg cramp.
I said parades above because we took in a second parade today. White House had their parade this afternoon. Our boys are involved in a Cub Scout pack in White House this year so they got to ride with their fellow scouts this afternoon. Vicki, Jenna, and I were glad to be spectators on this one.
RADIATION. I mentioned last time that Pauline had wrapped up her chemo. This week she saw a radiologist who told her she has some 20 treatments ahead. She will go in next week to have a form made to fit her body, and the treatments will begin sometime after that. She was told she shouldn’t expect any major side effects.
Joe
