* IT'S THANKSGIVING TIME AGAIN! *

Happy Thanksgiving a couple of days early. 

Below are some photos that have appeared

 on my blog over the years, mostly on

Thanksgiving posts.

I've been feeling a bit melancholy...

As we get older, the holidays just aren't what they used to be, are they?

My siblings and their families live in separate parts of the US.

Iowa, Minnesota, Georgia, Oklahoma

Mark is in New Orleans so we won't see him, and Scott is unavailable...

So it's just Ron and me, but that's OK! 

(Mark IS coming home for Christmas!!)

I really am thankful for my life and all that goes with it...

but sometimes the thankfulness just kind of hides, ya know?

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY WEEKEND. 

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday!

I did a little much-needed shopping for myself yesterday and had partial good luck. Bought a pair of shoes I'm going to return. (I just knew they weren't right for me!) I just want casual and comfy. All I could find in 2 large shoe chains were winter boots, high heels and athletic shoes. Grrr...

But I did have good luck in finding...uh...women's undergarments! 😀 If you're like me, you just hate to spend money on that kind of thing and keep wearing old ones until they're thread-bare!

So, what does this have to do with a Nostalgic Sunday post? I missed not having my wonderful friend, Sherry, with me. We always have a great time usually shopping and eating out. We see each other about once a month because she and her husband moved quite a few miles away a couple of years ago, but she has some family here still, and of course ME! 

I also thought about my sister, Marian, who is the sweetest, nicest person I know and it's wonderful being her little sister. But just like Sherry, she doesn't live here either, and we're lucky if we see each other every couple of years. (She and her husband and two little daughters moved to Atlanta way too long ago.) Years ago, when we were younger, Ron and Mark and I would drive to their home, or to the Florida gulf to meet them and other favorite relatives there and visit for a week. Marian and I would always go to at least one mall to do some shopping and although she is 14 years older than I am....she could out-shop me any day! She's always been blessed with lots of energy, and I have just about none. As soon as we'd get to our next destination, I'd say, "Marian, can we stop and get a soda and sit down for a while?" That would just crack her up. (I'm glad I can always offer comic relief!)

And, in addition to missing Sherry and Marian, I ran into an old friend who I hadn't seen in years. She and Sherry and I all worked at the same company in the 80's. We talked and laughed for quite a while, and then it was time for me to start heading home. 

I also had some fun and interesting encounters with strangers that I'll write about some other time.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I know I did, and I'm so grateful for all the good in my life.

“Some people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.” -- Abraham H. Maslow

* Life is Good *

Tomorrow, Friday will be November 15th. The month is half over already! I can't decide what month or season it feels like. Cold and snowy. Warm and sunny. Sheesh!

Although our Thanksgiving this year will be even less normal than usual (for us) we have so much to be thankful for and will have our turkey dinner with all the trimmings even if it's just the two of us.

I LOVE to bake the turkey. I always practically smell the aroma just thinking about it. Mmmm!

This is another short post and I apologize again for not getting around to reading all of yours.

And thank goodness for all my crazy friends!

* Very Short Post! *

I've been having terrible email problems. Haven't been able to send or receive on both cell phone and internet for a few days!! The internet email seems to be working fine ...no email from you yet, though Sue G...

I have to make a phone call about sending and receiving email on my cell phone. Grrr....Don't you just hate electronic problems??!!

So, I just wanted to stop in and say Hello and I'm Alive and Well

(We had about 2" of snow today! I think that's a record as far as today's date. We usually don't have snow until Dec or Jan. And the wind!!...Oh my the wind! And to make it even weirder, yesterday and the day before, the high temps were around 65⁰! How crazy is that??)

Hope to be back soon, posting and reading your blogs!!

* Nostalgic Sundays *

I haven't thought about my "Nostalgic Sundays" blog posts in such a long time, but just this moment when I wondered what I would write about tonight...it came to me 😀 (Most of this was written ON Sunday!)

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

I feel a little bad because it's been almost a month since my last post and I'd promised myself that I was going to blog regularly again...Hmm, what are my excuses?? 

1) Well, one excuse is that I gobbled up another great book! The Headmaster's Wife, by Thomas Christopher Greene. There are 3 or 4 other novels with the exact same title, so if you're thinking about reading it, make sure you get the one by THIS author! (I never read much of the book reviews of a book or the inside flap, etc. before I begin it, because too many times it tells me too much about the plot.) 

This was another page-turner and had at least one "jaw dropping" moment! If anyone reads it, I'd love to know your thoughts.

2) Another excuse is because I worked 4 days last week instead of my usual 2 days and I was exhausted every evening. I have a long commute, which is "okay" for 2 days, but not 4. Ha Ha!

3) I've been helping Ron a little with our renovations. He does all the hard work and sometimes I hand him a hammer, screw driver, etc! 😊

4) Charlie and I are still enjoying quite a bit of time on our porch. He wants to go out there all the time, even when it's a bit too cold for me! I do cover up with a blanket sometimes. I need to get a little heater and lamp for it because that would help a lot, to read and/or write!

    *Being in the screened-in porch always makes me VERY nostalgic. Especially when the crickets are chirping and I hear the sound of a train in the distance. I close my eyes and I'm about six years old again, sitting on my grandma's screened-in porch in Greenfield, Iowa. I would love to go back to those days...*

“It shocks me how I wish for...what is lost and cannot come back.” -- Sue Monk Kidd, Traveling With Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story

Wishing everyone a happy and safe week. 

Here's a couple of photos from a couple of years ago.
I never get tired of looking at autumn leaves...

or reading beautiful words about autumn.

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." - Eric Sloane

* FINALLY ANNOUNCING NEWS *

Below is something I posted on my blog on July 9th!

I DO have some exciting news...I think...about an upcoming publication!

I'll post more about it when I know more info!

~~~~~

Well, I've known for quite some time now that my story and recipe will be included in a very unique cookbook, but was asked to refrain from saying anything until...now.

http://womensmemoirs.com/

Matilda Butler & Kendra Bonnett

If you're not familiar with Matilda & Kendra of Women's Memoirs, you can click on the link above.They offer help for memoir writers, have contests & have published other books.They are wonderful! 

Matilda also posted an interview with me on their website on February 26, 2014.

https://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-writing/my-long-and-zig-zaggy-road-to-memoir-publication/fbclid=IwAR0BI_gEwRFgF9DUpsvgJC0YzQE82b4zXmb0mkNpa1DPNZFOCuadubKYTjA

Their first cookbook, Rosie's Riveting Recipe:

Comfort Foods & Kitchen Wisdom from 1940's America (Vintage Living)

was published in December 2013. 

I wasn't aware of that one (probably because I was feverishly finishing

my memoir which came out in November 2013!)

I discovered their call out for submissions when I happened upon their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/womensmemoirs/ 

And this is directly from their website: "Why are we contacting you? We need your help! We researched the recipes Rosie likely made. We even created a Rosie the Riveter Legacy Cookbook based on some of our well-loved family recipes as well as some found in a WW2 Department of the Army cookbook. We are now expanding our cookbook and are looking for recipes Rosie might have prepared."

I love the idea of not only submitting the recipe, but also the story behind it. Needless to say, I am thrilled that mine was chosen to be included!

It is due out in 6 weeks, so in plenty of time for a unique and thoughtful

Christmas/Hannakuh gift!

I'll share more news when it comes available!

* BEING A VORACIOUS READER! *

Is it possible for me to stop writing about how long it's been since I've posted anything...or how fast the time is flying? I think I've finally reached that point where I can say YES! I will not write (type) those words anymore on here. 😉

I haven't posted anything or read others' blogs mostly because I've been reading another book by my new favorite author...Kristin Hannah. This time it's The Nightingale. It is a huge paperback, 570 pages, and I hate it when I have to put it down to do anything else! The story of two sisters in France during WWII and their immense struggles.

This book is similar to Winter Garden in a few ways...women's stories during war in their homelands, sister conflicts. 

I can't say which one I "like" the most. Both kept me so involved in the story and characters...and I haven't even finished The Nightingale yet.

I've never read stories about both the suffering and strength of European women during WWII. Very enlightening and sad...and yet, these aren't books that are difficult to read...

If any of you have read anything by Kristin Hannah, please tell me about it. Thank goodness, she's written quite a few books, so I can keep on going. 😀

 (My library didn't have this, so I bought it from Amazon. I love the library, but also love buying books sometimes, too!)

“If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: in love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.”
― Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale

* ANOTHER GREAT FIND AT THE LIBRARY *

I found another great book at the library and this is the first book I've read by this author: Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden

Oh my gosh...I LOVED this book! It kept me engaged, I'd read at night until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and wished I could fit in some reading time at my job. 😍

I'm really not very good at writing book reviews, so I won't even try! But I will say that this book and its characters stayed with me for days after I finished it, and that doesn't happen very often. I really cared about these people and couldn't get them out of my mind.

Here's a couple of sentences from page 158:

"Is something wrong?" Nina asked.

Meredith blinked slowly. "You mean besides the fact that my father died at Christmas, my mom is going crazy, my sister is pretending to help me, and my husband...is gone tonight?"

Nina knew it wasn't funny, but she couldn't help laughing. 



"Sometimes when you open the door to your mother's past, you find your own future..."

Inside Winter Garden book flap