To one and all, I have copied a poem from this site (http://www.poemsource.com/thanksgiving-poems.html) that I think we all should remember. Eat, Drink, Enjoy and Remember to tell your loved ones that they are loved.





More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we're poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you've got;
Realize it's a lot,
And you'll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs


and As a side note I have received calls from both of my children today, so what I am thankful for is Cell phones and the ability to speak to my loved ones even though they are far away. I love you both, Cassie and Mike. 

 "You may not be her first, her last, or her only.
She loved before she may love again.
But if she loves you now, what else matters?
She's not perfect - you aren't either,
and the two of you may never be perfect together 

but if she can make you laugh,
cause you to think twice, 

and admit to being human and making mistakes,
hold onto her and give her the most you can.
She may not be thinking about you

every second of the day,
but she will give you a part of her 

that she knows you can break - her heart.
So don't hurt her, don't change her, 

don't analyze and don't expect more than she can give.
Smile when she makes you happy, 

let her know when she makes you mad,

and miss her when she's not there."

--Bob Marley 

Just to let you know, the wonderful man from Wales sent me this, isn't he a darling, Thank you Kevin.

In my search for interesting things to write about, I ran across this site: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
 
I never was a history buff but I find this site intriguing. Today is November 23, 2011. I have been out for less than two months. I am still looking for work and crocheting but have spent a lot of time online as of late, talking to a wonderful man from Wales. He seems to be my soul mate, but I will tell you more about him as I learn more from him.

On the crochet front, my baby blanket, quilt-like though it may be, is taking forever to finish. I have only one triangle left to finish and put together. Then it will just need to be bordered.  I am using a variation of Pricilla Hewetts pattern linked here:

http://priscillascrochet.net/freepatterns.html you will have to scroll down to the Baby section and look for Homespun Baby Afghan.

It is a wonderfully easy pattern and works up quickly when using Homespun, which I am not. I will add a picture when it is finished. This is the last one I finished, done with the Diagonal Box Stitch. A wonderful tutorial can be seen here:

http://www.crochetcabana.com/stitches/diag-box-st.htm

The above picture is my version of the blanket. 

 Have to share the weather up here with you...we have about 4 inches of snow on the ground and more coming down I will add a picture as I can. Weather forecasts predict it will get much worse before it clears up; sleet, freezing rain, all the fun things winter brings. So to all of you who are traveling  in this wonderful New England weather: be careful, allow extra time, and remember to drive for the weather conditions.

Love does not consist in gazing at each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

Today's Blog is a combination of several days, I have been lax in blogging.

This morning as I smoke, before 6 am in the morning, I listened to the neighborhood cows lowing as they were milked or waited to be milked. There was no sun yet just a general lightening of the sky. Mom's dentist appointment was that afternoon. Some mornings I beat Dad's alarm clock in getting up. I read a bit in the morning, insipid romance novels. I usually finish them quickly. Found a flower pattern that is most intriguing and looks like something I will want to use for a blanket. The pattern can be found at this link:
http://isitatoy.blogspot.com/2011/08/crochet-doodle-flowers-free-pattern.html 

I must finish the baby blanket that i have in the works so I can do one with flowers. Veteran's Day has past and with it my friend Larry's Birthday. Saw another friend at Friendly's where I listened to the Beach Boys song "Groovy Kind of Love". Ate the Vermonter Super-melt, bacon, cheddar, and egg on toasted sourdough bread, served with home-fries of course, and coffee. West Lebanon, NH was still relatively quiet in the early morning hours. 

Today's Quote I take from an email I get from a Self Help site Called Inner Kiddies:
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled.  For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."   Scott Peck 
Now Who is Scott Peck, you may ask. He was an American psychiatrist and best-selling author, best known for his first book, The Road Less Traveled, published in 1978. This information and much more can be seen on Wikipedia at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scott_Peck

Sunday, November 6, 2011
Today we went to Eaton's Sugarhouse and had breakfast. I have had mixed experiences there so it was with some trepidation that I ordered the Sugarhouse Special; which consists of two eggs, bacon, home-fries, and your choice of toasts. I chose English muffins and had my eggs over medium. It was delicious, and the service was superb. I highly recommend their Sunday Menu for all ages.

We then rode around through Bethel by way of the back roads, to Randolph, coming out on Stage Road by the Three Stallion Inn. Although the road has been fixed there was still a lot of damage along the river from Irene's visit. It was eye opening to see all the trees that had been plowed down and all the farmer's corn fields that had to be left standing for fear that feeding it to cows would make them sick. My hopes are that the government has given or is going to give these farmers help. We came back through Randolph so we could go to Central Supply and pick up a piece of plywood, for rebuilding the roof over the fuel tank. Dad and Mom worked on that when we got home while I tried to get the printer working. I failed miserably. oh well...!

I'm Back... and ready to go, Saturday November 5, 2011...

 Hours for Interstate Tire, on Saturday, are 8 to 12 noon, sharp. We got here before eight and already there were several cars in line ahead of us. Soon enough the morning sun had peeked over the hill and shone straight into the waiting room windows. The frost is burning off except for places still in the shadows, like behind the signs, bushes and trees. The air is crisp and clean no pollution here, in rural New England. The shop is still on the fringes of civilization; near the Connecticut River and across the river from White River Junction. This side is West Lebanon, NH. The historical district of West Lebanon, which I always think is mispronounced, is still small and quaint; with its old buildings along Main Street. Businesses along the street level and apartments above. I resolved when my children were young never to get an apartment here, there would have been no place for my children to play. 

The tiles here on the floor are nice, they are a mottles brown with lighter tans in it.  The grout is an off white tan color. The molding around the ceiling and doors are what I affectionately call Welfare Brown, and the walls a lighter blend of the same color.The windows here look like they have used for some sort of target practice. Not bullets assuredly, but probably rocks or something. 


A couple of women are discussing some sort of teams and one of them repeats the phrase Team Gary and Larry several times, it stuck in my head. People come in knowing what they want, knowing that they need winter tires but not knowing the time frame here. I always come to these sorts of places with a crochet project, a book or better yet a notebook and pen, like today. I would read but already I feel my eyes wavering and trying to close. One cup of coffee was definitely not enough, we will get more at breakfast, which is where we are going after this. 


I love watching the traffic drive by; seeing the diversity of people, most of whom are squinting as they drive up the hill into the sun. The colorful flags or pennants hanging from the building set off the showroom tires, displayed in the windows; more than one of them broken or cracked in some manner. The shiny new tires never have touched the asphalt. There are fine little nubs of rubber sticking out of each, like hair, caused by the molding process I expect. A lone Pepsi machine offering your choice of cold beverages graces an alcove set between two windows where you can watch the hard working mechanics as they change your tires. Advertisements pepper the walls, trying to up-sell and remind you how and what you should have done to your car. A rack of magazines hold a diverse array of periodicals, suited to the diversity of customers. A Mormon preacher studies his bible, while a couple with three cars discuss how the two of them will jockey the three cars to reach home. 


Finally, we are finished and are off to Friendly's for breakfast. Two Frenchman, Canadians I am sure, are speaking to each other at a table off to my left. It makes me wish I had learned more French in High School. I can catch a word here and there, Maison - home, is one I remember, Pourquoi pas? - why not is another one. However, I do wish I were fluent in French. The ceiling in here is an old appearance with few sparkling white tiles where something happened and one had to be replaced. I sit with my back to the traffic which is more exciting then the view from the windows of Interstate Tire was. All three of us, Mom, Dad and I ordered omelets, them ham and cheese and I a western. Near where the ice cream case sits there are several balloons, pink, baby blue and yellow. The colors look good together. There is a group of three behind me, and the father and daughter have loud unrestrained voices, but from the look on my Mom's face, the mother is looking at her apologetically. 

After breakfast, we went to staples and then to the airport. A tradition that began when us kids were little; before they installed picnic tables and garbage cans and continuing now that we have all grown up and mostly moved away. I am now old enough to appreciated being able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Town, and enjoy the relative quiet of the airport. Other families bring their children here too, to eat their lunch, or just to watch and marvel at the small planes taking off. After this we drive home and my Father, Mother and I put up a fence to keep the chihuahuas in a specified area this winter. It is fun to work with my dad, helping him with anything he feels needs doing. Towards the end of the fence it was getting a little chilly and my hands were cold, but it was fun and I felt like I had accomplished something.