Thanksgiving Albums

Many years ago, while Daddy was still here with us, we planned a Big Thanksgiving at my daughter's house. Somewhere, I had seen an idea for making an "I'm Thankful For..." album and thought to do the same.

It did not take a lot of prep-work (a plus, since time is always tight right before a Big Holiday Dinner). All I did ahead of time was cut a lot of cardstock all the same size and put it, and a dozen pens, into a ziplock bag to keep them safe and together. On the actual day, once we were all gathered together, some in the kitchen, some visiting, some watching the inevitable football game, I got everyone's attention and explained that I wanted each person, large and small, to take a piece of cardstock and a pen and write down something they were thankful for. During the course of the afternoon, I took candid shots of each person. This proved more challenging than you might think...especially keeping track of who I still had not gotten a photo of. I had to prompt a few people, but in the end, I got lovely notes of thanks from everybody. Once we sat down at the table and before we started dinner, I read them one by one. It was very touching and memorable.

After the Holiday Season, I printed out the photos. Then I cut out 6"x 6" cardstock, glued 2 pieces together for each page ( this makes the pages sturdier) and punched 2 holes in the same place on page. I made a lovely front and back page and decorated them. For each inside layout, I matted and glued a photo of the person on one page and on the facing page, I matted and glued their Statement of Thankfulness. This was especially rewarding and allowed me to relive the whole day, all over again.

Over the years, I have made several of these

albums for other people. When we go

through them, they remind us not only of

pleasant times gone by, but also of how

what we appreciate in our lives evolves.

Our Pets

Admittedly, I am not an overly-sentimental woman. Some might even say I am coldhearted...the word "Bitch" has probably been whispered more than once when I have been discussed behind closed doors...oh well. As my sister-in-law once said, "You say I'm a Bitch like it's a Bad Thing"...! But I digress...

Growing up, we always had a Family Dog. From my very first memories in southern California, we had Dusty...who Mama named because he literally looked like a dust mop. He was just the right size for little kids...not so small you could hurt him, but not so big he was intimidating. He was a dirty white color, with hair we would now describe as being "like dreadlocks", only back then no one had ever heard of those. His hair hung in his eyes, so you hardly knew they were there, and he had a little black nose. We loved him dearly.

When I was about 4 or 5, we got a German Shepard puppy. He chewed up everything! Money was tight and I remember Mama being so distressed after finding shoes, baby bottle nipples and toys chewed to smithereens. I do not know how long we had him, but I do remember him sealing his fate by pulling down all Mama's clean laundry from the clothesline and into the mud. He went bye-bye...

Then we got a black Scotty Dog, who (surprise, surprise) we named Scotty. Daddy brought him home when we lived in Ritzville, Washington and I was about 9. He was adorable. But, when we moved to the farm in Salem, he developed a taste for chickens. Daddy tried everything, including tying a dead chicken to his neck, but nothing worked and we had to give him to a "chicken-less" home...

And finally, we got Rex, our beautiful Collie Dog. He was just lovely, in temperament, looks and demeanor. He traveled with us to Mexico and Guatemala.

My very first Dog was Shep. He was a big German Shepherd that I was given in Guatemala, because he was too aggressive for where he had been living. I loved him so very much. He was such a protective dog. I could leave my baby on a blanket in our fenced compound, and he would sit guard over her until I returned from the house. The local natives were terrified of him. One time, I heard some yelling and went out to the gate, only to find a poor Indian Man half-way up the electric pole, with Shep poised at the bottom! I was left alone a great deal, on the mission compound, in a foreign country. But with Shep around, I always felt safe. I lost him in a horrific way, by a man who claimed to love me. My heart was shattered.

After Shep, I had several dogs, and a couple of cats. I loved them all and lost them all due to varying and different circumstances...a sweet Doberman who stayed with an ex, a beautiful grey Persian cat who disappeared and was lost forever, a wonderful recue Saint Bernard who was old when I got him and who died, and a Siamese cat I could not take to an apartment, and my dear Pomeranian, Rusty, who I had to give to my parents, also because I could not have a pet at my apartment. 20 years of beloved pets.

When Larry and I got married, we had a Conversation about Having Pets. At the time we had an Outdoor Cat that he had inherited by default, and who lived with us until it died. (It was an IT because it was a bit feral and we chose to respect it's privacy!) But Larry asked of me only that, if we decided to get a dog, would I please allow him to choose the one we got. And that was ok with me...

Due to many and varied extenuating circumstances, we never got a pet. But we have lived vicariously, as pet owners, through our children's and grandchildren's pets.

This week my daughter's family lost their 15 year old schnauzer, Cecelia Cordelia (named by my 4 year old granddaughter). Known as CC, she was a frequent visitor to our home and on family camping excursions. She was such a good doggie. When they were small, the kids dressed her up and hauled her around. When we babysat her, she loved to run around our property, investigating all the unfamiliar smells, but always came when I called her. If we happened to have her when Larry was recuperating from illness or surgery, she would walk with him on his daily walks to the end of the lane, staying close to his side. When we took her camping or to the lake, she was curious but stayed close and never got lost. When she was about 5 years old, she gracefully tolerated the presence of the new puppy, Boo.

Losing her reminded me, all over again, how very difficult it is to let go of our beloved animals, whatever the circumstances. Rest in Peace in that Great Playground in the Sky, dearest little dog...

I Love puzzles!

Growing up in Mexico and Latin America, we did not have much in the way of secular entertainment. We worked, studied, went to LOTS of church meetings, took long walks, gardened and did a lot of food preparation and preserving. In what little free time we had, we read the same books over and over again, played a lot of Monopoly, and assembled the same few puzzles time after time.

Once I was grown and living back in the US, I discovered how putting puzzles together can force you to focus on minute details to such a degree that it gives your brain some space and your mind has room to breathe. Interestingly, everyone in my immediate family does puzzles quite routinely. More so in the winter months, but we all have puzzles going throughout the year.

My personal tastes in puzzles run more towards fantasy and comedy. I have most of the puzzles of James Christensen's artwork. The first one I bought myself was "Once Upon a Time". Looking at the E Bay site right now, I have all that are for sale there, with the exception of one I had not see until today, called, "A Gift for Mrs. Clause"...(I will have to look into that one!)

The latest artist whose puzzles I have begun to watch for is Ciro Marchetti. His art is also fantastical, but in a different way than James Christensen's. I especially like his Magical World Series. Until just lately, his puzzles sold more in Japan than here in the US, and they have been hard to come by. The one I wanted most was called, "Circus Parade". Amazingly, I found it a few weeks ago at an Estate Sale for $6! I was concerned because the box was split on the bottom and the pieces were not saved in a plastic bag. But after I bought it, brought it home, and put it together, I found it was complete! It took me two days, finding as much free time as I could, to put this 1000 piece puzzle together!