Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. Slide Show Gays brother and his family, Laura and her family came, and It was a really nice Holiday. I was as usual, a disorganized wreck. Ha! My turkey would not thaw, my pie filling spilled You know, just all of the little joys of getting ready for Turkey Day.

I guess for a man I didn't do too bad, but I am very thankful for all of the women in my life and really miss Mom on these holidays. She loved them so and always cooked the food.

We did not have a really big turnout. Except for Joe and Dad.... Laura, Gabe and Reese were the only blood kin I had there. All of my children either had sick kids or other problems, so it was really great that Laura opted to spend the holidays with us. John also took some time out from his hunting in Leonia and drove down for dinner. It was really good to see him. He was anxious to get back into the woods though and left after dinner and a nice visit. Those hunters are a unique group. More avid about their sport than football fans.

Things were a little hectic around here until Laura arrived, but she pitched right in and got us straightened out in no time. What a blessing she is! Furthermore, Laura's a terrific cook I might add. Her dressing was to die for. It sure tasted a lot like Mom's, she said it was Aunt Mary's (her mother) recipe that came from the Alfords. I got so worried about wasting it, I ended up running it through the food saver vacuum and freezing part of it. She also brought a pie but that is long gone now.

Better than anything else though was her bringing the boys. They were a real treat. 100% grade A USDA Approved BOYS all the way! I loved it. If you haven't spent any time with those kids you are missing a treat. Reese and I jammed a little on the guitar to songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and "Wheels on the Bus" and I was constantly being amazed at how bright he is.

You can tell that kid is smarter than normal right off. Gay gave him and old stethoscope to play with, and he draped it around his neck and went straight to the oldest person there (Thelma is 92) and began to examine her. He listened in all the correct places and declared her fit. We thought it was funny how he picked her out of the group right off. When she got ready to leave Reese went up to her and asked if she needed any help buckling herself in. Lol..I told you, he is smart. The interesting thing to me is that he and Gabe had never seen these people. However,..they were not shy or stand offish in anyway. They just became part of the group. Laura is doing a wonderful job.

Gabe is different than Reese. Gabe is, well, he's just kind of in control. He does not take any guff from Reese and stands his ground. He is very independent and adventuresome and very good natured with a big mischievous smile. Little feller is an accomplished escape artist who can disappear in an instant! They both played well together and were fun to watch.

Gabe and Reese both liked the old fish pond and poking at the fish with sticks, picking tangerines of the tree, playing in the tire swing and Reese seemed to really like the worm bed. He was still digging for worms when it was time to go. They weren't scared of them at all, and picked them up without any reservation at all.

They also rode on my old Garden tractor. Reese drove it all by himself all over the yard with Gabe sitting behind him contently. Once, Reese told me Gabe wanted to get off so I went and asked Gabe did he want down? NO! Was his answer and that was that! There is no misunderstanding that little guy. It was just wishful thinking on Reese's part. Finally, I slipped the choke out and the engine died. I told Reese that it had probably run out of gas(little white lie). He informed me that next time he comes back get at least "A hundred gallons of gas!" Then he can ride it in the big field. Ha!

So... I was sad to see Laura leave, and it left me wishing we lived closer. When I think of all the great times ahead, John and the boys with all of the fishing, hunting, baseball and the rest of it. It makes me a little envious. Those were the best years of my life. It doesn't get any better than that. John and Laura are so lucky.

Jennifer is coming home closer to Christmas when her kids are better and James will be home then. It will be so good to see them all, it has been a while. Glenda is still on track to have her first child. I wish she was closer but that is just the way things are. I thank God for my Family and for Gay's Family, I could not ask for better in laws. Life is pretty good. Now I have to go, I need to see what's available in the fridge.
Terry