As Thanksgiving weekend draws to a close I have been thinking about the past year…last Thanksgiving I was about one month in my little dream spot in Montana - after 7 months of full time rv living and travelling - thrilled to be back in Montana and to have found a property and house that seemed perfect for me. I was struggling with a wallpaper removal/painting project that I thought I could finish in the weekend - just one project in a series of many I had in mind for that little house.
This Thanksgiving I am in the opposite corner of the U.S. - after 6 years on my own - sharing a home with a man I love and who has drawn me into his life like no one ever has. It is an incredible and wonderful change! And this first Thanksgiving - special beyond words. I am truly grateful for everything in my life that has brought me to this time.
Bill and I grew up within a couple hundred miles of each other, are close in age and had many similar childhood experiences - family get togethers and food… We both enjoy cooking and especially when we can share the experience with friends and family. So this first Thanksgiving dinner was mid-West traditional - and according to custom, I cooked, he supervised (!!!), he carved and I cleaned up - Oh, we both ate…a LOT!
Also following tradition, the day after we did a bit of Christmas decorating - no prizes given for guessing which stocking is whose!
And I will not learn…a week or so ago (before I had SEEN his stocking!), we were discussing what we wanted to do about Christmas gifts. Now, 2 50 somethings that have been on their own for some years… 2 houses, 2 motorhomes, 4 computers, 10 tvs, 4 dvd players …. you get the drift! We have ENOUGH stuff - in fact too much stuff! However, Christmas morning needs a little bit of anticipation and fun so we decided that we would fill stockings - and Bill said “Now, no bricks, rocks or shit - GOOD stuff!” - and I agreed…
***My stocking was made for me by my mother when I was 4 or 5 and the Jeep pedal car and rocking horse were my presents that year. We did have a Lionel train - I’m not sure if that was new that year ??? I can’t remember not having the train around the tree at Christmas.
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