Wrapping up November

Despite Granddad's difficulties, we proceeded with Thanksgiving. Got to keep Tradition going,right?

 

 I was able to combine staying up Wednesday night to listen for Granddad with assembling casseroles, all the while feeling as if I were one of the cooks in The Night Kitchen.  The Man Who Cooks assisted with the Thursday day preparation, and by dinnertime we had a feast ready.
HoosierKitty brought fantastically rich creamed potatoes and not one, but three pies.  (And that should answer the question of "What's for breakfast?" for the whole coming week.)
Mimi showed up with a pot and a sack of cranberries and good intentions but luckily I had already cooked cranberries and so we didn't need to do a last minute sauce.
Granddad actually got out of bed and cleaned his plate.

It was a select group, gathered to be thankful for each other and to drink a toast to all of you far away folks.

On Friday, instead of heading out to the stores we navigated our way out to two wildlife preserves.

At Stillwater Marsh we tried out my new bird scope and admired the quiet woods.

The marsh was frozen fast so there wasn't much bird activity.

We decided to go on to Bean Blossom Bottoms.  (Isn't that a great name?)

We set off down the boardwalk and found this wetlands full of birds.

Red-headed woodpeckers and bluebirds kept us company as we hiked.

  

We soaked up enough sunshine, fresh air, and quiet to sustain us for a while.

Decided to make this Friday-after-Thanksgiving outing a new Tradition, so if you join us next year for the Thanksgiving weekend, expect to spent some time outdoors!

Granddad has a birthday

For about a month before his birthday, Granddad kept asking "How old will I be now?"

I think it wasn't so much that he couldn't remember, it was just that he couldn't believe it.

94 - that's a lot of years.

He was glad to have a party with HoosierKitty and Mimi.

He was especially glad for the ice cream and cake,

and the presents - he said they distracted him from his back ache.

And that back ache?

Distraction didn't work long.

He was very uncomfortable and in a lot of pain, and we ended up in the Emergency Room for a diagnosis.

It was a compression fracture of a lower back vertebrae.

And that led to:

the back brace.

He will be wearing it until at least Christmas.

Hardly the way you would want to start your 94th year!

Farewell to the Old Gal

There were a lot of tears

when the Old Gal left us on November 1st.

October catch-up

I seem to be consistently a month behind on posting.  But today, while Granddad naps, I plan to catch up!
I mean, I went to the effort of taking the pictures, right?  So I might as well put them up, right?   Even though there aren't actually all that many...

There is one of Mimi at the winery where we went for my traditional birthday picnic.  She took one of me and this is it:

So maybe one shouldn't ask someone with impaired eyesight to take a photo?

Here's another birthday picture, complete with fantastic bird scope present and birthday cake from Hoosier Kitty.

And yet another birthday cupcake, with a friend at The Underground Cupcake.  Yes, we DO have to go there when you come to visit!

 I celebrated a friend's art exhibit opening,

 told Halloween stories with friends on a chilly night for the "Goblins, Goodies and Ghost Stories" festival,

 visited the lake with Mimi and HoosierKitty to admire fall colors

and to enjoy a quiet, peaceful morning.

I tasted the last of the persimmons,

carved a pumpkin,
and October turned into November.