Thanksgiving 2023

 (All photos taken by Julie.  She was camera ready at all times.) 

There was a trickster who was on the lookout for anyone taking a nap...

There were a lot of games played:  Solar Quest, Magic, the Gathering, QWIXX and of course, poker.

Yours truly trying to figure out how to play Magic, the Gathering.  I was a Blue mage, who engaged in trickery and manipulation.  Let's just say, I did not win at this game.

We had our own fashion trendsetter, Miss Rylee.

Lady and Jason played "chase" and "fetch" throughout the house.

Ben designed a lego centerpiece for the table.

Can you believe they make legos that look like this?

There was turkey and yes, there was pie.  Julie baked 5 of them!   David was the turkey carver this year.

Dylan provided the music.

Lady couldn't decide whose lap to sit on.

Collin trying to decide what kind of pie he wanted for dessert.

There was not only football to watch, but also the Zags in the Maui Tournament.

There were a lot of memories recalled and stories to tell...

...plus new toys to assemble with grandpa's help.

We did try to get everyone to the table for this photo, but finally gave up.  The food was getting cold.

Jon and I are thankful that we could all be together this year.  

Today I stored away my Thanksgiving decorations and started to take out some of my Christmas ones.   We are on our way to celebrating the next holiday.  

Rainy day zoomies

 Yesterday we had a nice break from all the rain which made the first day of standard time a little easier to adjust to.  The sunshine was a welcome relief and the leaves dried out enough to blow a few more of them off the lawn. 

Jon and I watched football and then spent some time outside.  Lady began her morning with a lengthy set of zoomies around the house.  She spent most of Saturday indoors and apparently, it was just too much.  We watched at least 5 minutes of her jumping in the air, then she would toss her ball as high as she could and run to catch it.  All the while turning around and around in crazy circles.  The finale was running around the entire living room and kitchen area as fast as she could go.  Over and over again.   After watching that, I needed another cup of coffee.  Funny little dog.

This photo was taken in the evening.  She drags her blanket into the center of the room and then she spends quite a bit of time adjusting it so that it's piled just right for her to take a nap on.

Later in the day I baked some gluten-free cornbread.  After it cooled, I broke it all up into smaller pieces and then toasted it in the oven.  It's what I will use to make my stuffing for Thanksgiving.  Luckily, the gluten-free version of cornbread actually tastes as good as the real thing.   

Jon and I are scheduled to get both our flu and RSV vaccinations today at the Safeway Pharmacy.  It's that time of the year.  We have been getting flu vaccinations now for more than 30 years and most years, it works.   Also, I had RSV last year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I don't want to get it again. 

I also spent some time yesterday making phone calls to Hope area residents asking them to vote for Scott Wood for our school board trustee.   Scott was one of Jon's former students at Sandpoint Middle School and now Scott's two boys attend school there.   Thank you Scott for making a commitment to serve on the board.   

Today we are in for another round of atmospheric river rain with a little snow tossed in at the higher elevations.  Tis the season.

Zoomies

Atmospheric river #1...

...Yes, it seems we are now going to get some rain.  Lots of rain -  with one atmospheric river after another.  It's time to stay inside and work on those kind of projects.  There's still a lot of organizing to do in the basement.  Maybe it will get done today.

Meahwhile...

I'm beginning to plan for Thanksgiving 2023 so I decided to go through my photos of Thanksgiving past.  These are from November 2013.  We had just enough snow for our grandkids to go sledding in the yard.   I'd say they were having some fun. 

Jon saved a brush pile to burn that year and I think he's going to save one this year.   It's kind of tradition to have a fire to gather around and of course, there's always S'mores.  

I love this photo because our Maggie dog was in it and I still had hair - long hair.  

Rylee was in charge of decorating and setting the table that year. 

I bought new strings of Christmas lights and I plan to hang some of them today.  I hate it when we go back to standard time.  It's so dark and the lights cheer me up.  I'm also already planning the Thanksgiving menu.  Julie says she's bringing the pies - all gluten free.  Yay!