AFTER THANKSGIVING

This was an especially memorable Thanksgiving for me. It was totally unexpected but so heartwarming.

We lost a dear Navy friend. I had signed the Guest Book. Much to my surprise I received an email message from one of the children. She thanked me for writing and said that what I wrote was so true. I wrote back to her and asked her if someone in the family could write and tell us what happened. We lost contact with our friend some years back after his wife passed away. She wrote back and filled me in with so many details and shared so much with us. Although it was a sad loss for us, it was good to learn what had transpired since our last contact.

I lost another friend and also signed a Guest Book. Again, I was surprised to find a message from one of his children. We exchanged messages of memories, pictures, and thoughts. So many years had gone by this time that it was difficult to catch up. It brought back so many thoughts of high school and college days. It was hard to realize that so much time had flown by.

I've entered that age group where you read the obituaries daily and hope you don't see a name your recognize. In the last few months this hasn't been the case. But what impresses me is that family members are writing back and sharing so much. It is wonderful in many ways - sad in others. But it made this Thanksgiving a very special one for me.

I thank our newspaper for having the Legacy program. It opens doors that have been closed for a long time. It brings family members forward for you to meet and share. It is especially important for those of us that cannot attend services. And even then sometimes it's not possible to communicate with those attending and exchange thoughts and memories.

I encourage everyone to sign Guest Books if your local paper has this program in their obituary section. You have no idea what wonderful things can happen. I have not given a full account of these special moments for me this Thanksgiving, but I will remember them for as long as possible. They made this holiday so very personal and meaningful to me.

FUTURE POSTS - MAYBE

We're into the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving. I've been thinking about doing something different during the holidays and then starting with the new year I'll get back to dogs.

For reasons I will not go into now, I've decided that I want to write about holidays, neighborhoods, and growing up. I am overcome with nostalgia I guess. It does seem to raise its head around the holidays. And so many posts seem to circulate relating to how it was back "in the good old days." Maybe it's my age. Maybe it's the loss of dear friends. It doesn't really matter. I just wanted to share some nostalgia with readers.

Enjoy your turkey, friends, and family tomorrow and over the long weekend. See you back here when you have the time and maybe while you're eating the last of the turkey.

THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
KATIE & DAKOTA

ANOTHER GARDEN STORY

While I was watching my husband’s tomatoes trying their best to grow and survive something else was going on in the garden. It was quite subtle. Only Dakota and I were aware and curious enough to spend time staring across the yard at what seemed like nothing.

As the garden grew, the tomatoes were quickly being taken over by the canopy of huge leaves and vines of the squash and cucumbers my husband had also planted. His approach to them was the same as with his tomatoes. However, the squash and cucumbers were far more aggressive and determined. Slowly they covered the tomatoes with their large leaves. I felt sorry for the tomatoes as in past years there were vines but little product. We were lucky to see one or two squash and maybe a cuke or two.

The more I watched the more I wondered why these vines and leaves had become determined to possibly take over the whole backyard. My husband continued his sparse watering and consistent feeding. I figured he was just feeding vines and loosing tomatoes in the process. I also started to wonder why Dakota was taking such an interest in this strange excuse for a garden. I noticed that Dakota was only really looking at certain spots so I decided to concentrate on one of them during an afternoon break. Suddenly a leaf moved and a little head popped out. It was a chipmunk. Our adopted chipmunks live near the house and generally don’t venture further than the bird feeder and certainly not out to the garden.

Dakota became interested in our resident chipmunks last fall when he came to live with us. That is another story to be told at a later date. He sits in the comfort of the family room and watches them through the windows. As with my past Goldens, he has no interest in chasing or capturing them. So it seemed that he found another one that came through the garden now and then and watched it from the deck.

As the summer progressed, the tomatoes were still struggling, and the vines were still growing at a fast clip. So were the number of chipmunks. They found a safe journey had developed along the fence and under the canopy of leaves and vines. Soon there were baby chipmunks playing about. I suddenly realized all of the neighborhood chipmunks loved our garden. We are a strange neighborhood in that most of the senior citizens have at least a token resident chipmunk living at their house.
I have no idea what went on under that canopy all summer but it kept Dakota occupied for hours on end. None of them came into the yard, visited the bird feeder, or ventured near the house. If they did, they were immediately confronted by our resident critters and a chase ensued until they finally took refuge back in the garden.

When fall came and frost took down the canopy of leaves it revealed a sight to behold. There were squash everywhere – big ones, small ones, even little ones – all beautifully developed with perfect coloring and hardened skins. I finally walked up and down the fence and my jaw dropped down with every step. Surely my eyes were deceiving me. I also saw long, long round sausage type somethings that were perfectly white. It only took me a minute or two to realize they were cucumbers that my husband neglected to pick and let them grow to enormous size.

Into the house came bag after bag of squash. The scene was comparable to zucchini in many gardens. I was speechless. What was I to do with this proliferation of squash. I hit the Internet to see if I could freeze all of this marvelous produce. In years past, we kept them cool in the garage or basement and ate them up before the year came to an end. This would not happen this year. Calls and emails went out to everyone that might like to have a share of my husband’s bounty. They were also passed around the neighborhood. Only one person accepted my husband’s offer and then politely “forgot” to take it home. Arrangements were made for pick-ups and bags were put by the front door.

I had been so in shock and riding such a high over this sudden abundance that I didn’t realize something was wrong with the squash. They didn’t look right. Practically every one of them had strange things on their skin. I picked one up and looked at it closely. It looked exactly like small pumpkin seeds had been glued onto the skin. They were beige/white and hard and dry. Back at my computer I could not find anything that resembled this strange happening. I rejected disease after disease. We had already eaten a number of them and given away a fair number. Oh my!!! I’d given them to friends and neighbors. Will they get sick or just throw them away. Now I was worried.

Exhausted from wasted sleep and worry, I finally wrote to Burpee. Since they had been my supplier of seeds for many years surely they would know what happened to these beautiful squash. My email message was very specific with a full description of what they looked like and an explanation of the condition of the veggies. I offered to send a digital picture of them if they needed it. They wrote back and said they would appreciate a picture. I rushed to the basement and picked two perfect examples, took them to the kitchen, and took pictures of them.

Quickly their expert came back with an explanation. Darned if those little critters in the garden tried to eat through the rinds as they were growing to get through to the meat. They weren’t happy enough just taking enough out of a tomato and leaving it in ruin, they had to try and eat the squash. I printed out the message to take down to my husband and laughed all of the way. I showed it to the garden guru and we both had a long laugh. The squash were safe to eat and the problem solved. We’re looking for more takers and I’m freezing others. Thanksgiving will be taken over by the squash rather than pumpkins.

The interesting thing was that not one single cucumber was touched. Must be a story there somewhere. My husband threw all of his seeds into the garden this summer just to get rid of them figuring he wouldn’t be gardening next year. Alas his success has changed his mind. I wish I could warn the poor tomato seeds that may find their way to his garden next spring.

A VERY FUNNY STORY

A VERY FUNNY STORY

We planted our garden this past spring. It usually consists of a number of varieties of tomatoes these days. It’s just getting too difficult to do all of the beans, onions, beets, and all of the other veggies we used to put in. My husband still has to put down a few squash seeds along with cucumbers and any other seeds he sees floating around the house.

His techniques for raising tomatoes are astonishing. I feel sorry for any tomato seed within ten miles of his grasp. But he’s a happy camper and a frustrated farmer. He starts by putting his seeds in one of those large flat trays that has a cover. He puts the tray on my hot pad. So far, so good? Well, not exactly. He forgets the need for light. Somehow the little seeds struggle out of the soil and start their journey. At some point, that I don’t fully understand, he takes the poor little things and shoves them into paper pots that he makes himself from the wooden pot maker he got through Burpee.

Before the snow is off of the ground, he thinks they should be hardened off. Every year I show him what the tomato book says about that. But he ignores all SOP and shoves the poor little thinks out onto the deck where they get blown to shreds from the winds and dry out for lack of water. Sudden temperature drops do not phase him. Somehow these loving seeds survive, proving there is a higher power. His faith and the seeds’ determination go hand in hand to the garden. There they spend the summer doing their best to bring forth fruit for him. He feeds them regularly but forgets the need for water. Every now and then they droop while he dreams of the beautiful red orbs that will eventually find their way to his BLT’s.

When fall starts to arrive, he harvests his produce with love and awe and generously shares with the neighbors. Summers are fascinating to watch around here. I watch from the kitchen as this partnership develops throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Every year I am amazed. My husband does his own thing and in his own way. I truly believe that the little seeds understand and accept their journey through their relatively short life. When you think about it, they both have faith, they both struggle, they both believe, and they both survive.

Amazing isn’t it?

TIME MARCHES ON

It's probably a good thing I'm the age I am. The technical world is just getting too complicated for me. I don't want that to happen. I want to keep going. I keep telling myself that I still have the brain power to investigate new technology, but it just isn't happening. I wondered why. I've decided it is because I now need help and those that are younger don't want to bother with the likes of my generation. Everything comes so easy to them. I remember when things came so easily for me. New software programs were a piece of cake and I took on each one like an old friend. In no time I saw similarities between them. I could take on any contract because all I had to do was look at the software and knew immediately how it operated. Those were the good old days...heady with pride.

I don't want to let go of those days. I'm fighting but I seem to be taking two steps forward and three backwards. I refuse to go quietly. It's not time. There is still so much to do.

All of this is because I have managed to survive two computer crashes in less than a month, bought a new computer, loaded programs, spent hours looking for lost data on the old one. Looking at the new programs is so exciting. There are so many improvements that I love. If only they had been there in my active writing days..what fun it would have been.

I thought I was making progress and getting back on my feet. Then, bang! Another surprise. My email provide was sold and I had to change my email address. More changes. Now I'm willing to roll with the punches but do they have to come so often and so fast. The world is spinning out of control. How I long for the days of my growing years. It was quiet. You could take your time. You could think. You could savor. You could dream. Nothing was impossible. Does anyone dream anymore? How sad. There's no time for that anymore. I cannot go back now and at the same time I struggle to go forward and keep up the pace. I feel caught between to wonderful worlds. But given a choice - I'd go back in a minute.