Thanksgiving Day approaches

We're having Thanksgiving dinner at Cliff's sister's this year.  She's only 15 or 20 miles away, so we won't be doing much traveling.  I'm making my mom's old cranberry salad recipe (it's more of a dessert than most cranberry salads... Cool Whip, pineapple, and bananas are some of the ingredients), home-made yeast rolls, and some pies... probably sweet potato and pumpkin.  One year, with my daughter's family in Carthage and my son living in Georgia, I got downright depressed about spending my favorite holiday here at home, just me and Cliff; so I had Cliff ask his brother, Phil, to invite us to their house.  Phil and Faye have lots of kids and grandkids, so I was quite happy in the crowd that day, and didn't miss my own offspring so much.  There were a couple years after my mom went into the nursing home when we traveled the 100 miles to visit her and took her out to eat Thanksgiving dinner.  Sadly, the last couple of years she was there, she wasn't able to be transported very easily.  The last time I recall us taking her out of the nursing home to go anyplace was when my sister's husband passed away, almost two years ago.  And Mother passed away last January.  At that point it was a blessing:  her eyesight had failed and she'd had a leg amputated due to diabetes.  She was miserable.  See what holidays do?  They make me think about the people who are missing!  No wonder I get depressed during this season.

That's my granddaughter Natalie, ready for a ride with Grandpa on the four-wheeler.  Cliff has a special soft spot for this grandchild because she is so much like her mother (who always was daddy's girl) and he feels like he has his little girl back, just for a little while, when Natalie is here.

Today we'll go to Grandparent's day at Natalie's and Monica's schools.  Tomorrow, both girls, as well as their brother, Brett, are spending the day here. 

In less than two weeks now, I will return to work, after being off since sometime in September.  Wow!  Time marches on.