CELEBRATING A DAY TO BE THANKFUL

And the dog barks just as I reach my fingers to the keyboard. Doesn't she know that I have thoughts and feelings to share with friends on this Thanksgiving, but toss and tug will not wait on words or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Stepping outside into a cool day with sunshine on our backs,  Jack and I play toss, tag, and tug with a Golden Doodle. We could qualify for the funniest video of the day. We are younger because we can still play with puppies. We jump, we run, we make sharp turns, and then we take a Advil. We give thanks that our knees and legs can still move with agility.  

I give thanks that the Macy's Day Parade is being held, even in the light rain fall. Afterall, as my husband says, "Be glad they didn't postpone the Parade this year." I am glad that it is being held for the world to see and hear the music from Broadway musicals.  Al Roker, who is dealing with cancer, looks sprye and happy to be on 34th street. This year's parade is being broadcast so that visually impaired people can enjoy it, too. Perhaps one of the blessings in this year of COVID is that we are all learning to be more inclusive. 

West Indian American Day, Jamaica, Haiti, Panama, Trinidad

 There is something special about parades, from hometown Christmas parades, to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and my favorite the Rose Bowl Parade. They remind me that this is a time to come together, to share  our lives through colorful scenes, songs, beauty of the flowers, fascination with floats, themes from books and imaginative idea, and a time to be  happy together. 

I am keeping an eye on the clock. No, we have no turkey cooking. We have reached a new level of enjoying the day.  My sister and her husband are in charge of bringing two homemade pies from Shari's Diner in OKC.  Jack and I ordered a meal from The Trails Country Club.  At 11:30  I will simply put the two trays of side dishes in the oven to heat, along with the turkey and beef tenderloin.  On my own, I will fix Pepperidge Farm stuffing and open a can of jellied cranberry sauce. The puppy, we are dog sitting, will then clean the dishes for us. 

When we turned the cooking over to someone else, it seemed to ease the day for my sister and I. We can share a relaxed time with our husbands and each other. For that I am grateful. 

Later today we will call our daughter, Katy, in Okc, our oldest son, Michael, and his family in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and son, Matthew,  in Brooklyn, NY. Like so many families in the world we have not seen our sons since 2019. I am not thankful for that, but I am proud of them for taking this virus seriously and staying safe. 

Over a month ago many locations in the OKC area woke up to frozen and broken limbs and trees. Trees covered with leaves and ice sound like gunshots when they break and fall to the ground. It took Jack and I nearly two weeks of cutting, dragging, and stacking  tree limbs. I have not found reason to be thankful for this blow of nature, until we offered to babysit June Bug, a four month old Goldendoodle, for the week of Thanksgiving. Suddenly, our cut tree limbs have become the greatest toy for a chewing puppy. Jack took time to cut up limbs, some heavy some light for her to chew, and several have found their way indoors. Suddenly, bark takes on new meaning when it is a puppy barking with surprise at a new discovery or tree bark all over the living room floor. I texted my sister and said,  "We have a puppy dog visitor. Please dress appropriately for a dog who wants to chew anything in sight." 

Jonya, my sister, replied, "We will dress appropriately, protectively, and defensively." So our family will celebrate this day and say our blessings that Covid has not struck our family. Our prayers and heartfelt love is extended to all who are suffering at this time. 

MAY THIS DAY BE A REMINDER OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN LIFE.

Meaningful Moments

November brings sunlight, migrating birds, and a chill in the air, and yet this glorious state of Oklahoma can find summer days in November. Next week we have planned golf tee times for four days out of five. It is refreshing to enjoy so much sunshine and warmth after the ice storm of October, that has left our landscaped scarred. The rising fear of COVID 19 once again has settled into our souls, and we are looking for chances to enjoy friendships in the sun. 

Taking time to breath and relax after chopping, pulling, tugging, and tossing tree limbs, Jack and I took a long walk over the hidden hill, up and down, breathing deeply and laughing when we tired so quickly. On the last hill upward and homeward bound we saw a giant 'kissing tree,' or at least I saw a giant  tree on the horizon filled with mistletoe the size of leaf bags. Needing a chance to slow our pace, I gently tugged on Jack's arm and pointed upwards. He looked at the mass of mistletoe and smiled saying, "I love you." I returned his smile but didn't budge.

Once again pointing upward I asked, "And what is the custom when standing under mistletoe?" Without another word he pulled me into his chest, covered my body with his arms, and planted a sloppy loving kiss on my lips. I just love being in love.

During this week when the world whirled with Presidential controversy, we said yes to babysitting a Goldendoodle puppy nearly four months old. No cliche of my mother's could describe the hysterical mayhem that existed in our quiet home for two and a half days. So innocent, little Miss June Bug appeared.

Her puppy energy flowed indoors and outdoors. Like we did with Lucy, we went outside with our puppy and played ball. It didn't last long because she discovered the torn tassels of the pampas grass broken and strewn all over our yard by the storms. Junie B, as I nicknamed her, carried the flowering tassels in her mouth and ran in a gallop back and forth across the yard. Tiny fluffs of pampas grass floated into the air like children blowing bubbles.

On day two I drove to PetCo and bought chew toys, and oh, did she ever love to tug, growl, and bit at anything that moved, including our feet and ankles. We never quit laughing.

On day three I attempted to sit in on a Zoom meeting. What was I thinking? I did my best to pay attention, but Junie B had other plans, like chew on a golf ball. Not good I tried to explain to her, then she found a squeaky toy that I keep for kids to play with, not good I explained and grabbed it from her.  At last she found a workout ball that she could chew, and occasionally found my sock and ankle to chew on. I lasted forty minutes on Zoom. I can't imagine the view my friends had of me as I continually dropped away from the computer screen to pull something out of the dog's mouth. 

That afternoon, I invited our neighbor to bring her six month old puppy over to play.  

Quinn, Australian Shepherd looks so regal on his footstool, but in action he runs like an Oklahoma dust storm in constant motion, never missing a swirl.  

Watching Junie B trying to run figure eights was a riot. Quickly, Junie B caught on that she would not be able to keep up the race, so she stood crosswise to the running dog and took the passing blows of Quinn, leaving both dogs to roll and tumble. For nearly an hour, Linda and I sat in lawn chairs watching the dogs play. For a moment, I thought back to the days when I sat in the park, a proud young mother watching her daughter play on the slides and swings. She was always a dare-devil in the spirit of play. 

Our minister called to check on us this week. It filled my heart with joy to hear his voice and concerns. I explained that even though we felt apprehensive with the coming months of indoor activity, we had managed to play more golf this summer than in the years when I felt younger. He wished he had an escape like golf.

Ironically, I have golfing friends who sometimes say things like; I am really not competitive, I just like to play golf with friends and be social. I just laugh, because I know that deep down inside each one of my golfing friends has a competitive streak. 

On a warm day this week, with only a hint of a breeze three of us teed off near the ten o'clock hour. Even though I thought I hit the ball with zing and power I found that my short game stumped me. On hole nine, I chunked my favorite chip shot to the green and my head dropped in disgust. "That hurt my ego," I expressed out loud. We laughed. 

On hole thirteen none of us went in the water, but Donna, our five foot tall dynamo out drove me, on a great drive I might add. She nearly danced a jig she was so proud. Naturally, we took a photo with her showing her bitch wings and me pointing to a ball not even in the picture.

Being a non-competitive group of ladies, and that's a tall tale, we continued on our lovely day in the sun sharing stories. On hole number eighteen, the last hole of the day, we teed off and each of us found the fairway with our tee shots. Being able to say that our tee shot is in play (in the fairway), is a great line to use in golf, especially when the leaves have fallen and the rough is littered with brown crumpled leaves that hide golf balls from men and women alike.  

"Ah ha!" Kathy yelled pointing her finger toward the ground, "Look what I did. I just out drove both of you."

With a little imagination look for three golf balls, 
foreground, middle left, and front. 

I am sure glad this is not a competitive group of women golfers, but they are some of the greatest ladies I have ever been blessed to play golf with regularly. And that is most meaningful for me.