The downhill vacation slide has begun: Cook dinner every part you may consider for Thanksgiving dinner! Get an early begin on Christmas playing cards to get them on sale! Order Christmas presents that need to be mailed quickly! Determine what to offer to everybody else, together with the canines! Begin Christmas cooking! Work on future blogs about good Christmas books for canine lovers, and avoiding canine stress over the vacations! Be joyous and filled with cheer!
Or, the one necessary factor: Give thanks. Be grateful. Have a good time Thanks Giving. That’s my focus at the moment, and I’ll maintain the nice and cozy gentle of gratitude shining inside me all through the top of the 12 months. I hope you’ll be part of me to rejoice the true and exquisite spirit of this week’s vacation: Giving Thanks.
First, and all the time, I’m grateful for my husband, accomplice, buddy, lover, and man with the best eyebrows ever, Jim Billings. Right here’s a photograph lately taken just a few weeks in the past by Steve Dahlgren, an amazing native photographer who focuses on canines, however is just not so unhealthy at utilizing us two-legs as topics both:
We simply turned 74 collectively, (Born on the identical day, identical 12 months. Yup, actually.), and I’m grateful daily of my life that we discovered one another, twenty-two years in the past.
I’m grateful for household. Only a few days in the past I made last-minute resolution to fly to San Antonio to be at my eldest sister’s new guide launch and eightieth birthday celebration. Wendy Barker is a celebrated poet and artistic writing trainer, and I’m over the moon proud to be her sister. I left at 6:30 AM Friday morning, met my niece, Wendy Piatt (and singer Sweetlove), who additionally got here (from LA, additionally on the final minute, no small factor), flew dwelling Saturday morning at 5:31 AM. It was magical. Right here they each are, earlier than Wendy’s studying:
And from Jim’s aspect of the household, right here’s granddaughter Quinne at a Halloween celebration, who we received to go to in upstate New York, together with son Shane, daughter-in-law Rachael, and grand youngsters Taylor and Quinne:
And, after all, the relations who signify why I started this weblog in 2008, Skip and Maggie (picture additionally by Steve Dahlgren):
Watching them play is the most effective a part of my day. (Okay, getting in mattress at night time–did I point out I’m 74?–is a detailed second.) I don’t have phrases to say how a lot I like Maggie’s expressive face. If any canine had a humorousness, she does.
There’s a lot extra. So, a lot. However I want to maneuver on at the moment, to engaged on my novel, to getting some boring however necessary techie stuff handled, to working the canines, and to interviewing somebody for my publish arising on December twelfth. Though it’s onerous to cease, I’m going to go away you with solely two extra pictures.
You could recall that we rehomed Nellie, the proper cat, as a result of we couldn’t present her with the life she deserved. I miss her daily. Each single day. And, I’m grateful that she is in such an ideal dwelling, and is so comfortable. I will probably be grateful to mates Bonita and Fredericka for taking her again so long as I dwell.
Right here’s what we get in return: A stream of gorgeous birds at our feeders all day lengthy. They’re going to bankrupt me, however they create me pleasure all through the day. Chickadees, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Downy WPs, Bushy WPs, Crimson-bellied WPs, Doves, Finches, Bluejays, Sparrows, and who is aware of else will shock us over the winter. Right here’s a White-Breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Feminine at their favourite feeding station.
There’s time, all the time, for another assertion of gratitude: It’s to you, pricey readers, who encourage and problem and delight me each week. I want I had a photograph of you all!!!
I hope you may have the time to hitch me, and let our worldwide, dog-loving village know what you’re grateful for. Even only one little factor. I’ll learn each factor you write, time and again.
With love and gratitude,
Trisha
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