more Thanksgiving in photos and words

 Grandson Luke read this to keep us all on track for why we were gathered on this day:

"Thankfulness finds the full measure in generosity of presence, both through participation and witness. We sit at the table as part of every other person's world while making our own world without will or effort, this is what is extraordinary and gifted, this is the essence of gratefulness. Thanksgiving happens when our sense of presence meets all other presences."

~ David Whyte

16 people, two tables and one dog

 A very happy day as we ate tons of food and laughed and talked and teased and were and are filled with gratitude for so much. The grand daughters did all the cooking and the dishes were miraculously washed and dried and I was sound asleep at 9pm. Today is for Sister Jane who (sadly) leaves tonight.

the tables are set

 Ceci, Zak and turkey will arrive at 7am from Nevada City this morning I look forward to a warm and happy day with a side of chaos. Fun, full report tomorrow. Thankful to and for so many and wishing everyone a lovely Thanksgiving.

our quiet Saturday

Beautiful flowers arrived from my step, Nancy, and they will still be fresh for Thanksgiving. Sister Jane and her friend, Melinda, are now on their airplane from Baltimore and the Blogmaid and I will pick them up in a few hours at SFO. Non-stop enjoyment will ensue for the next week. Talk about thankful!

 

pre-planning and the google doc

 Sis will be here in two weeks (!) and plans are underway for a festive Thanksgiving dinner is my little home. Grand daughter Samantha is in charge of food and has created a google document which I do not want to see, thank you anyway. All I have to do is the set-up and making sure the big doodle, Harlow, doesn't eat the little cat, Annabelle. Plus table set-up, my favorite part.

The Gift

Maybe 20 years ago I found this already worn and loved book in a fabulous bookstore in Ojai. I have always been a Mary Oliver fan and I decided that I will now carve out some poetry time during this holiday season. On Thanksgiving my step-almost-grandson-in-law Luke read this poem and I have been appreciating it again and again since that warm and happy day. And I bequeathed this book to Luke...

                   THE GIFT

Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.

So, be slow if you must, but let
the heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience. Let God and the world
know you are grateful. That the gift has been given.

+ Mary Oliver

and don't forget Harlow

 We certainly had a busy fun-filled Thanksgiving and Sister Jane was a big help to the grand girls who were "doing" their first big turkey meal. So funny to see the three (Lindsay, Samantha and Luke) using their iPhones for the recipes they had selected. Harlow the Doodle was just wherever she wanted to be, usually in the way, but what a clown. Rob and Sarah arrived after the crazy cooking time and so the seven of us enjoyed a delicious meal and a few laughs, of course. Jane has now inherited a new family who love her already. 

as ready as we can be

 The Blogmaid and Sister Jane enjoyed a day on the coast while I did some Thanksgiving tasks yesterday. You can see that I was busy baking too many pies and the festive feline had to be locked out of the dining room for obvious reasons. Happy Thanksgiving to all (hahahaha) my readers and friends. Yes, I am indeed grateful. Very.

Thanksgiving 2024

 Yesterday Sister Jane texted "shall I come for Thanksgiving?" Oh, what a question. My favorite holiday and now with my favorite sister! I am so happy and excited and you will hear a lot about this delightful news as we march along into November. 

in the kitchen with grandma

 Thanksgiving. Samantha on the left and Ceci on the right. House all put back together after a full day of work yesterday. Beats going into the Black Friday retail chaos ~ remember those days?

a day full of food and gratitude

 Today is clean-up and a lovely after glow. The grand daughters did all the work and we enjoyed fabulous food and great conversation. Harlow the doodle dog joined us and how did my camera miss her? Annabelle was not pleased, but she was the only one. Top photos are the grands (and Zak) bottom photo is new friend Samaria and her mother Maria, friends of Samantha and Luke.

talk about thankful

 The tables take up most of the dining and living room so there won't be much space to gather and sparkle before dinner today which will be around 3pm. CC and Zak arrived last night with a huge amount of cooking stuff and they have taken over the back room at Camp Mary Ann's. I'm having a quiet moment now in front of the fire to reflect on all that I am thankful for and yes, it's a lot.

lock her out

 There is nothing Annabelle loves more than a freshly laundered tablecloth. We are at odds here because I have two tables to set for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Ceci and Zak will be down from Placerville tonight and she will do all the cooking. Yay! Samantha and Luke will be here too and Thanksgiving California will be great fun with two grand daughters and a few other colorful guests. We have so much to be thankful for. Annabelle is included in that, as you know.

hurry, stock up

I love TJ's fresh Cranberry Sauce more than any I have ever tasted. Yesterday I bought three cartons because I read that we could freeze them. I'm expecting ten for Thanksgiving dinner so maybe we will gobble them all up then? 
 

as promised...

...here is the Thanksgiving group photo. The clever Blogmaid knows how to set up the camera on a tripod and get us all smiling and happy and we were. I will repeat myself, it was a lovely day indeed.

food, friendship and a walk by the ocean

 Oh, I do have a group photo from the Blogmaid, but I will save it for tomorrow. We had such a nice day and the traditional turkey dinner was fabulous. Beautiful weather ~ top photo is from the front of their home in Half Moon Bay, one block from seaside. Perfect. And what? Very little traffic. Grateful.

celebrations galore

 Yesterday RR turned 19. Wow. Today I will see her and the Blogmaid family around the Thanksgiving table. This morning I am using Husbando's coffee mug because we always loved this holiday and worked well together brining The Bird and mashing potatoes, etc. Then we would do the dishes and talk about our guests and fall into bed with smiles.

and home before dark

 Yesterday was a total delight with delicious food and such wonderful walking weather by the ocean. Thank you so much to the Blogmaid host and hostess and their family for including me.

Thanksgiving ~ today and yesterday

 We must and we do. I am heading down to Pumpkinville today and my, how thankful I am for this invitation. So many happy memories of this holiday ~ my favorite. Happy Thanksgiving dear friends and loyal blog readers. 

Thanksgiving Day pictures to enjoy

And yes, to cherish!