Peggy Chambers "Views from the Hammock" site

TEN THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR AT THANKSGIVING

Sometimes we forget to be thankful for the things we have and instead gripe about the things we wish we had.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I have come up with ten things to be thankful for during the Thanksgiving holidays and all through the year.

1.         Family and friends, and the joy and heartache they can bring

2.         A warm home – old or new, big or small, it’s yours

3.         Feeling safe in your own home – many people don’t

4.         Food – even if you’re dieting – or especially if you’re dieting

5.         Warm clothing and the option to always buy more – most women will agree

6.         A job to go to and time away from that job

7.         A car that starts on a cold morning when you are late for that job

8.         Being able to stay home and be lazy sometimes

9.         Pets and the warmth and understanding they bring to your life

10.       A good book – enough said

I could go on and on but you would quit reading.  You have your own list and it is probably better than mine.  The important thing is taking the time to notice the good things in your life. Sometimes they are so good you can’t ignore them and sometimes you have to go hunting for the good stuff.  But it is always there if you look hard enough.

Now go and enjoy that Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings – with all those crazy people in your life – and be thankful that you have them.  Happy Thanksgiving!

I spent the morning writing as many words as would come from the end of my fingers.  I decided not to sign up for NaNoWriMo this year, but with the recent layoff, I had a lot more time on my hands than normal and stories floating around in my head.  I’ve been writing like crazy.  As most authors will attest, the more you write the more you are driven to write. So far I’ve written almost 4000 words this month – not 50,000 but a good start.

Breaking only to walk the dog and meet a friend for lunch, I found myself driving down the road thinking about the next scene.  A quick glance in the rear view mirror, I glimpsed the tell-tale sign of red and blue lights pulling out of the parking lot.  Emergency lights.  So, like the good citizen I always thought I was, I pulled over to let him by.  He didn’t go around.  Evidently the emergency was me.

Doing 44 mph in a 35 mph zone is not necessarily a good thing unless you are a professional race car driver.  I handed the proof of insurance and driver’s license to the officer and he suggested I stay in the car.  No problem it was a busy street.

Sitting in the car calculating what a ticket would cost on top of the fact that I might have to call a plumber because of the clogged drain coming from my washing machine, I waited.  He walked back to my car and handed me the ticket – then told me it was a warning.  He also wanted my phone number that he plugged into a cute little computer a little bigger than my new cell phone.  I don’t think he wanted to ask me out since I reminded him of his grandmother.  Instead he told me to be safe and let me go. “Thank you officer,” I managed to squeak out.

Now, I only have to pay the plumber.  Maybe I need to either drive or write, but not the two at the same time.

              Winding down the autumn highways of Arkansas and Missouri a few weeks ago, I marveled at the Ozarks.  Not a lot of color yet.  It had been as dry there as here.  But, the air was crisp and the sun abnormally bright as it lost the longer days.

              It was fall – almost Halloween.  Not just a time for ghosts and goblins, but also a time that signals the end of summer and the beginning of winter.  Soon it would be time to rake leaves and hopefully fall into a pile or two, maybe insight a leaf fight.  But the change in seasons is always awe inspiring.

The cooler weather makes the holidays seem more warm and colorful.  Celebrations involve friends and family gathered around the table to share foods you just don’t get when it is warm.  A case in point is caramel.  Whether apples are dripping in it, or it is incased in a cellophane wrapper, caramel reminds me of fall and the beginning of all those calorie-laden holidays.

Here’s to autumn and all the beauty it brings.

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