Elegante Mother is going to be NINETY years old on December 7th. We’re planning an open house a week from today to celebrate. Plans have been in the works since September.
One of my nieces created her invitations and addressed about two-thirds of them. She is also preparing music for her iPod to play as background music during the open house. AND, this same young woman is going to oversee the beverage table for us. Her husband is going to be our official photographer, so that we can get pictures of family and friends.
My two older sisters are working on picture boards. There are pictures of family members from my great grandmother down the family tree to my granddaughter. There are also shots of EM on a camel in Morocco and other memorable vacations. I’m looking forward to seeing them when they are all complete.
My youngest sister has been collecting information and pictures about EM and her family to make a binder or scrapbook that has journaling, and mementos. I hope that we can duplicate that book for each of us, because her collection of historical information about the family is just amazing.
I helped EM make the choices at the caterers, and I’m keeping the list of who plans to attend. I’ve organized carpet and window cleaning for this week, and I have some cleaning of my own to do. We will not have all the Christmas decorations out, but some of them will be in place. I have to put away all the Fall decorations before the end of the week.
Saturday, I get to take EM to the salon, so we are both going to have our hair done for the day.
My mind is focused on lists of things to be done. The lists, and the chores are not what’s important, the celebration of my mother’s long life is the key. But, if the lists help me to clear things away so that I can focus on EM and her guests, then they have served their purpose. Each day, we’ll get closer to our goal, and I hope that makes us calmer, happier hosts.
Ninety! Pretty darned spectacular, isn’t it?? *G*

Earlier this week, I wanted to make time to wish all my friends a lovely Thanksgiving, or at least a Happy Thursday. I think I got part of that message through, because I can see my friends chatting about menus for the meal. *G*
For the first time in years, I didn’t have to cook the turkey! I wonder if they were worried that I might forget to turn on the oven again??
We spent the morning cooking. I made Mother’s famous brownie recipe, and Vernice Kastman refrigerator rolls. Dear Husband did his world renown lasagna, and I steamed cauliflower and made buttered bread crumbs with green onions for the topping. I washed three heads of Romaine, and we gathered the rest of the ingredients for Caesar Salad. We don’t normally eat this way, for those of you who are worrying. This was what we contributed to a MUCH larger meal.
There were about 24 people from three branches of my family. My niece did a spectacular job decorating her house and providing seating for everyone. She cooked the turkey, her mother brought a ham. There were appetizers, lots of veggies, and of course, pumpkin pie for dessert.
It interested me to read the comments to the previous post on Thanksgiving dinner. It seems that every family has it’s own expectations as to what should be served. When I married DH, I quickly learned that lasagna was the meal for special occasions. His children don’t care for my lasagna recipe, so DH is always invited to cook. Now, MY family has come to expect lasagna on the sideboard!
I was good. I took very small servings of those things I wanted to try. Since there was such variety, my plate was full, but when we walked away from the table, I wasn’t too full, or uncomfortable. We left the lasagna and brownies for my niece. One of my sisters took the refrigerator rolls and the cauliflower home with her, so we didn’t have to eat leftovers for a week.
Tonight, we’re having a beef and potato soup that I’ve whipped up from the broth left over from cooking a sirloin tip roast in the crock pot. A simple soup and salad sounds just right following Thanksgiving, don’t you think?

This is the first time in ages that we won’t be holding the family Thanksgiving at our house. One of my nieces has a new home, and she offered to host us. The only thing I have to cook is a veggie dish! Actually, Dear Husband has to cook more than I do. He’s been asked to bring lasagna, and Caesar Salad.
We’re also taking four folding chairs and the salt and pepper shakers.
That seems like a really good deal to me!
Frankie and her family have gone south to see her new grandson and his parents. My brother and his wife are entertaining her family, while his kids are getting together in Iowa. My two oldest sisters and their families, Elegante Mother, Dear Husband and I will be going to my niece’s home. I’ll miss the parts of the family who will be away, but I’ll enjoy the 20 or so I’ll get to see.
Should I not have the opportunity to say it to you this coming week, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, and that you create good memories for the future. Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you have a favorite CD or album?
I like so many different types of music that I can never answer that question, but I can tell you that when I’m working in the office, I seem to keep gravitating toward “Romanza,” by Andrea Bocelli, and “Closer,” by Josh Groban. I’ve played “Closer” about two and a half times tonight while I’ve been working. I bet my mother, who’s bedroom is next to my office, wishes I would go to bed! *G*
I also love “Standards in Silhouette,” by Stan Kenton, and most of the CDs Diana Krall has recorded. I also like the collection of music from the movie “What Women Want.” Madeleine Peyroux has grown on me, as well as Jane Monheit, and Eric Clapton and Bill Withers pop up now and then. I have several Chris Botti CDs and need to listen a bit more to decide if one of them might become a favorite. I’d be happy with any of the Beatles albums.
I’ve been taking brass quintet music to play before exercise for those who come in to walk and warm up. I love the Canadian Brass, and the Empire Brass. Most of the CDs in the office are pop or jazz. The classical music is out in the living room. Which reminds me….I have to get the Bose repaired. I think the CD player is on the fritz. One more chore to add to the list!

It’s late for me to be posting, but I’ve gotten SO much done, that it’s been worth staying up later than usual.
We finished dinner about 6:30 and I cleaned up the kitchen, put a load of laundry in the washer, folded a load and then headed for the office. There’s never a time when I don’t have plenty to do in the office. If nothing else, at least I could file! *G*
I paid bills, put together some deposits for the bank, loved up the cat, and worked on miscellaneous paperwork. It’s satisfying to get that type of work done, but you don’t have much to show for it. I guess my job is one where you have to be satisfied with the knowledge that you’ve moved right along, even if it isn’t apparent to the rest of the world.
Speaking of things that are apparent to others….
Dear Husband was cutting some angle iron this afternoon, just outside the garage door. I asked him if he saw the results of my weed collecting, and he paused (trying to find a way out of trouble, I’m sure), and said, “No.” I can’t believe he missed them. I took the time today to collect a huge armload of teasel and a smaller, but still good-sized bundle of dried curly dock. The teasel is quite tall, and I have it standing in an empty 5 gallon bucket in the garage. The curly dock is sitting on top of a stack of boxed kerosene heaters.
He must have passed them dozens of times before he came into the house. How could he have missed them? I realize that this project isn’t one that interests him, but he still should have realized that some of the space in the garage was now filled with weeds!
Last weekend I brought the milkweed pods into the house so I could remove the silks and seeds, so he knows that I’ve been working on this project to create bouquets of dried seed pods. When he’s ready to move those heaters, I’ll hear all about the “WEEDS,” you can bet! *G*

I was visiting blogs this morning, and found this at Bogie’s blog. I don’t think there were enough questions to pinpoint my location, but they hit the nail on the head with the comment about “Are you from Chicago.” Actually, the Chicago accent is quite different from mine, but there must be similarities. But, you’ll never hear me say “How ya dooon?”
Wouldn’t you think that I’d score in the North Central area, rather than Philly?

…when I wonder what’s going on in Dear Husband’s head.
I’ve told you that he is not a gardener. He really doesn’t care for any of the outdoor chores, not even those having to do with maintenance on the house. He makes his living working out of doors, so the only other time he cares to be outside is when he is sailing.
I had assumed that he was aware of the work I do on the gardens. I usually come in, muttering about aching knees or a crabby back, or beat up fingers, so you would think he’d recognize that SOMETHING is going on out there.
I finished cutting back spent plants in the driveway garden, and part of the sidewalk garden, and my pride and joy….the herb garden. I need to spread compost and mulch, and put protective rings around three roses, but I’m well on the way toward having the gardens prepared for winter. I know that he knows I’ve been doing the work, because he can see the piles of leaves and cuttings dispersed around the grounds.
The herb garden, in particular, looked really lovely by 4:00 yesterday afternoon. I was thinking about taking a picture of it to post here. So, I was rather surprised to see Dear Husband unwrap a block of cedar timbers and start carrying them into the herb garden. These timbers will be used to replace parts of the raised beds in the herb garden that have been hollowed out and reduced to sawdust by ants. Right now about six of them (easily ten to twelve feet long), are stacked on one side of the center box. Four more are at a crazy angle across the south end of the garden. It looks like a giant was organizing his pick up sticks.
I VERY calmly suggested to him that he might want to stack them somewhere else until he could get to the job. We’ll have to talk about where.
Take my word for it. The garden looked really nice.

I’m trying to decide if I have a mild case of flu, or whether I’ve just had too much exercise and a cold front has come in.
Elegante Mother and I got flu shots on Wednesday morning. In the past, they’ve never bothered me. My arm felt a tiny bit heavy last night, but I figured it was most likely due to the gardening I’d been doing.
In all fairness, I’ve led a very sedentary life lately. Then, the Dragon Lady needed a stand in, so I rose to the challenge. I led exercise on Monday and Wednesday, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I spent the afternoons cleaning out the gardens and getting a little raking done. This morning I moved about 650 pounds of bird seed into the winter bins.
A cold front has moved in, so I got that gardening done just in the nick of time. It’s been gray all day, and now is so dark that the sun must have decided to go down a couple of hours early. We’ve had a fitful rain, and are expecting snow showers this evening.
So….am I sick, or am I responding to unusual exercise, coupled with a major drop in temperature? Darned if I know. All I can do is wait it out.
I think I’ll collect the cat and a quilt and go sit in the recliner for a bit. He won’t mind, and I’ll enjoy his warmth. Maybe I’ll take a book with me, just in case I can keep my eyes open.

Frankie, my youngest sis, has not had the time to blog since Band Camp started back in July. She and her oldest daughter were here to help us when I hurt my knee. They went home to the two week band camp, and they’ve been on the run ever since. Frankie was Uniform Mom for this year’s marching season. She headed the crew of ladies who saw to it that everyone was dressed appropriately, in a clean uniform in good repair, whether they marched inside or out.
Marching band ended in October, so I thought for sure she’d find a moment to blog. And something really momentous has happened, so I thought for SURE she would blog….but nothing. So I’ll do it for her.
Frankie is a grammy! Her step-daughter gave birth on Tuesday morning at 11:35, a healthy baby boy. He came out at 7 pounds 6 ounces. My nieces are aunties, now! *G*
Congratulations, Frankie and Major Frankie, and the new Mom and Dad!

I love using natural things as decorations. We save pine cones, and use all sorts of dried plants and herbs in wreaths and bouquets. One of the naturals I love to use is dried milkweed pod.
I’ve had my eye on several stands of milkweed pod along one of the fields just east of me. I was concerned that the “Weed Ladies” of the Naperville Heritage Society might beat me to them, but I had to wait for dry weather to try to harvest them. Yesterday was gorgeous, but I was in my gardens. Today was much the same, but Dear Husband came home just as I was finishing cutting back plants. I asked him to be my driver. I didn’t want to have to negotiate the curb in the SUV.
So, he gave up about 15 minutes of his precious late afternoon sunlight to drive me down the road. I think he did it because he got to sit and listen to the classical music station while I cut the milkweed.
You know of course, that most of the milkweed are still in the process of releasing their seeds. I have them stored in the garage until I can spend the time teasing the silk and seeds out of the pods. It’s a chore that I don’t plan to put off. *G*
I still want to gather an armload of teasel and some curly dock. I’m going to create a bouquet with all three of the weeds, wrapped with a fall colored ribbon, for my oldest sister. She knew I planned to collect the weeds and said she wished she could, too. If they come too late for her to use this season, they’ll store well for next year.