We’ve been friends since middle school and her and her husband have had a really crappy year. Their house burned to the ground. They spent weeks crammed into her sister’s house until they could find a new home. Then she had skin cancer on her ear and had surgery then weeks of radiation treatment. He lost his job.

She likes Christmas but just didn’t have the energy to deal with replacing everything they lost in the fire. Her husband is a really great guy but clueless when it comes to shopping for anything other than bicycles. So, I shopped for them. Got a tree, lights, topper, ornaments, and tree skirt. They’re only two hours away and when I left yesterday afternoon after setting up the tree and putting lights on it she was talking about sending out Christmas cards. She just needed a little boost to get in the Christmas spirit.

I’ll be making fruitcake and decorating the outside starting tomorrow. Tree will go up Thanksgiving Fay.

Last year, with the chaos of our move, we didn't have a Christmas tree (just put some white lights on a tall Ficus house plant in the corner!).

This year we are going to head out to either cut our own, or purchase from a local farmers market....also put some lights on a few front trees and our side deck railing. Going to be a weird one...but we will soon get out the familiar videos and start playing seasonal music.

Fruitcake! I've never made one...if you have a really good recipe, I'd love it!

lucky enough to be living out in the country in western Washington in the mother-in-law house in the back of my son and daughter-in-law's 1.8 acres. Surrounded by trees and nature with the Hoquiam river right across to 2 lane road. My son is and essential worker and DIL works in real estate, so there's been no loss of income. I'm retired with SS and a pension. Life is better for us than most of our fellow Americans and, we are grateful.

We've had one scare where DIL co worker had been exposed to the covid. Everyone tested negative, that was 2 months ago.

In our little corner, life is good.

two young boys, so the schooling complexities.

I join you in feeling really fortunate - my wife and I are retired, but have hobbies that supplement a bit - we both do what we love most days...so feeling lucky indeed. Hope your holidays are wonderful!

Which previously only housed our dining table. So now we spend more time in our sunroom and we watch the birds at the feeders.

Today we saw bluebirds, blue jays, cardinals, house finches, downy woodpeckers and red bellied woodpeckers, dark eyed juncoes, nuthatches, crows, and various other birds flitting about and eating seeds.

It was such a lovely show as we sipped our beverages. Me, tea. Him, coffee. For that little bit of time, it felt like everything would be okay.

We just put our feeders back out - we have bears in our area and it is iffy, but I miss seeing the birds. Last year we had a Pileated visit our suet once. Hoping to see some Evening Grosbeaks some day - apparently they are moving further south due to food source interruption in their usual feeding areas.

Enjoy the day!

the disasters befalling many we're tight on money but overall comfy and happy in the lives we created for ourselves before Covid. Being able to go fishing, and chat with friends by various means, is what my 80-year-old husband needs to keep him happy, so that's baked into our recipe. Missing being with our family is the big exception, of course, but they're happy too, businesses going okay, they're staying well knock wood.

We're on a rural hill here in GA, lots of woods and calm. Yesterday a fox trotted by the window where I sat reading and watching a squirrel planting a new hickory forest (he thinks!) in what was once a little rose garden -- before the deer got to it and I decided it was time to replant with less edible shrubs. I've decided I can add another climbing rose, or two, though, to keep the out-of-reach survivor company.

Before long we'll head down to our ancient mobile home in Florida for the winter, where neighbors will stroll over and we'll pull chairs out on the lawn (i.e., mowed green stuff) by the marsh and chat.

Oh, not quite least, last week I learned that the startlingly sudden and rapid crippling of my hands and wrists from rheumatic disease not only hadn't progressed to serious joint damage yet but that the current flare symptoms should disappear over the next few months on medication. Kind of alarming when opening a zip-lock bag becomes a job for Super Husband.

In any case, the miracles of modern medicine have rescued us, and turns out I will be able to finish painting the sunroom in FL myself -- something I blew off last spring because I felt like it but am now looking forward to.

And vaccines are coming.

Stay safe and well, everyone.

Far more good things in their lives than bad things. May every day bring many moments of gratitude.

As a natural optimist, the last four years have really tested me - so I have to take a pause and look at all of the good...it gives one a mental break in this very challenging time.

Today was a good day - Dutch Baby and home roasted Kenya coffee, NYT crossword and other puzzles, did a video call with a friend from our former home area, spent the day outside with the dogs, now about to make dinner.

Hope you all had a good day!

battering the roof of our attic bedroom while we snuggled in the incredible comfort of our bed. It even inspired my stoic husband to murmur about how much we had to be thankful for. We'll be in all day, just the two of us, chatting on line with kids and friends and taking electronic peeks at the world. I'll start cooking later.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. For all who get to be home, Happy Home.