Moving towards December and holiday memories

The last half of November has busy, preparing for relatives coming over Thanksgiving. Even if they weren't staying with us, we were hosting them in a fashion.  They enjoyed a walk through downtown one day, a visit to the Grove Park Inn the next, and the fresh turkey I'd provided became the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving dinner at the vacation house where we gathered.

Such a nice thing to be gathered again with my gardening companion's extended family, no matter how talkative and boisterous they seem.  We're not used to that, especially after these pandemic quiet times.  But they're all lovely folks, so it's a gift to be gathered in with them, even as I appreciate our quiet holidays on our own, too.

The Christmas angel chimes were assembled today, along with the simple items that are part of our small tradition, including the small Christmas stockings that my Grandmother sent with $100 bills tucked into them, many years ago.

They become added to the magnet collection on the refrigerator, which commemorate various places and things that have been special to us.

I also revisited two recipe cards from my Grandmother while looking for another recipe for a birthday cake for my gardening companion. The recipes are iconic memories.  Date bars and apple cake. She had a sweet tooth and I never left from a visit (while I was in graduate school not that far away) without those date bars, I think.