November Musings

-

 November Musings


November is my grateful month. I love everything fall. I start celebrating the season in August. All of the summer decorations are replaced with autumn colors, and my all-time favorite Holiday, Halloween, arrives in October. I will admit that my Halloween decorations stay up far longer than my Christmas decorations, but then again, I'm not a fan of Christmas. It's too garish, too pushy, and too commercial.  Many people move straight to Christmas after Halloween, but I like to keep the holly jolly crap as far away as possible, which is a challenge given that I work in retail. I want to give November its due.

This is a time of reflection, of relaxing over a mug of warm coffee while listening to music and reading a good book. This is a time for walking under the changing colors of the leaves and feeling the crisp chill in the air. It is finally (here)flannel shirt weather, and I will confess, there is nothing sexier (in my opinion) than a person wearing flannel. 

Thanksgiving is a different holiday. On the one hand, it is about starving pilgrims who were saved by the true people who lived here. The true people were then taken advantage of, made to feel inferior, and slaughtered, driven away. All because the Caucasian race felt that their skin color made them better. Stupid. We are not better. We are equal. I often feel that the true people have a better connection to the land, animals, and spirituality of the earth. 

I celebrate Thankful Day. For me, it is not about the feast or football. It is about the gathering of family and friends for one day of gratitude before madness drops. When I lived in Washington State, I spent the holiday with friends. When I first moved back to St George, the day was spent with family, but now, with most everyone spread out, my parents go to a sibling's house, and I spend Thanksgiving Day with my pets. It is a day of peace and calm reflection. Black Friday is the next day, and after that, nothing but go, go, go. I need the one day of peace.

This morning, I walked my dog and listened to music. The leaves were changing colors overhead and drifting from the branches. The air was crisp and the skies were grey. I love grey skies. :)  These moments don't last forever. They are a treasure to be grateful for. Sipping my coffee, with my dog curled up at my feet, I am at peace. This is what I love about November: peace, coffee, books, writing, walking my dog, my cat curled on my lap,




flannel shirts, boots, moments with family and friends, and trees.

Thank you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Need Art

-
Image
                                                        The World Needs Art Tonight, I attended a gathering in support of Art. A building downtown has sold, and another Art Gallery is being pushed out, probably to make way for another (insert heavy, heavy sarcasm) mortgage or Real Estate office.  My mother is an artist, and my father is a wood-making artist. I have a sister who is not only a culinary artist but also a master seamstress and another who is a pianist, flutist, dancer, and performer. I also have two brothers-in-law (one a former) who are musicians. I am a writer. I come from a family of creators. We were taught young to appreciate art. I grew up in St George, Utah. I loved going downtown and checking out the shops. I won a contest in elementary school and got to paint a picture on one of the store windows. Art was appreciated and e...
Read more

Misty Mae

-
Image
 Misty Mae Misty came into my life five days after my beloved Peyton passed away from cancer. He was my show Afghan. His breeder contacted me and let me know she had a female I could have for the cost of airfare. How could I say no? I drove to Vegas and picked her up. She was scared, barking, eyes wide, and shaking in a claims area. I took her out of the travel crate and hugged her.  I dedicated the song Yellow and Sparks by Coldplay to her and sang them to her as we drove home. Afghan hound puppies look like little lambs when they are young. They have long feet, a long nose, and short, fuzzy hair. Misty was a blonde domino color. She had white diamonds around her eyes, two white patches on her shoulders, and white markings on her legs. She was a very serious puppy who would stop and sit while she figured things out. She loved to chew on shoes, furniture, and anything left on the floor.  Unlike Peyton, who slept next to me, Misty would sleep on the floor, on her dog bed, ...
Read more

The Writers Journey

-
Image
  The Writers Journey Here is how it goes. After one hour of procrastination, I pull up the manuscript and check where I left off. I read my notes about what I want to achieve. I am generally a "Pantser" when it comes to writing until I get to the middle; then, I become almost a "Plotter." Time to look at pets up for adoption. Or do the elliptical? No! It is writing time. Focus. Where did I leave off? I finish my glass of wine and make some tea.  Many people think that when you write, you simply sit down, and everything comes out perfect. This is not true. We would like it to be true, but it isn't. I can honestly say I have spent the past three weeks rewriting the chapter I am in. First, I reviewed what I had written and checked it for continuity. Were all the characters there? Was the setting correct? Whose point of view was I in? For this chapter, I changed the point of view six times. I had it in Jim's, changed it to Shelly's, changed it to Sam's,...
Read more