Hard to believe that I am looking at my second holiday season at Winterpast. Last year, Miss Firecracker and I had the most beautiful Thanksgiving dinner for two. Roast turkey and all the fixings, we laughed and talked like there was no tomorrow. It was a really wonderful day, one that we both worried might not be so great. 2020 was brutal for us both, as it was for so many families. That was the year we both lost our husbands to cancer. In weeks, our lives were shattered.
Last year, the governor had limits on the number of people that could sit at the table. Who, in their right minds, would have believed that in the USA government would dictate our holidays? Certainly not me.
This year, sharing Thanksgiving preparations with WP, invitations for eight were created today and will be sent out in today’s mail. How fun to meet more new people in our little town!!! Family and singles will be joining us for turkey and toasts. New friends that are still strangers to me will enjoy the day at Winterpast. Miss Firecracker is making new friends in her life, too. It will be hard to top the time we spent on that autumn Thursday in 2020.
It amazes me that all our creative needs can be found on the internet. By just Googling “Thanksgiving Invitations”, many ideas appeared. It just so happened that the perfect idea was among them. Easy peazy.
I don’t know how much you depend on a calendar, but, I find them deflating. Just when you think you can catch a breath, there are fifty more things your could jot down each day. Just exhausting. I much prefer a day with eight hours empty and waiting. I usually have at least five chores waiting to be completed. If really energetic, I can add five more. Much less taxing than looking with dread at scheduled events.
WP is a scheduler. He computerizes his life’s log while I prefer to use pencil and eraser. He knows what life holds for the next four months. I prefer to stick to the next week. Less erasing that way.
That being said, I do have a spa date on Friday. Facials and a wonderful day away from yard, computer, Oliver, and the phone. Just a quiet day to reflect and rejuvenate. Made even more decadent by the fact that I will come home to a yard in progress. The gardener promised that the decomposed granite should be spread, finishing the front yard by Saturday night. I’m looking forward to the Himalayan Salt Room, and the Serenity Sleeping Room with the zero gravity chairs, low lighting, and Zen music. Deliciously cool and quiet, I can hardly wait to sneak a little nap.
Finished off with a spa luncheon, the day should be perfect. The last time I visited, they served the best salad. Avocado, Dungeness Crab claw, fresh corn, jicama, and lettuce, with pita chips on the side. Not just any Pita Chips. Ones that I’m pretty sure were 50% butter. Soft and warm, they were the perfect compliment for this salad, which I intend to order again.
This time, I’m getting a facial, another new experience for this red neck girl. Massages were booked up four to six weeks out. Luckily, I’ve been blessed with great skin. Surely not from lotions and potions. Just lucky in that way. Never had problems with unwanted moles or deep wrinkles, although my 65 years are evident. What if there ARE some fabulous products that can make things even better? I have been blessed with so many good things lately, I’ve no right to ask for another miracle. It will be nice to close my eyes and get moisturized.
Soon, the Halloween decorations need to come out. It turns out all the kids never come down my street because they hang out at WP’s. He actually turns on his porch light to attract them. I’ll move the action to his place and chip in for some candy. We ought to be able to have some fun watching the kiddos come and go.
With only ten weeks until the holidays really kick into high gear, it’s never to early to start thinking about your guest list. Goodness, I am becoming my mother, fretting about these things before the first day of fall is here. Blame it on the Halloween decorations at Walmart and the early purchase of candy for the kids. With shortages, you can never be too prepared. Have a great day. J