Dad has always told us that,  when my mother died,  he prayed that he would live long enough to see his girls to adulthood.   Cheryl was fourteen at the time,  Kathy was four,  and I was eight.

It was a difficult time for all of us,  but especially for Dad,  as he juggled extra jobs and single parenting.   He never skipped a beat,  always there for us,  always encouraging and supportive.    He was the constant in our ever-changed lives,  and I considered him my hero.

I’ve heard other fathers described as strict and unapproachable,  but that was not my Dad.     He was guided by a most generous heart that allowed us to grow and change,  and become the adults we turned out to be.    We tested our wings,  sometimes we failed,  but there was never any question that he would be there wherever and whenever we landed.

Dad’s prayer was answered.   He now has grandchildren and great grandchildren,  and today he turns 81 years old.

Happy birthday Dad!    Thank you for all your love through the years……

Posted: November 20th, 2008 under celebrations.
Comments: 6

Our snow has arrived.   It has been pretty watching it fall and add up slowly.

I am not a big fan of the cold,  but I love the first snows.    My mind wanders back to my childhood and the holidays,  a good feeling of warmth and closeness with family.

At this time of year,  I appreciate my automatic car starter, and our programmable thermostat which warms the house before we return home in the evening.   Flannel sheets are especially nice,  as are long nightgowns,  heavy bathrobes and warm slippers.  Add to that fuzzy sweaters,  crocheted afghans, and a warm cup of cocoa,  and I’m set for the winter.

Posted: November 18th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 5

I am thinking this cold November morning, of another cold November Monday,  twenty-eight years ago,  when you came into our lives.    Our world has never been the same……

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Posted: November 17th, 2008 under celebrations.
Comments: 4

We finished up our electricity challenge today.  Two days of normal usage,  followed by two days of cutting back.  Rhonda,  at Down to Earth suggested the challenge,  and we gladly signed on to see how we would do.

We used 28 kilowatts during the first two days.    With a little dedication,  and a lot of mindful moments,  we cut our usage to 23 kilowatts during the next two days.

I thought we might do better than this,  but we already had many saving principles established.   A couple of years ago we changed all of our light bulbs over to compact fluorescents,  and that saved us about $20 a month easily.

Even 2.5 kilowatts a day was rewarding though.   That equals $2.45 a week,  or $10.50 a month, or $126 a year.

Some of the efforts we made to reduce our usage:

Turned off lights not in use

Listened to the radio instead of the TV

Hung clothes on wooden racks to dry

Unplugged laptop and phone chargers

Turned off the computer printer

Cooked a meal in the crockpot

Ate dinner by candlelight

Posted: November 16th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: none

It was a quiet day at home.   Time for cleaning, cooking,  baking,  reading.   With the skies dark and damp,  I was happy to stay indoors and be busy.  Birds counted for Feederwatch, new flannel sheets for the bed,  lentil soup cooking in the crockpot,  homemade foccacia bread in the oven, pumpkin cookies made,  frosted, and in the freezer for the holidays.

I finished my library book,  listened to my iTunes and NPR through the day.

After a hectic week,  I was quite content.

Posted: November 15th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 2

Through the years,  I have had occasion to be obsessed with our utility bill.   At times,  even with budget billing,  the amount due was a difficult amount to come up with.   I had to devise ways to cut back our usage,  so I would monitor the meter to see what was causing our bill to be so high.    I even found a pamphlet that helped me out.

Now, Rhonda,  at Down-to-Earth,  is offering a challenge,  and a timely one.   I know that our electric usage is still higher than it should be.    We have a little more money to tackle the bills than we had in earlier years,  but that could change at any time.   And from my experience in previous years,  I know that with a little dedication,  we can lower our usage substantially.     For the good of the earth,  and the good of our financial state,  we are going to take up the challenge,  and see how we can make a difference.

Rhonda is going to post the results when everyone has reported in.   It will be interesting to see how we measure up.   Join in if you’d like.

Posted: November 12th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 3

Yesterday brought the first real snowfall of the season here.   There was a flurry of birds in the morning with just a few flakes in the air.    The sense of urgency at the feeders is a good indicator that the weather is about to worsen.  Even a red wing blackbird showed up,  and contemplated the nyjer feeder.

By mid-afternoon, the sky was dark,  and the flakes were bigger and started to stick.  It was amusing to watch a squirrel collect the white stuff on his tail while he sat in the hanging feeder,  stuffing himself.  He seems to think,  that as long as we don’t make eye contact,  he can eat to his heart’s content.

The snow was pretty while it lasted, and gave a hint of the holidays to come.   It put me in the mood to bake and buy Christmas gifts,  which I did.

This morning there was not a trace.

Posted: November 11th, 2008 under birding, day-to-day.
Comments: 5

Beautiful sunsets,  as we saw last week.

And a dazed little house finch,  having just bounced off of our kitchen window.     We kept an eye on him for about half an hour, then he regained his bearings,  and flew off.

Posted: November 9th, 2008 under birding, day-to-day.
Comments: 4

Today I pulled out my count list,  and started recording my feeder birds for Project Feederwatch.

The temperature was mild,  fifty degrees,  with rain.   That always means a low bird count,  till the weather clears.

Today’s visitors included house sparrows,  house finches,  blue jays,  dark-eyed juncos,  mourning doves,  black-capped chickadees, and a cooper’s hawk that swooped down and, for a time,  scared them all away.

Posted: November 8th, 2008 under birding.
Comments: 3

Yesterday started extremely early for me.   I headed to our polling place around the corner just before 6 a.m.   The line inside the building had already reached the door,  so I was the first to have to wait outside in the fog and darkness.    I had worn my winter coat and gloves,  just in case,  and was happy to have thought of them.  The line moved quickly though,  and I made my way to the voting machine,  cast my ballot,  and  was headed home after half an hour.

At work,  and later at my doctor’s appointment,  there was discussion around each corner about the election.   Everyone seemed to be thinking about it,  anxious for the results to be in.    After stopping at an election day fundraiser for dinner,  we headed home to watch the returns come in.   We followed online,  and kept our own tally to see how the numbers unfolded.    It was after midnight before we headed to bed,  exhausted, overwhelmed by the events of the evening,  and contemplating how our future as a nation might be.

This was my tenth presidential election.   In 1971,  when I was eighteen,  my father drove me to the county seat,  where I registered to vote.   I remember our drive there,  and the running conversations we would have about the issues of the day.   He knew that I needed to act upon my convictions,  and impressed upon me the importance of my vote.   I’ve never forgotten his words.

In 1972 George and I participated in our first presidential election.   It was an exciting moment back then,  going behind the curtain,  pulling down the levers to signify my choice,  knowing I had done my part.      Thirty-six years later,  the feeling was just as intense.

Posted: November 5th, 2008 under celebrations.
Comments: 4