I'm almost done!

Hooray, I have wrapped all the gifts and the stocking things.  Today I have time to catch up, make a list of what I lack doing, and maybe even read a book.  It is cold and rainy outside--perfect day to sit by the fire.  I think I will try make hot chocolate.  I forgot to buy Swiss Miss at the store.

Let It Snow

Flakes are dancing their way to the ground on this Sunday.  This will be predictably our first snow which will "stick to the ground".  So Christmas shoppers, stay home and wrap.    I plan to do just that.  Hot chocolate would taste nice too.  I do love this place where the seasons change.

Where did November go?

November was a wonderful month, but first things first--at the end of October, Doris  Colvett and I took a litttle trip to Charleston.  The Smokies were awesome!  And Charleston, that old town first begun in Revoltionary times, is still beautiful.  With its combination of Revolutionary and Civil War history, it is full of things to see.  We stayed at the King's Court Inn (circa 17860) right downtown.  After taking the history tours in a carriage, and on the river, we were full of historical knowledge.  The Gullah tour (history of the African Americans there) added to the aura.  We also visited a working plantation on the edge of Mt. Pleasant.  Our guides on every tour were excellent and seemed to delight in sharing the history of their town.

The best thing about the visit was that we got to see mutual friends Rodney and Pat Spalding in Mt. Pleasant.
Rodney and I grew up together, and Doris and he and Pat shared the Exodus Bay Shore experiement togeter. It was great to see them  Pat is the historian of the Round Church in Charleston, and we went to church there with them on Sunday.  It has a a yard full of historical graves and a beautiful interior.  And yes, it is round.

Thanksgiving was different--I went to Kiki and Kevin's house and got to eat somebody else's food.  It was a perfect day for the kids to play outside on a path through the woods and the adults to stay warm inside, smelling  the dinner cooking.

Sheryl's parents have been here for two weeks, and I have enjoyed them so much!  Although fragile and infirm in many ways, they have still retained their sense of humor.  It was fun to hear stories of Sheryl and Gail growing up. They were over at my house last night for chili and fellowship.

So now its December and the shopping rush is on.  We have agreed to cut down.  I am taking everybody to the Opryland Christmas Celebration on the 22nd and 23rd and am looking forward to that.  I've done the requisite American Doll shopping over the phone and am sticking to Target for other things.  It will be a holly
jolly Christmas.  The weather has changed to cold and with it getting dark at 4:30 each afternoon, the days seem  especially short.

Brandon and Sheryl put up my tree last night, and now I have to decorate it--that's a good chore while watching TV.