DECEMBER...WHAT???? ALREADY????

Where in the world did September, October and November go? December slipped in like a bolt of lightning, boom...and there it is.

Don't get me wrong I love December and all that it brings, but what I don't like is the panicky feeling of rushing around trying to get everything done! Things are picking up here in the Hollow, Decorating, Christmas programs, Caroling, Parties, Drop-in's, Dinners etc.,but what I haven't got going on yet is the shopping!!! Of course I have a few things for the grand, but there is still plenty to be done and the "mood" just hasn't hit me yet!! Perhaps the fact that money is tight is part of the reason, but I'm trying to stay focused on "it's the thought that counts" and not how much or big the gift is, but most of all I'm concentrating on the "Reason" for this beautiful season!!!



While decorating, I always make a special place for our nativity scene, after all it should be the focus of the whole theme of "Christmas" so of course I placed it under the tree, the first present of the holiday our gift from God, our Savior, and as of right now, it's the only and most important present placed beneath that tree!!



This past weekend one of our biggest parties of the season, our precious grand daughters 3rd birthday. We had her party here at the Hollow, and that little girl was so excited over it being "her" day, she couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry!!! She was indeed the Princess of the day. I can only imagine her upcoming excitement brought with the arrival of Christmas morning!!!



So while I get down to the business of shopping, I'm gonna keep in mind that I have a legacy to leave for my children and grandchildren, that while we enjoy our parties and all of the other festivities of this wonderful time of year, while we bake our cookies, watch our favorite Christmas movies, eat all the goodies that are coming our way, making our own traditions to be handed down, the real "Reason" we are celebrating and the most "important" gift that we have already received, free and right before our eye's just for the asking!!

Thanksgiving......

When I was a young girl brought with it lot's of tradition!! We gathered at Grandma's each year and had a wonderful dinner, Turkey, dressing and all the trimmings...then afterward Grandma would provide scarf's to shield our heads from the November chill in the air and off we would head to the wood's!!! Now that I'm a whole lot older and wiser I realize it was for the adults to walk off all that Turkey and gravy but for us youngun's it was the anticipation of picking out the "perfect" Christmas tree!!

We would walk and walk around those woods surrounding that dairy farm looking for the perfect shape, height and width, that would fit into the living room of that farm house!! Along the way, the sound of the Fall leaves crunching beneath our feet, the smell of the woods, the crisp chill of the air and all sorts of treasures to be found nestled beneath those leaves, acorn's, pine cones, and anything else that came to sight were ours to be had!!! Then there is was, the "perfect" tree!!!! Kinda sounds like the Griswolds huh?? Of course Grandma always had a ribbon with her to tie around it so Grandpa could find it in a couple of weeks and cut it down for us to adorn with our ornaments and tinsel!! Now if Grandpa really cut that very tree down, that we'll never know, but what I do know is it was always the "one" we girls picked out!!!

A lot has changed since those day's of youth. I had to face my first Thanksgiving away from my family, I even sent myself a Teleflora bouquet that first year to brighten my spirits...To me..From me!!! I started my own traditions, the day after Thanksgiving, down came the pumpkins and up went the red and green and we would take the boy's to a tree farm to pick out that perfect tree for our living room!! As time evolves so does our children and for a couple of them they are now facing their first Thanksgiving away from home. I know how sad they are and it hurt's this Momma's heart not to have all of her babies with her, but the blessings and love are always there along with her prayers!! I know within my heart this is the beginning of their own traditions and lots of memories to come!!



This year hubby and I changed our pre-week tradition a bit since we are empty nesters, we flew the coup for a few days and headed to the shore!!! Now usually we both are working with a day or two off for Thanksgiving but this year since I'm unemployed he decided to take the week off, so off we headed!! We really had a very nice mini vacation with each other, a time to reflect, gives thanks for all of our many blessings, and caught a wonderful inspiring Christmas Show that really got me
in the spirit!!



As we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, we will still be surrounded by family, a Son and Daughter-in-Law who is more like a Daughter to us,a precious, precious Grand Daughter that still lives close by, not to mention the rest of the Hare Hollow crew where we will gather and give thanks for all of our many blessing's and to enjoy a juicy fat ole turkey!! For our children that are facing their first Thanksgiving away, you know, you are here in our hearts, minds and prayers!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

Over the river and through the woods......

Not to grandmothers house I went, but to my parent's house, although they are grandma and grandpa to my children, just Momma and Daddy to me. What a beautiful drive it is!!

This past week I decided I needed, wanted and longed for a visit with my parent's. No they don't still live in the house where I was raised, but their home is my refuge, back to my childhood and the memories that I will carry with me until I'm called home to paradise, a place of beauty and no setting sun.

I find a peace within, driving with nothing but silence and my thoughts, no radio or blaring music, just my thoughts and prayers and the scenes I'm able to glance at while driving.

There's something about crossing the Yadkin River that brings a warm feeling deep within and the countryside of N.C. that makes me "feel" like I'm coming home, you know that feeling of ahhhh this is where my roots are.



The mountain where my parent's live is absolutely beautiful, the peacefulness, the down home feeling you get while shopping at a local general store, the farmers market, the fields of pumpkins, cabbages and Christmas trees are just picture postcard perfect.



While there, my Mom and I took a drive to the Poor Farmers Market and really had a blast driving there, talking and of course I was busy taking pictures...Momma was real patient as I had her slowing down, turning into small pig paths to get the perfect shot, or just stopping so I could get a history lesson of a special woman who contributed a lot to her community.



Alas, home was calling and my visit came to an end for now...hopefully I'll get back across that river before snowy weather sets in, I'm not brave enough to attempt that mountain in the snow and ice but for now I'm happy I had the time with my parent's, thankful for the fact that they raised a God Fearing woman who loves her family and home with all her heart and doing the best I can to bring that warm feeling of "Home" to my husband, children and grandchild.



I've most definitely grown up now and getting home was such a good feeling...warm, cozy and loving...there's no place like home, and as we've all heard "Home is Where the Heart Is", but sometimes it's nice to take a trip now memory lane.

What a day.....

Such a beautiful sight I had as I went out this past Friday morning to feed the cats and start my day with the daily chores. It brought to mind the changes in my life the past year, a lost career, a connection with Mother Earth that lie deep within my soul and somehow slipped away with all the "duties" and "deadlines" of the corporate world, a deep love of my connection with our Heavenly Father, our Creator and maker of all things that surround our life.



As I was taking a walk around Hare Hollow admiring the beauty of the colors that Autumn brings us and thinking that this weekend marked the one year anniversary of the job that ended and the beginning of a new life for me, I thought about my blessings and of course the never ending thought of what next?

As the endeavor continues of my search for a new job the "thanks, but no thanks" letters continue to come in, and can be quite discouraging for a woman who still has a lot of drive and passion within to contribute for years to come. But then I stop and give thanks for all the blessings that have come my way, not to mention all things come to those who wait.



This wait is not in vain and I know within my soul, I am here in this very position and time for a specific reason!!!!! I believe the lessons I have learned in the past year was brought to me for a purpose, to appreciate the earth and what it has to offer, the beauty of nature and the remembrance of those before us that has struggled so hard to preserve it all.



So as I continue on this journey, I'm enjoying each and every day and the surprises and lessons that I learn, and hopefully pass on a few of these to my children and grand's so that they can continue, and preserve this precious gift of earth and life for generations to come.



Yes, I'm still unemployed in the public sector at this moment...but I have a big job ahead of me....teaching all I know about the beauty around us, ways to preserve it for future generations, and most importantly the grace that awaits us all. I may be a mature mule, but I'm not just grazing in the pasture!!

Have you seen my Momma????

While out on the deck I was looking face to face with "Baby Frog" who was obviously looking for Momma. Poor Baby was searching far and wide, and considering I was the only "real" person out in the garden at the time, I figured she thought hey, that big person should know where my Momma is!! I looked at Baby eye to eye and responded, "Baby, I'm not sure where your Momma is, but what I know for sure, she is very big and lives there in that little pond that I put in for all to enjoy, but she is very shy and jumps in the pond every time I come around, and doesn't like camera's"!! "Perhaps you should consult with the garden animals" was my response in hope Baby would find her Momma!! So off she goes in search of her Momma asking all the "garden people" she could find!!



Hey you look like me, are you my brother or perhaps my sister? Have you seen Momma?

Nope not today but ask that fellow....



Who me? No not I, I'm waiting on that big person to fix my swing so I can go as high as the sky!!!!



Who me? Are you kidding??? I'm an artificial bird stuck in this cage, for the little person who comes around and sticks her finger in my cage and everyone shouts "watch out" he'll bite you, then laugh's and laugh's, no not me!!!



Then Baby goes up to little Italian Bunny and asks "have you seen my Momma"? Oh yeah, "she was here-a, not-a, long-ago-a, but jumped-a back-a in the pond-a", hope you find-a her-a soon-a"

By this time Baby Frog was getting quite frustrated that she couldn't find her Momma then......alas....there she was....or thought...



No, Baby, I'm not your Momma, I've been sitting here for at least 20 some years in the same spot, waiting for that big person to groom me and bring me back to my prime!!! I'm sure a little grooming would do the trick!!!

While Baby was looking for her Momma she found lots of thing's that this big person needs to get done in the garden, whew makes me tired to think about it all, but one thing for sure, for most of us we know where our Momma is!!! It may be at the home where we were born and raised, or perhaps a place where she has retired that is home for her and us, or perhaps a heavenly home!! But one thing we never, ever have to question is where our "Father" is!!!! I'm referring to our Heavenly Father, who is always there, waiting and wanting us to reach out, to talk, cry, and answer our every prayer!!!!

Take time today, not only to reach out and talk with our Momma's, but to give thanks, and just "talk" with our Father, be still with our thought's and listen...he will hear and answer!!

So long October.....

What a great month October brought to Hare Hollow, lot's of reunions with friends, a renewal of sorts all around!!! At Church a homecoming of old and new, time to gather at home with friends and get together's with friends by phone and dinners!!! Thank you Lord for a month of such blessings!!! I'm so looking forward to November with the festivities that are beginning and the gathering of family, and lots of prayers of Thanksgiving!!



The grand ending for October brought a precious little princess to our door, with a sweet and tender voice saying "Trick or Treat"!!! That little princess filled her pumpkin till it was overflowing with lot's of treats Mima had put out just in case of little goblins and princess's that came a wandering along the lane.

Oh yes there where lot's of blessings and smiles here in Hare Hollow in October and a few tears along the way for friends who had to move on to a better place, but November is here and along with it I'm sure are plenty more smiles to be had!!

For every Season.....

There is a reason, and for this season of my life I have found it a time of rediscovery, reconnecting and a time for redirecting myself and my life. It has been nearly a year since my 22 year career ended with the closing of my local branch office where I had been since day one and with that particular season ending another season came into full bloom.

I've talked about my rediscovering in previous posts along with the redirecting of my life, but what I haven't talked about is the reconnecting and the aspect of staying connected.

One of the great things about the season's of our life are the friends that comes with each change, your childhood years, teenage years, young adulthood, becoming a full adult and then the stage I'm in now the mature adult! Being unemployed outside the home has given me the time to reconnect with some of those friends, neighbors and distant family. It has given me the time to learn about social networking on the Internet and finding old neighbors, schoolmates, and friends that I haven't seen or talked with in a very long time. The time to stop whatever I'm doing and drive 40 miles to enjoy a special occasion during lunch, which I could not have done while working, the time to have a several hour conversation on the phone with a friend whom was one of my best buddies in school that I haven't seen in 29 years, time to have a friend who has come from half way across the US, stay with me and not have to worry about taking time off work just to enjoy a few hours, but the ability to spend the whole time visiting, laughing and acting like a bunch of giggly girls.



This past month has brought several such occasions and I enjoyed every minute of our time together, whether it was a phone conversation, a lunch, a dinner or a very lovely pajama party, what fun I have had. As I prepare myself for the next season of my life, a new job when the time is right and my Creator decides that it's time for me to move on, I'm looking forward to the new friendships that are bound to come my way and continuing to hook up and reconnect with the old one's and appreciate each one of my friends old and new and for what they have brought to me and my life.



Thank you all dear friends and for what you have given me....a friendship of a lifetime!!!