Thank You Dinner and Other Things Fall

We've been just plain swamped here at the Run with all the last minute, pre-winter prep.  With plowing the garden and putting away the furniture and raking the leaves and storing the bicycles and raking the leaves and putting the snow plow on the mower and raking the leaves again; we've been quite busy of late.  But I think we've finally crossed everything off the To Do list, with the exception of spider-bombing the crawlspace.  It's nice to look outside and know that we're ready for cold weather.  Bring it on, winter. 

While the kids are excited about Beggar's Night and the Fall Festival at church Saturday, I'm planning ahead to Thanksgiving.  Things are going to be different this year:  my little family will be hosting Thanksgiving.  That is so hard for me to wrap my mind around.  We've never had Thanksgiving at home before.  Never.  So this year, there will be no rushing from one house to another and yet another.  No missing the Macy's Thanksgiving parade.  This year, I get to prepare the feast.  Note I didn't say HAVE to.  I said GET to.  I GET to cook the feast.  And I'm really excited about it.  The best part: I already have most of the feast.  The beans are canned, the potatoes, pumpkins and apples are in storage, the herbs dehydrated or frozen.  The carrots and beets are ready to be harvested.  With the exception of the turkey, most of the meal is already grown and ready to go.  And did I mention that I've been spying wild turkeys in the backyard?  Here turkey turkey turkey.....Mara wants you for her 'Thank You' dinner.

On the job front, things are looking up.  As you know, the Mister was laid off about 3 weeks ago when the contract expired and negotiations were described as "contentious".  Well, there's a contract in the works now and the ratification meeting is set for Saturday.  From what we've read, it sounds like a good contract.  A suspiciously good contract.  That doesn't mean that he'll be back to work immediately, but there's going to be a LOT of incentive for folks with 40-50 years of service to retire.  And that's a good thing.  There may be a bunch of workers with young families returning to their jobs soon. 

Until that happens, we're doing well.  Plenty of food in the cupboards.  Plenty of vegetables still in their raised beds.  The heating oil tank is full and both vehicles are still on the road.  Uncertainty sure gives you a whole new appreciation of the fundamentals in life.