Our Beautiful World

     This week the blog, Our Beautiful World, has selected the word "November" to inspire pictures.  November is a very bittersweet month for me...
      November is the traditional month for Thanksgiving in the United States.  Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of the month...

My first turkey...50 years ago!!

     The first year we were married, we were stationed in Anchorage, Alaska..so we had to make our own Thanksgiving celebration with friends.     

     My grandmother always had Thanksgiving dinner when I was a kid growing up and Mom always did Christmas....these traditions continued even into our early married years, getting together at Grandma's.  She was a terrific cook which we all loved...but her home was a real museum full of beautiful antiques, so when our kids were little, it wasn't as relaxing until one of the dads took them all outside to play!!

     I have taken up the tradition of Thanksgiving for my family here in Texas. And my brother in Illinois does the same for the family up there.  This is my son-in-law's favorite meal...a big meal...then an afternoon of football!  So my daughter has been taking notes and is doing Thanksgiving for the first time this year!  Everyone has their assigned parts of the meal to bring, but she will be doing the turkey...the star of the show!!

     November is bittersweet because, much as we love getting together with family, this is the month when I lost my sister...

Judy- 1938-1987

....and my mother a few years later...

Mom-1915-1994

    ...then another happy occasion during the month of November..happy for me anyway... is that my birthday is this month!!!

Jay-Thanksgiving/birthday-2012