Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday!

Today is, of course, Thanksgiving Day, but it's also Ed and Julie's 10th anniversary and Debbie Frith's 33rd birthday. Hope it's a great day for everyone.

It's definitely one of the easiest Thanksgivings on record for us. The owners of the park contributed turkeys, and volunteers made roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes for dinner today. Everyone who attended was asked to bring a side dish to serve 12. We brought fresh baked French rolls (from H.E.B.,) along but we did bake them!)with butter pats. The feast was spread at 3 p.m., and we all gathered, taking some time first to remember all we have to be thankful for and to wish peace and health for all the people living with war and violence and natural disasters and sickness.

As usual, there was plenty of food to share, and we got to meet some new people at our table, including Dave and Edie, Tom and Sharon, and Ruthi and Frank. Ruthi is an entertainer and will be putting on a show here Saturday night. She is in much demand in the Valley to entertain all the Winter Texans.

We talked to several people and left messages for others. Michigan is expecting snow tonight. We're expecting a cold front to hit, but that basically means that the high tomorrow will be 56 degrees. That's 35 degrees lower than today, but nothing like the 32 degree high for Muskegon tomorrow! Beth has a case of the crud, so she and Aunt Iris ate a quiet dinner together.

Iris roasted a turkey and made some other dishes to take to church. Her church feeds lots of folks on Thanksgiving, and they just aren't getting as many volunteers as they have in the past. Uncle Jesse may get to retire again. The church where he is filling in as pastor is voting on a new applicant this Wednesday.

At dinner, we learned some things about our table partners. Dave and Edie are selling their place here. They're sad about leaving it, but they have to go back to Wisconsin to take care of his parents. Ruthi says her husband Frank is feeling much better this year. He had two stents implanted last January. Tom and Sharon are from Ohio but lived in Oklahoma for many years and go back there for June, July, and August each year. They live here the other nine months.

We saw Bruce and Mary Sue biking and Nick and Toni walking on our walk tonight. Guess people are trying to work off some of that big meal!