We had a very nice Thanksgiving with family and friends.  It had been several weeks since we'd seen granddaughter Tangeni, and in that time she has developed quite a vocabulary and is getting to be very quick on her feet.  She keeps her mommy, sister Jo-Ann and Grandma Floriana very busy trying to keep up with her.

The first thing she noticed when she arrived on Thursday was a stuffed E.T. doll.  She didn't wait for introductions, and had no idea what it was, but right away she announced loudly, "Baby!" and  gave it a big hug and kiss.  Then she spotted a big Teddy Bear that her great grandmother Bolton made, and it got the same treatment.

About that time, our cat, Woody, strolled into the living room to see who was visiting.  Woody is very social in most cases, and unlike lots of adult cats, he tolerates children very well.  

Tangeni recognized him right away, gleefully announcing, "Meow!!" which actually sounded more like "M'ow," but everyone understood.  When she began to run towards him, Woody wisely trotted away just out of her reach, ending up in the back hallway where there are lots of hiding places if needed.  Tangeni found him easily, and kept cooing at him, "You okay?  You okay?"  He was.  He let her pat him and when he'd had enough, he simply disappeared and Tangeni turned to investigating anything and everything at her eye level - and beyond - under the watchful eyes of her mom and dad.

Our next family gathering will probably not be until Christmas Eve, and we're looking forward to that.  Last Christmas Tangeni was only five months old, so this year will be pretty exciting - at least for the adults in her world.  If she's anything like her daddy and uncles were at her age, she'll be more interested in the boxes and wrappings than what's in them.  I'm betting Woody will love playing in them with her, too.  I must remember to clip his nails so he won't do serious damage; he's inclined to play rough.

Our weather is about to change and become more "normal" for November, and because lots of us are beginning to think ahead to winter, we have a new business card under "services" on the web site.  Bill Jones, over on Route 15 just updated his card to include shoveling camp roofs as well as carpentering and other services.  Bill says he thinks there's going to be plenty of snow this year.  Keep him in mind.  You'll find other cards there for local people who can give you a hand when you need something done, too.  If you don't find what you're looking for listed, let us know because very often we either know or can find someone to fit your needs, and not all helpful folks around here have business cards. 

We hope you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Day, and if you took advantage of "Black Friday," you found at least some of the bargains you were looking for.  It hardly seems possible Christmas is almost here and a new year is just around the corner.