I hope everyone made it safely and on time wherever they needed to be for Thanksgiving Day yesterday.  Our group came and went without mishap, and the day was lovely - a pretty traditional Thanksgiving, "over the river and through the woods."

We loved seeing our granddaughters, and wishing them well as they be leaving soon for Namibia with their parents.  We'll miss them at Christmas, but it's nice they will be with their Namibian  family for the holidays - it's been four years since Monika and Bill went there for Christmas and then brought Jo-Ann back with them.  This time, the girls will be seeing their grandmother, Floriana, and also their great grandmother, along with numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.  It will be quite a family reunion and I'm sure everyone will have a wonderful time.

Today has been really cold.  I don't think it got much above 12 degrees all day, even though the sun was out and it looked very pleasant outside.  I took this picture early this morning.  Notice the beginnings of a drift in the foreground?  The wind was ferocious yesterday. It died down last night and that allowed the broad pond to freeze over, finally.  There hasn't been much wind at all  today, and tonight there were ominous clouds as the sun was setting.  It was especially pretty, I thought, and worth a picture. 

We wonder if this will be the final freeze-over for the winter or if the pond will once again open up for a short time.  Once the water is completely frozen over, it is extraordinarily quiet by the pond, but if the cold weather continues, in a few weeks there will be a veritable village of ice shantys and fishermen out on the ice, with adults and kids laughing and shouting, dogs barking, snow machines racing up and down and even vehicles - cars and trucks - coming and going.  If this cold weather persists, this could be one of those years the ice gets to be 3 ft. thick, more or less - a real "old fashioned winter!".  

This morning, after I'd been outside to measure new snow depth (only a quarter of an inch) and check the gauge, I happened to look out the bedroom window and realized I forgot to put out the snow stake in the back yard before snow came.  A senior moment, I suppose.  I generally report snow depth by checking the stake using my binoculars from that bedroom window, and that's how I happened to realize it's not there.  If we lose some of our snow I may be able to find the hole in the ground where it goes, but I couldn't do it now without disturbing too much snow in the area and then the readings would be off all winter.   I re-did the numbers on the stake when I took it in last spring because they had faded during the winter, but for the moment I don't know where I stored it.  I'll look for it and be prepared if it warms up a tad and perhaps I can still get it out. 

Today I packaged up the leftover turkey.  There's some for the freezer, and some for a "rerun" of yesterday we'll have tonight - love those leftovers!  Then I made turkey soup with the carcass.  I love turkey, no matter how it's served, but by Christmas I'm ready for some beef.  Not that I'm a big meat eater generally, and hardly ever eat red meat, but comes a time, after just so many turkey, chicken and fish meals, I really need to sink my teeth into a steak.  So that has become a fairly firm tradition in our family for our Christmas Eve gathering.  

So, time to begin planning for Christmas.  Here's a note for a new tradition starting in Cabot:

       First Cabot Community 
          Christmas Dinner

     Begun as a vision of Fred and Shirley Ducharme to share their sense of good fortune and love of the community, the idea of coming together as an extended

family has grown as neighbors hear about it.

     Many people don’t have a lot of family nearby, and some cooks just don’t enjoy preparing a special meal just for themselves or only a couple of people.  This is an opportunity to enjoy companionship, a free shared meal of home cooked food, and appreciate the benefits of living in a small, close community, regardless of religious affiliation.  All are welcome.

     The idea is blossoming, as people hear of it and sign up to help. The Lay-Sleepers have offered to help coordinate.  Transportation may be available for seniors who have challenges getting around.  People have offered to assist with the cooking.

     Help with meal components is still sought – turkeys, stuffing, vegetables, cranberries, desserts are all needed.

    Please call the Ducharmes (563-2102) or the Lay-Sleepers (563-2016) to make your reservation, offer help or let us know that you need assistance with transportation.  The more that come, the more fun it will be.  Please make the call.  We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you on December 25.