Catching Up

38 this morning, cold rain and overcast. 

I am so thankful for another rainy day. Brush fires were bad around the state as the dry spell that began back in August, I think? continued through November. We could use several more inches to get back to our normal annual rainfall, so I am grateful for every drop.

I have enjoyed catching up with all of your blogs. I am not quite finished, but have used some spare moments to read up an whatbyou have all been up to. What a varied, interesting group you are!

We have our grandson James staying a few days to hunt,  and to try to get over the heartbreak of a bad relationship.  This seems to be the year for our grandchildren to go through breakups, and I know it has not been easy for any of them. 

Larry and James went out hunting yesterday and returned empty-handed,  but today Larry got lucky. James stayed here, sleeping in and trying to shake a bad cold. I think he regrets not going out, but 12 hours of sleep probably did him a world of good.

It has been a few days of emotional roller-coaster for several of us, actually. My dear friend Tamara lost her son on Sunday. David had cerebral palsy and outlived all expections by living to 22 years old. He died peacefully at home, but still it has been so difficult for my friend, who has cared for this son for over half of her life.  I have spent some time with her since his death on Sunday, and went to the funeral home to support her as she and her husband made arrangements. My heart hurts for her.

Sunday was daughter-in-law Jaime's birthday, and that evening as they were returning here for dinner they swerved to miss a deer on our ridge and hit a tree instead.  Didn't hurt them or the tree, but their poor car got some serious damage to the body. 

Yesterday I started canning the two turkeys I  bought on sale last week.  I got them roasted before leaving for the funeral home and set them out to cool. I got home in time enough to pick the meat from the bones and packed the jars, then got the canner going before starting to make dinner for oldest son George, his best friend since second grade Allan, with whom George and Larry hunt every year, sons Derek and Aaron, d-i-l Jaime and their two children Michaela and James. 

So nine of us gathered for spaghetti, salad, bread and dessert. After dinner I got the canner going, and started cooking the turkey carcasses for bone broth. 

Today I am working on getting the broth canned, and perhaps I will get the pies made for Thanksgiving. We shall see. Tomorrow I will be putting up the deer meat, I think.

Aaron, his wife and daughter, and their two dogs headed home today, so the house is getting quiet and back to something like normal. Derek will be over soon to help Larry with his deer. George is still out hunting, and I hope he has some luck today as he has to return home tomorrow. His wife, who is a minister, and his daughter left Sunday to attend to some of her church duties. It has been such a pleasure to have 3 of my 4 sons home at the same time. Perhaps next year we can get our youngest son home from Miami at this time of year and have ALL of them here together. What joy that would be!

Poor Buddy is missing his dog friends. He loves having dogs and people come to visit. He will be down in the dumps for a few days, I fear.

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