Thanksgiving 2025

     Early in the week, we went to the Greenwood Fieldhouse to walk indoors since it was a rainy day. I was surprised to see the Christmas decorations, but they added to a festive feeling.

A section of the gym floor that was part of the
old middle school hangs on the wall.

Decorated for the season, these chairs overlook the
indoor soccer field, which is also used as a play area.

        We were expecting Ray's sister, Veronica, to visit over Thanksgiving, so I had to get busy, rearranging the clutter, dusting, and sweeping the floor before she arrived on Wednesday afternoon. David, her son, and Carla, David's wife, were coming to Indiana to have Thanksgiving with Carla's sister, who lives in Plainfield on Indy's west side. Their son, Joel, came with them. We had a short visit before they left for Plainfield.

    The three of us, Ray, Ron, and I, attended the Wednesday evening worship service at Concordia. On our way home, we picked up a pizza I had ordered earlier to enjoy when we got back. 

Ray and Ron spent several hours looking at
scrapbooks of some of our travels.

    We headed out for our Thanksgiving dinner, but when we arrived at the Golden Corral, we saw a line out the door, and turned around to go home. It was cold and windy, and we didn't want to stand outside. I put together a quick meal, and that was our Thanksgiving meal. 

    

    David, Carla, and Joel stopped by on Friday to pick up Veronica and stayed for a pleasant visit while enjoying some snacks and goodies.

David, Ray, and Joel

Saying farewell

                

Carla, Veronica, Joel, and David

        

    Our usual Thanksgiving celebration was postponed until Saturday this year as Joe worked a 12-hour day on Thursday. When we arrived on Saturday afternoon with our pumpkin cake, we learned that Dustin and his friend, Josh, had been called into work. Dustin works for the city of Indianapolis, and Josh for Greenwood, but the forecast called for several inches of snow, and they were needed to help prepare the streets.

    Steven and Kylie smoked a turkey for 14 hours on Friday, and I thought it was the best turkey I've ever had. We were fortunate to bring a few pieces of turkey home, and I'm looking forward to enjoying a tasty meal this evening. 

    We were aware of a large storm moving across the country, and yesterday, we noticed that a weather advisory and later a storm watch were issued. As we went to bed last evening, our lawn was covered with a light coating of snow. By this morning, the snow had melted, and there was no accumulation on our sidewalks or streets. We don't expect to be above freezing today, but we have to endure strong winds. We feel fortunate compared to other parts of the state.

    Until next time, may you avoid snowstorms and icy streets, may your leftovers be tasty, and may the winds die down and the sun peek from behind the clouds.

From Gloomy to Sunny

     We didn't see the sun this past week until yesterday, when the clouds departed and we had sunshine. We also had a rainy Tuesday and rain on other days, which was needed since we haven't had rain for quite a while. Many trees have lost their leaves, as seen in this photo.

We walked through the leaves
on Thursday morning.

    When the sun came out, the tree across the street from our driveway caught our attention as we left for a walk yesterday morning. The sunshine added to its beauty, but there are still many leaves to fall and rake before winter arrives.

    Today, Concordia celebrated its 69th anniversary with a dinner immediately after the worship service. It was also the first time to use the completely renovated Fellowship Hall and kitchen. The remodeling began in August, and we haven't had a working kitchen since then. With new cabinets, appliances, and flooring in both areas, we had to search drawers for what we needed, but it was a successful meal. Turkey and ham were provided, with members providing a wide variety of side dishes.

The tables are decorated for the anniversary meal. 
Notice the new coffee bar on the back wall.

    

For dessert, we enjoyed a piece of cake!

    When we returned home, it was time to watch the Colts play the Chiefs in Kansas City. Fortunately, we had thought to record the game, but in the end, the Colts lost 20-23 in overtime. The Chiefs overcame an 11-point deficit in the 4th quarter to tie the game and eventually prevail. With eight wins and only two losses, the Colts are leading their division, the AFC South.

    Until next time, may you enjoy a walk among the leaves with sunshine on your shoulder, may your gloomy days eventually give way to sunny skies, and may your Thanksgiving Day be filled with gratitude for the blessings we have in this beautiful country we live in.

Indian Summer in November

    When I wrote last Monday, we had snow on the ground and on the rooftops. It seemed strange since many trees still hadn't dropped their green leaves.  We started the week with a low temperature of 21°, and five days later, we enjoyed an afternoon of 70°.

    Yesterday morning, after breakfast, we enjoyed the warm weather by taking a walk to Great Clips, where I got a haircut. Back at home, I pulled up the dead zinnias around the mailbox post and pruned the lavender bush, which had become overgrown. I tried to remove the hosta leaves, but my shears were not sharp enough, so I'll save that for another day and hope that after a few more frosts, I can pull the leaves away without having to cut them. 

Before pruning

    We had a busy Veterans Day on Tuesday. First, we went to Bob Evans for breakfast, and Ray had a big stack of pancakes. However, I had to pay for my breakfast, which included a $3.49 cup of coffee. Since we were still in the middle of the short-lived cold spell, we went to the Greenwood Fieldhouse after breakfast, where we walked/ran using the upstairs track. For our evening meal, we went to the Golden Corral, which had a party atmosphere with many veterans enjoying their free meal. The best deal of the day was visiting the newly opened Crew Car Wash for a free car wash! 

    On Tuesday evening, we watched a documentary about Angela Madsen, "Row of Life." If you conduct some research, you'll discover that Angela was a Paralympian, competing in the shot put at the London Games and winning a bronze medal. She discovered rowing, where she was able to compete without her wheelchair. She became a competitive rower and crossed both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The documentary was about her attempt to row across the Pacific Ocean, with the intention of reaching Honolulu solo as the oldest and first person with a disability to accomplish the feat. She was lost at sea, but her story endures.

    Another highlight of the week was the AARP-sponsored free streaming of Wicked on Friday evening. We got to bed late, but now we are ready to see the second half of the story to learn what actually happened to the Wicked Witch of the West. If you've read the story, then you're familiar with it. The second half of the Wicked movie is premiering this week, and I'll be interested to hear the reviews. 

    The Colts have a bye this week, so we watched Nutcracker: The Motion Picture. The dancing was beautiful, the costumes were colorful, and the music was memorable. After conducting some research, I found that this film was performed in 1986 at the Seattle Opera House. 

    Until next time, may your fall garden chores be easily accomplished, may you enjoy some late Indian summer, and may predicted rain not ruin the shine on your car.

A Bit of This and That

     Usually, I write my blog on Sunday afternoon, but it didn't happen yesterday. We generally play pickleball at this time each Monday, but this morning we have a video appointment with the VA and are waiting for the call. Overnight, we had a light snowfall and our first killing frost, so I'm enjoying some quiet time and glad that we don't have to go out in the cold. It's currently 27˚.

First Snowfall of the Season

    A week ago today, I had YAG laser treatment on my right eye.  Here's an explanation of the diagnosis:

After cataract surgery, vision may become cloudy again due to posterior capsule opacification (PCO), also known as a "secondary cataract." [Quoted from the Internet]

     The procedure is painless and only takes five minutes; however, the pupil is dilated beforehand to facilitate the laser treatment. I have had to put in drops four times a day for a week. On Tuesday, I had the same procedure for the other eye.

    Last Monday was going well after the laser treatment, when I had a catastrophe in the kitchen. I dropped a nearly full 32 oz. glass jar of maple syrup! What a mess! The glass shattered, and there were bits here and there. Let me be clear, the jar slipped from my hand. The eye treatment wasn't in any way responsible for the accident.

    Last Tuesday and Thursday mornings, Ray and I went for a short walk. Both days, the temperatures were in the 30s, but we were prepared. I enjoy these walks when there is no wind and it is sunny. Ray walks only partway with me and then heads home, while I jog for more distance and time, and then meet him at home.

    On Friday afternoon, I decided that most of the leaves had fallen from the tree in our front yard and began raking. When I had a large pile, Ray joined me in bagging them into two large trash bags.

Ready to Bag the Leaves

    I need to rant about one of the apps on my phone. I've spent several hours talking to someone because I haven't been able to sign in. I've followed instructions, such as deleting the app, then restoring it. There were other suggestions, too. I'm finally able to sign in, but it uses two-factor authentication and requires me to receive a text or call with a verification code. If I'm at Walmart and sign in to use the app, and it wants to send a code to my home phone, then it won't work. I've added my cell phone at some point, but it isn't showing up. I will have to call them again to see how to update the app with my cell phone number. This app is connected to our health insurance, and I use it to scan items that are eligible for purchase at no cost to us. I could have been cleaning the bathroom or baking pumpkin bread during the time it took to talk to the technical crew. Modern technology is excellent, but it can also be frustrating at times.

    While I was talking on the phone, Ray was watching the IU-Penn State Football game. I could hear the noise but didn't know what was happening. I've learned since that IU's Mendoza threw an unbelievable pass and the receiver made an unbelievable catch at the last minute to give IU the win in Happy Valley, 27-24.

    The Colts were in Berlin and played the Atlanta Hawks yesterday. We recorded the game, which began at 9:30 a.m., and watched it after coming home from church and making a brief stop at Kroger. Unfortunately, I had to leave for a women's meeting at church in mid-afternoon and didn't get to see the end. I learned later that the Colts won in OT, 31-25, with Jonathan Taylor, a star running back, being the hero of the day.

    Until next time, may all the leaves in your yard blow away, and may snowflakes melt quickly if they fall in your yard.

Halloween in Greenwood

     It's the first week of November, but I have a few photos of Halloween decorations that I'd like to share with you today. I've noticed a growing trend of Halloween displays featuring skeletons of all sizes. I've shared some photos in recent posts, and here are a few more.

What are they cooking?

Welcome to the aliens!

The cast of the Wizard of Oz

The carnival side show sawing someone in half,
cotton candy for sale, levitation, etc.

SANTA LEAVE OCTOBER ALONE OR
THE ELF GETS IT

Pillow Fight at the Sleep-in

Our mantel this month features
the newest gnome in my collection

    

    We've watched several streaming "Movies for Grownups" sponsored by AARP. Some of them have been documentaries, but last week we watched a movie about a Chickasaw woman. 

'Te Ata is based on the inspiring, true story of Mary Thompson Fisher, a woman who traversed cultural barriers to become one of the greatest Native American performers of all time." [Quoted from the Internet]

    She was famous in the 1930s, performing in the White House and in several European cities. She was a remarkable woman! This Wikipedia article provides an overview of her accomplishments. Since the movie is available on several platforms, you can search for it if you would like to watch it.

    On the sports scene, the Pacers are off to a 1-5 start early in the 2025-26 season. They are adjusting to the loss of their star Tyrese Halliburton. Indiana University is 9-0 after defeating Maryland yesterday. The Colts didn't fare well in their meeting in Pittsburgh today. They lost 20-27 and didn't seem like the team we've seen in the past few games. Pittsburgh's defensive play was instrumental in the loss. The Colts are now 7-2 for the season.

    Until next time, may you be inspired by the story of Te Ata, and may you have an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall.