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Post by Kapitan on Nov 10, 2023 16:34:36 GMT
This is not my day for leaf blowers!
The house next door--the one whose leaves have nearly re-coated my yard due to wind--is being taken care of by some hired help. They are blowing right outside the window by which I'm sitting now, giving me not only that delightful noise, but a great view of the leaves coming over my fence and into my yard...
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Post by kds on Nov 20, 2023 17:30:10 GMT
Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only three days away.
Until last year, my wife and I would do Thanksgiving on two separate days with our families. My family would meet on Thankgiving Day. We'd meet her family on the Friday or Saturday after.
I thought I'd like it better doing both families on Thanksgiving Day, but I'm not so sure. Granted, it frees up more of the long weekend. But, it tends to be a lot of driving for one day. And, both families serve dinner at roughly the same time. So, now, we basically just show up at my family's spot for apperance sake.
Plus, unlike Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, Thanksgiving isn't a holiday that's enhanced by being a parent. There's really not much for a young kid to get excited for, especially since my son hasn't yet developed a taste for most traditional Thanksgiving food.
So, I don't know, my excitement level just isn't very high this year.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 20, 2023 18:34:17 GMT
My family's Thanksgiving is OK, but not quite as enjoyable as I wish it were. In theory, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far, but it always ends up with the kinds of annoyances that I suppose are inevitable with any group of people.
For example, one of my sisters-in-law won't be coming, as she's going to spend the day at her mom's instead. Her husband was my late brother. She lives in the same city as her mom, and her dad passed away a few years ago. I absolutely understand why it's more convenient to, and quite frankly why she would rather, spend the holiday at her mom's. And it's not as if she or her son, my nephew, are strangers. They see my parents often. But my mom is offended.
For another, there is the seemingly expanding list of who will or won't, who can or can't, eat what. The first 20 years of my life, I don't think it even came up: we were having what we were having, The End. Now between picky eaters and special dietary concerns, the end result is nobody is ever satisfied with the menu.
And just because I'm an increasingly grumpy old man, my younger nephews (teenagers, mind you) drive me crazy. They've never been disciplined in their lives, they still usually act as if they're about 3 and 6 as opposed to 13 and 16, and it takes all of my self-control to keep from giving them the spanking they should have had years ago. But it's only a few hours, and they're not my problem...
All that said, I try to enjoy it, and usually succeed. I love turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, fall vegetables, and of course, pie! The smells of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, apples, and cool, crisp fall air.
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Post by kds on Nov 21, 2023 4:10:16 GMT
I'm sure I'll enjoy it when it comes. But, I feel like, in order to get an extra day in the Thanksgiving weekend, I've sacrificed the simplicity of the holiday. But, its probably a fair trade.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Nov 21, 2023 15:21:47 GMT
Thanksgiving was usually my least favorite holiday growing up. I was off, but nothing to do but wait to go see family. I can remember many years where I would be surfing tv channels, bored out of my mind. The Thanksgiving Day parade was never that interesting to me, nor was football at the time. Now once we got to my aunt and uncle's house, I always had a good time. We would only go to my dad's side of the family, which was fine with me, they were my favorite. My aunt and uncle would continue to host until a year or two before covid. Since then, it was just my fiancée and I cooking at my parents' house with my brother and niece coming over. Last year we hosted the same people. This year, we're finally going back to my aunt and uncle's house. I've missed seeing them during the holidays, as for Christmas they've been going to Florida where one of their kids moved. I also wanted to give us a break because we've been driving 90 minutes to see her family, then 90 minutes back to rush and cook. I think for next year we'll go back to hosting everyone as my aunt and uncle are now closer to 80 than 70 and despite the stress of rushing around, my fiancée loves to cook.
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Post by Kapitan on Nov 27, 2023 13:12:35 GMT
I'm afraid that fall of 2023 is more or less over in Minneapolis. Right now it's 12 degrees, and while there are a few "warm" days in the forecast--tomorrow could get just over 40--every night in the 10-day goes below freezing, and several days don't get much above it.
The half inch of snow we got Saturday night mostly melted under the direct sunlight yesterday, but it still seems to have signaled the change. A trip to the store down the block no longer consists of just going outside, but rather getting a heavy coat, stocking cap, gloves, etc. And morning walks are about to get shorter. Much shorter. And less pleasant. Much less pleasant.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Nov 27, 2023 13:26:46 GMT
Fall is hanging in around here. I still see some trees and shrubs with red leaves hanging on. For my morning walk today it was 35 degrees, and a quick check of the extended forecast shows temperatures in the high 40s as the week progresses - and 56 degrees over next weekend! I'll give fall another ten days to two weeks. Now watch, we'll get a foot of snow on Wednesday.
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