How was your Thanksgiving?
I hope full of love, warmth, family and food.
Now, take a breath, and a short rest, because the race begins anew as Christmas approaches.

Are you a last minute shopper or a buy when you see it shopper?
I'm pretty much a buy when you see it shopper. Mainly because I hate crowds, therefore I avoid days like Black Friday and Christmas Eve shopping.

Are you going to stimulate the economy this year and run up the credit cards? Or are you going to show restraint and buy less?

What about making something for your gift giving this year or give IOU'S, such as babysitting, grocery shopping for an older family member. What about maybe cleaning or doing laundry or perhaps making a meal, all in lieu of a store bought gift. I'm sure you are even more creative than I am and can think of more things to do.

What ever you choose to do, please remember the reason we celebrate Christmas. It's really all about God's gift to us, His Son.

Why not start a new tradition this year. At some point either on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, gather your children and read them the greatest story ever told, the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, from the greatest storybook of all, the BIBLE.

Then on Christmas Eve, find a church service and this year attend it as a family.
Give thanks for having another year together as a family and say a prayer for those families that are separated for what ever reason. Pray that next year they will have the opportunity to be together again.

Okay now, take a deep breath, ready . . . set . . . go . . . run. It's time to race toward the finish line . . . December 25, 2010.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

What memories do you have of past Thanksgivings?

One I remember happened sixty four years ago.

That year my Mom's birthday fell on Thanksgiving. She didn't cook that year, and it wasn't because it was her birthday. Aunt Ethel cooked and it was a goose instead of a turkey.

My Mom had something more special to do on that day. She brought my new-born baby sister home from the hospital that Thanksgiving. Born one week before my brother and I were very excited waiting for my Dad's car to come into view. Children weren't allowed to visit in the hospitals then, so this would be the first glimpse of our sister.

I remember going upstairs after dinner to get a close up look at the sleeping baby. While I was staring at her she opened her eyes and smiled. Of course I was sure she smiled at me. What did I know, I was only four years old. I didn't know she probably couldn't focus yet, or smile, and it was probably only gas.

This Thanksgiving take some time and recall your memories of by-gone Thanksgivings.

Do you remember the aroma of turkey roasting in the oven, the candied yams, stuffing, or maybe the pumpkin pies.

Maybe just memories of family visiting. Perhaps some have passed on.

Our Mom and Dad are gone. Thanksgiving, and for that matter, all the other holidays are just not the same without them.

If your parents are still with you, count yourself blessed. Appreciate every day you can call them and say "Hi, Mom and Dad, I just wanted to call and say hello." You can't know how much that simple phone call means to them. You will when you get to walk in their shoes. . .but then it will be too late.

Thursday, give thanks to God for all He has given you.

Make a list, you might be surprised at how rich you are, and I don't mean materially.

Happy Thanksgiving and God bless all of you.

P51 C FIGHTER

A few weeks from now on December 7, will be the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

That date marked the United States' entry into World War II.

Their were many heroes in that war, actually everyone who fought in that war was a hero. Included were the men and women that worked in the factories to build the airplanes, ships, and submarines. There were many that flew support by delivering supplies to both theaters, many of whom were women.

Today the heroes noted in this blog are the Tuskegee Airmen.

They were a group of African-American pilots that withstood the adversity of segregation and showed their valor and bravery to the world.

They were the 332nd Fighter Group. They flew P51 C fighters to escort bombers in the European theater. They had an exemplary record, with the least amount of bombers lost by an escort group.

They painted the tails of their planes bright red and became known as the "Red Tails" or "Red Tail Angels".

One of those pilots was LT. Col. Lee "Buddy" Archer. He was the only Tuskegee pilot to shoot down five enemy aircraft.

The plane in the picture is on display at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

It was meticulously restored by Kermit Weeks and his team.

It was costly to restore in time and material and is worth quite a lot in today's dollars.

It is airworthy as are all of Mr. Weeks restorations. Kermit took LT. Archer up for a ride when it was finished and he signed his name in the cockpit.

Imagine how "Buddy" must have felt to be up in the sky in that plane once again.

Two American heroes. Kermit Weeks for using his funds to restore aircraft of history and displaying it so we all can appreciate it. LT. Archer is a military hero for risking his life, along with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen, in service to their country and our freedom.

God Bless both of these heroes. Two men that young people can look up to and follow in their footsteps.

DRESS CHARIOT OWNED BY EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH OF AUSTRIA

The restored carriage, circa 1840's, can be seen at the Florida Carriage Museum It is located between Lady Lake and Weirsdale near The Villages in Florida.

Nearby is Ocala, one of the five horse capitals of the world. Many large horse farms are located in Ocala and have bred national winners.

The carriage museum sits on 400 acres of pristine pastures and paddocks.

It is the not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) Equine Heritage Institute Inc.

It is also known as an equine Bed and Barn. You can rent one of the 24 residences, bring your horse or horses and spend time riding and relaxing.

The museum houses 160 meticulously restored carriages, some have life-sized mannequin horses attached.

The museum is the work of Gloria Austin. Her life-long love of horses and carriage collection brought her to Florida after her divorce from Thomas Golisano, the founder of Paychex.

The beauty of the carriage in the above picture can only be truly appreciated seeing it close up. The hours and money, it took to restore it is mind boggling.

It reminds me of Cinderella's coach. Cinderella was my favorite fairy tale and I always pictured her coach as golden and regal as this one.

When you stop a moment and think about how our country was settled it was all about the horse and wagon.

From the urban eastern cities to the western prairies, the horse and wagon was vital to transportation.

The Conestoga wagon took the brave settlers west. The horse took the Pony Express riders from town to town delivering mail.

Doctors traveled by horseback or carriage to tend their patients.

I remember my parents talking about the produce seller, the meat-man, the rag man, junk man, and scissors and knife sharpener making the rounds of small towns plying their wares.

That is how people got services before grocery and hardware stores.

Check out the museum's web-site and watch the video.

http://www.fcmr.org/wordpress

Close your eyes and think about riding in a carriage pulled by two horses, leisurely trotting though the countryside. Do you see the horses grazing in the green pastures? They raise their heads to nod hello. Can you smell the sweet scent of grass and flowering shrubs?

Now keep your eyes closed. Think about a winter evening, riding in a horse drawn sleigh over the snow-scapes. You are bundled in a blanket, your breath is a white vapor. The moonlight casts shadows over the rolling meadows. The air is clear and crisp. You can almost reach up and catch a handful of stars. The bells on the horses' bridles jingle in the quiet night.

Store those two scenes in your memory bank and when you are having a stressful day bring one of them out and visit it again.

FRIENDSHIP

In the above picture sitting in the back seat of an open airplane are two friends.

The one grinning full faced for the camera is my husband.

He and his buddy, Bob, have been friends since childhood.

They went through high school together and both played in the band.

When they earned their drivers license they experienced a few "joy rides" together.

After high school they went in different but similar directions.

Both served their country honorably in the military.

They went on to college, and then pursued careers of choice.

Later they married the loves of their lives and have been wed for decades.

One pursued a career opportunity and moved to another city in Pennsylvania.

Years later, in the twilight of their lives, they reconnected. About once a year they and their wives got together for an adventure, a meal and update each other on their lives.

Then one of them moved a bit further, well okay, a lot further away to Florida.

Still they get together at least once a year for another adventure.

What you see in the picture are the two of them sharing their love of aircraft.

Don't they look cute in those hats and goggles?

They visited the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida for a day of extreme adventure.

They actually left the ground in that aircraft and flew around for about twenty minutes or so, in the open air plane.

Don't they look excited? Just like kids anticipating going to Disney World.

No, they didn't pilot it and yes, they landed safely.

Where were we, their wives, while they were playing the "Red Baron"?

We were adding up what they spent on the ride and figuring out what we could buy for an equal amount of money on our next shopping trip.

We are such loving wives, when they landed we tried to encourage them to go up a second time.

They declined. Do you think they knew what we were up to?

We had a great day at Fantasy of Flight and I have more pictures and stories about the museum. I'll share them in future blogs.

Remember tomorrow is Veteran's Day.

Thank a veteran for their service.

It will be a sad day for our area. We lost a Patriot this past week. A young man who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his children, family, and fellow citizens in Afghanistan.

We need to be vigilant so he will have not died in vain.

Pray for our military serving around the world and especially fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yes, Iraq too. They may say it's over but our military is still in danger and dying there.

Pray for those who have come back wounded. Their lives have been changed forever.

Pray for the military families left behind that carry on day after day and a lot of them under adverse conditions.

Pray for the families who have lost their loved ones in battle. The hole in their hearts will never be filled.

Fly the flag and be proud of your country and don't apologize to anyone for being an American and living in the greatest country on earth.

HOME OF THE FREE AND THE BRAVE.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER FARMALL A TRACTOR

If you are acquainted with young boys you know the kind of toys they like.

Perhaps a tricycle or bicycle, or maybe Hot Wheels cars and trucks and the like.

Have you noticed as they grow up, their toys become larger and more expensive.

In Leesburg, Florida there is an International Harvester Tractor Museum.

Mr. Pacquette, the gentleman that owns it, has 150 restored Farmall Tractors.

Of course he had to build a very large building to house them and another building to fix and restore them and on and on it goes.

My husband had also been bitten by the tractor bug. He used to own a Farmall H and a Farmall C which he actually used on the farm. He was thrilled to see their counterparts at the museum. He sold them when he gave up farming.

But. . . he bought a Farmall A, (piece of junk) and restored it to look like the one in the picture. It starts by turning a hand crank in the front. He bought a belly-mower to put on it and uses it to cut grass.

I have to tell you he's never happier than when he's on his "A" mowing fields of grass. For some reason it's hard to get him to get on the riding mower and mow the grass around the house. His excuse is "the Wheelhorse is a lady's mower".

Now it doesn't stop there. He has restored an IH Cub with a mower, which sometimes he'll switch off and use. He also has a Ford N tractor which he uses for assorted purposes.

He also owned an International pickup truck which he restored but eventually sold. Of course he didn't get near what it cost to restore it. He said the fun was in finding the parts and watch it come together.

Do you remember, "Tim the Toolman Taylor", from the "Home Improvement" TV show? He used to like to restore cars. Well I have my own "Toolman".

So ladies remember as your husband gets older, his toys will get bigger and more expensive.

But here is a tip, try and keep a tally of what he spends. A woman could do a lot of shopping with an equal amount a money, don't you think?

Remember to turn your clocks back tonight. You deserve that extra hour of sleep.

It's here - November.

It starts the busy holiday season.

Let's start at the beginning.
Tomorrow, November 2 is Election Day.
Please, if you are legally registered get out and vote.

What I love about tomorrow is, it will be the end of those annoying political robot phone calls. Well, that is until the next election cycle.

Next weekend November 7 it will be time to turn the clocks back one hour. Yes, you will finally regain that hour you lost in the Spring.
Remember it's Spring ahead and Fall back.

November 11, is Veteran's Day. Please, remember to thank a veteran for his or her service.
Does your town still have a Veteran's Parade?

In our family it is a month of birthdays.
November 15 is our older son's birthday as well as my husband's sister's on the same day.
November 21 is my baby sister's birthday.
November 28 would have been our late mother's birthday.

November 25 is Thanksgiving Day.
Are you thinking about what you will be serving this year?
My menu has been mulling it's way through my head.

Of course November 26 is the day the shopper waits for, Black Friday.
Ladies get your lists and credit cards ready.

As for me I always avoid the malls and shopping areas on Black Friday.
Instead I start my Christmas decorating.
This plan worked well for me last year. After I had finished all my decorating I ended up in the hospital and donated my gall bladder to the bio-hazard trash heap. So I really didn't have the energy to do much decorating after that.

So I believe in the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared", and being a former Girl Scout I take it a step further, "Prepare in Advance".