Snowy Saturday...33º

Took a day off yesterday, didn't even have a reason, just didn't have the usual blathering at my "fingertips."...Herb and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving day, I was cooking and doing the balancing act of getting the turkey done and out to "rest" while the dressing and rolls baked and have everything done and ready to go on the table at the same time...Pam joined us for dinner and it was reminiscent of other Thanksgivings, just the three of us, which was common when we all stilled worked and had limited days off for this holiday...Our kids stayed at their homes and Pam's kids spent the day with their dad, grandparents and cousins...We sent Pam home with leftovers and yesterday we had leftovers that tasted as good or better than the original meal...Maybe today we will have soup or maybe beef of some kind and let the turkey soup wait a day or two.

I had texts from two nieces this morning from LaGrande...Their mother, my sister-in-law Marlene has been in hospice for a few days now and isn't expected to live much longer..."Molly" hasn't been well for several years, so hopefully she will soon be without pain and at peace...My thoughts are with all of my nieces and their families at this time...With snow falling outside at this moment, I will share a brief memory of her now and maybe more later.

I remember Marlene not liking the snow...She was born in New Mexico and lived there until her early teens, before the family moved to Utah...She grew up wearing only minimal clothing and going barefoot in the hot, dry climate of New Mexico...She loved it there and always longed to return...She must have felt trapped, when soon after marriage a move to McCall, Idaho, famous for its winters of deep snow and -40º temperatures...Soon she was Mom to 5 towheaded girls, paths to shovel, snow banks covering windows, freezing temperatures and a wood stove, that was always hungry for more fuel...She went barefoot in the house, no matter how cold it was outside...Hugs especially to my Ashton nieces...OWAV:)