My newest decoration

I worked on my Christmas decorations some last week, so I would have the tree up and enjoyable for a while before Christmas and certainly have it ready for Thanksgiving this week. I put out all the snowmen my sister gave me in hopes it would inspire cooler weather. Worked! It's been in the 70's this weekend!
Thursday night we will celebrate an American Thanksgiving here. Right down to pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, turkey and dressing. The one missing item will be cranberries as I just can't find them here and forgot to bring them back. No way you can do cranberries homemade!
I wasn't sure how Mia would react to the tree. Sadik, for instance, ignored it entirely. Baby and Dolly destroyed every ornament I had climbing up and down the tree. Mia, fortunately, is more like Sadik. She was only interested when I was testing the lights by stretching them out on the ground. It looked like a game of catch to her, but once I told her no firmly (translated, I yelled), she never was a problem. Since, however, she is a cat that loves to be under things (she sleeps under the bed or under the table in the living room), she now has her new favorite place - under the Christmas tree. She is definitely my newest and prettiest decoration. If you look carefully in the photo to the right you'll see her sitting quietly. She never even offers to bother the ornaments. She is such a good baby! (See the inset to left, as well).
You just never know what will happen, right? Sunday, for example, was in the middle of a lo-o-o-o-o-ng holiday weekend (6 day holiday) and it seemed everyone was traveling. We figured the church would be empty. We were blessed by tons of visitors (who were also traveling) and the worship services were great. Sunday night the orchestra played and that is always wonderful. Before the service they gave a mini-concert and what a treat that was. I kept thanking God that for their talent. I am almost to the place where I no longer envy people who have that kind of talent (just a twinge now and then), as I learn to appreciate who God has made me (and them) to be.
My other surprise was a re-occurrence of my Achilles tendon problems from last spring. Friday I thought I was going to have to crawl home from the store. Lots of ice and aspirin and the swelling is down and the pain is minimal. This is, of course, a side effect of the antibiotic I was taking due to the sinus infection. I will have to do very little walking for a month or so and lots of stretches, but I think I have weathered the worse of the crisis (I hope!). I will stop on the aspirin too, so I don't have a re-occurrence of stomach problems. I do think the cure is often worse than the disease! My next stop is to a homeopathic doctor who doesn't give me poison to get me better (or make me worse). Good idea, right? I am thankful for so many things, for so much in my life, that I won't complain. "Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices!"