December 26 always finds me in the throes of post-Christmas blues. I don’t want to put away the ornaments and take down the tree. I don’t want to put away the Christmas music, Christmas movies, Christmas books. It’ll be another year before I can bring out the bright red Swedish candlesticks, the Russian nesting dolls, …
This is a hard time of year for many of us. I know I’m not alone when I share that someone we love very much has crashed and burned again. One drink is all it takes. Fear grabs hold of me and I worry. I wake up in the middle of the night and feel …
Rick and I were married on December 21, 1969. Looking back now, I wonder how we could have done such a thing to my parents. A Christmas wedding? Within months after they resettled (in a trailer) and started building (by their own hands) their retirement home in the Applegate Valley of Oregon? I did most …
Shortly after Rick returned from Vietnam, he and I, with his parents, went to a Christmas cinematic presentation of “Ben Hur” in San Francisco. The theater was magnificent, red velvet seats, an enormous screen, all the gilt and glamor of what movie theaters used to be. It was the first time Rick held my hand. …
I love Christmas lights. Lights are everywhere, up and down main streets now cascading Christmas decorations, in Mall displays, to private homes with strings of lights hanging from the eaves. Every color reminds me of the Lord; white for illumination, green for new life, yellow for gold – one of the gifts of the magi …
Today is the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It marks America’s entering a war that already raged in Europe. We thought we could be at peace, but war came at us from both sides. Millions died because of the evil intent of a few who wanted to have power over all. Where are they …
Some years ago, I went to a small, one-day retreat about simplifying Christmas, based on Unplugging the Christmas Machine by Jean Coppock Staeheli. The teacher applied her own expertise as a family counselor in practical exercises throughout the day to take a good hard look at what we’ve allowed Christmas to become and what we …
A few days ago, I awakened at four in the morning to the sound of rain pounding on our roof and thought, “Perfect time to start decorating!” Rick had just started new medication and was snoring happily while I brought in boxes of Christmas decorations from the garage. Our German Shepherd gave me a rather …
I’ve finished my part of the work, and Rick now has the complete manuscript. He is working diligently with his highlighter pen and pencil at the nook table. He’s passed me half the chapters, and I will be putting his changes into the computer this week. As soon as all of his changes are grafted …
Thoroughly rinse the inside and outside of the turkey. Oil and salt inside and outside of the turkey. 2 large or 3 small onions 7 stalks of celery 1 large green pepper 2-3 boxes of Mrs. Cubbison’s traditional bread stuffing All giblets Enough turkey broth to permit shaping of stuffing Cook giblets in salted …