Space Heaters and Wool Socks
The deep freeze is here. I classify the deep freeze as anything colder than -25F. As I type this, it’s -30F according to Weather Underground. However, the good news is that a warm up is coming! And by warm, I mean temperatures above zero. In fact, they are predicting that Thanksgiving Day will find us as warm as 10 above! Now 10 above might not seem very warm to you, but it sure is a big difference from -30F. Your nose hairs don’t freeze at 10 above. I can go outside without wearing three layers of clothing. In fact, if I’m just running errands and going from car to building, I can get away with doing that with only a lightweight fleece jacket at 10F above. Bring on the heatwave! *grin*
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I woke to a very comical sight a few mornings ago. It’s not the first time I woke up to find my feline furkid Airborne in a state of intoxication, after raiding the pantry and finding the catnip. But it is the first time that I was able to photograph her in her guilty, but oh so blissful state. She is a naughty cat!
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Steve took me out to run errands last week, one of the first days of our deep freeze cold. There was ice fog everywhere.
Ice fog is any kind of fog where the droplets have frozen into extremely tiny crystals of ice in midair. Generally this requires temperatures at or below −35 °C (−30 °F), making it common only in and near the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is most often seen in urban areas where it is created by the freezing of water vapor present in automobile exhaust and combustion.
This photo was taken as we drove down Badger Road towards the highway:
The daylight hours are lessening every day, and the window of opportunity to run errands while it’s light out is shrinking. By the time Steve and I had finished what needed to be done, the sun was already making it’s way back to the horizon and tinting the clouds pink:
We got behind a school bus at one point. You can see how dark the sky is getting now that the sun has set. Imagine getting off the bus and having to walk home in -35F weather. These kids don’t have to walk too far; generally, the bus drops them within a half block of their home.
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One morning, after refilling the bird feeders (the birds have been on a feeding frenzy to stay warm), I took my camera out in the yard for a few photos of the pretty frosted trees. The sun was actually shining and skies were blue, despite the -30F temperature. It felt warmer with the sun shining, and if my car wouldn’t make such horrible sounds of protest when I drive it in that cold, I would have gone on a short scenic drive with Sedona.
Our furnace works overtime in this weather and the heat quickly turns to steam and smoke when it leaves the house. Notice the icicles hanging from the stack:
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NOVEMBER GRATITUDE
November 17th: Today I am thankful for smiling employees. It was errand day, and my drive took me to the Airport Post Office, the bank, a beauty supply store, and Walmart. It was one of those days when every store clerk or staff member was smiling, friendly, and efficient. It doesn’t always happen that way, but when it does, running errands can be enjoyable.
November 18th: Today I’m thankful for the people that the military has brought into my life. If not for the Army, and moving throughout the country, I’d have never made the acquaintance or developed many of the wonderful friendships I have been blessed to have. Although the military also takes away those friend (geographically), I’d much rather have had them close for a short while, than not to have met them at all.
November 19th: Today I am thankful for the Furminator and a dog who doesn’t mind laying on the carpet while I pull out the two extra dogs whose fur she is growing. I’ve tried doing it outside, but it’s too cold for both of us, and she doesn’t stand still. So I figured I’d just do it on the living room floor, in front of the space heater and then just clean up all the fur. And boy, there was A LOT of fur. She looks 20lbs lighter now. Don’t worry, this isn’t her winter coat I brushed out - it’s what’s left of her summer coat that needed to come out so her winter coat could grow in. She’ll be bushy and warm in no time.
November 20th: Today I am grateful for blue skies when the thermometer dips to -35F! No matter how cold it gets here, if skies are blue and the sun is shining (it was!), the day always feels warmer. I didn’t have to go anywhere, but it was nice to have all the drapes thrown open and the sun shining in.
November 21st: Today I am thankful for a well-insulated home, a warm space heater, and a good bottle of wine to share with my husband. (Steve’s off for the next few days.)
November 22nd: Today I am thankful for a comfortable bed, a good night’s sleep, warm pajamas, slipper socks, and sleeping in.
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On Tuesday night, Steve and I joined our good friends Abby and Bo, as well as Gip and Carmen, for a lovely dinner at Lavelle’s Bistro. The occasion for this dinner was to bid farewell to Abby and Bo as they make the move from AK to KY (courtesy of the Army). They’re leaving AK while Steve and I are on vacation, so dinner was most likely the last time I’ll see Abby. I will miss her greatly, but I know that she and Bo and their boys, will have a wonderful life in the Lower 48. I have several of her beautiful jewelry pieces to remind me of her - to include my gorgeous charm bracelet - so she will always remain close to my heart. (Good luck to you all, as you begin the next chapter of your lives! I’m going to miss you! )
Speaking of restaurants, Guy Fieri from the Food Network show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives was here in the Fairbanks area checking out three local eateries. He made a stop at The Cookie Jar, Big Daddy’s BBQ, and Pagoda, and the show highlighting these eateries will air on December 7th. I can’t wait to see it. I hope he had only good things to say about the restaurants, since I like to eat at all of them.
Monday, I’m bringing home all of my photography from the Dance Studio. I left it there all month, and it’s time to make way for the next featured artist. Joyce has asked me if I will do another show in the spring or summer, and of course, I’d be happy to.
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My stress test is on Monday morning. I was told to wear a sports bra for the test, and I didn’t own one. So off I went to the store in search of one that doesn’t have any metal on it (the requirement). This leaves the ‘over the head’ garments. Oh my goodness! Sports bras are made tight because they have to hold everything secure when a woman jogs or is active. This means that they aren’t the easiest garments to get into.
I took four different styles into the changing room to try on before buying. By the time I was done, I think I shed 15lbs. Talk about exertion! Getting one over my head and situated was hard enough, but taking it off was like a comedy show. I tugged, and pulled to get it back over my head and I thought I was going to dislocate my shoulders! I had to laugh at one point, thinking for sure that I was going to have to call the fitting room girl for help. Either that or leave with the darn thing on; paying for it as I left the store. One thing’s for sure…. it will definitely keep me from bouncing around. In fact, it will probably keep me from breathing too! *laughs* I’ll keep you all posted once I get the results of my stress test.
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Steve and I have no formal plans for Thanksgiving. I bought a turkey breast and will prepare that for us for dinner. He’s working the night before and will be sleeping that day, until I wake him to eat. It will be a quiet day at our home, which is the norm. Sometimes I miss the big, boisterous family gatherings we used to have when we were much younger and my parents were still alive.
Back in those days, my mom would put all the leaves in the table - extending it from the dining room, clear into the living room. She’d set the table with her fine china and crystal, and the kitchen would be abuzz from the wee hours of the morning as she started the turkey and the ham cooking (she always had both). I remember one Thanksgiving dinner when there were 18 adults at the big table and a bunch of kids at the kitchen table. No wonder Mom was a bit stressed out that day!
Dinner would be served early enough in the afternoon (generally around 2pm), so that we could all visit with each other leisurely. After dinner, the men/boys would go downstairs to the “rec room” to watch football, while we girls cleared the table and did all the dishes - by hand. Mom didn’t have a dishwasher, so it was an assembly line of one person clearing the table, one person rinsing and washing, one person drying, and one person putting the dishes away. Also, another person would have the chore of finding containers for leftovers, or wrapping the plates of food and finding room in the fridge. Generally, dish duty took an hour, but what fun we had! We’d chat and laugh and truly enjoy each other’s company.
While the dishes were being tended to, Mom would put the pies in the oven, start up the big urn of coffee, and start the tea kettles boiling. We always had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and coconut custard pie - and sometimes more than one of each! They’d take almost an hour to bake, which was perfect timing for round two of the food gorge.
When the dinner dishes were washed, the table would be set with dessert dishes and coffee cups. Mom would stand at the top of the stairs and yell to the men and children below: “Who wants pie?!!!” That always started a stampede up the stairs, with the kids leading the pack.
Again, we’d assemble at the tables, enjoying warm pie with ice cream, coffee or tea or milk, and chatting up a storm. My family was always a very loud family. Although we were raised with good manners, and knew how to behave in public or mixed company, when it was just family present - there wasn’t any enforcement of proper decorum (except for the chewing with your mouth closed, because no one wants to see that!)
And there was so much laughter. Oh how I miss that! My father’s laugh was deep and his sense of humor was contagious. We’d laugh until we cried. My sides would ache from laughing so hard, and I’d feel so blessed to have been born into such a loving extended family; a family that truly enjoyed spending time together.
After dessert, the men would disappear into the basement again, the girls would repeat the earlier routine of clearing, washing, and putting away dishes, and then we’d collapse in the much quieter dining room, where we’d sip coffee or tea and talk about our lives, current events, and everything else. The men bonded with football and yelling at the TV screen, while we women bonded with coffee and quiet conversation.
But the one underlying emotion that coursed through the house… from the dining room table to the rec room… was love. The love of a family that really liked being together.
This Thanksgiving, I’m not only missing my parents, but I’m also missing my Mom Mom and Pop Pop, my Uncle Walt, and my Aunt Marie. I’m thinking of them all and remembering Thanksgiving dinners past. Amazingly enough, I can still hear their voices in my head. Wherever they are, I hope they’re laughing with each other and looking down on the rest of us.
Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year;
to the honest man it comes as frequently
as the heart of gratitude will allow.
~Edward Sandford Martin~
What lovely memories you have of Thanksgiving with your family…I’m very jealous! T-day for us (cousins and sister) was always getting together about noon and watching the adults drink too much.
Grama would put out the spread at her house. My favorite of the meal (still is) was oyster stuffing, cooked IN the bird. Grama was always an easy-going and democratic sweetie. You could do anything in her home and she’d still love you afterward, so the adults celebrated (or medicated), which was usually by imbibing and chain smoking. The holiday was over about 6pm while someone could still claim a measure of sobriety to drive.
I know T-day is the biggest travel season of the year and I’ve never understood why. Your story tells me how Thanksgiving can be worth the cost of a plane ticket and a dinner!
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Happy Thanksgiving Celeste. I’m sorry your Thanksgiving memories aren’t the typical “Norman Rockwell” kind, but at least you have fond memories of your Grama and her love. The good thing is that as we become adults, we have the opportunity to change those things we weren’t happy with and make our own traditions. I know that you and Randy truly understand the meaning of Thanksgiving and are making your own loving and meaningful memories.
Enjoy your dinner, and know that we’ll be thinking of you both as we dine tomorrow. Love you both and miss you a lot! xoxoxxoxo
Love, Susan and Steve
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Comment by Celeste — November 22, 2009 @ 3:56 pm
Poor Airborne! Caught in the act.
Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s house used to be much the same. My mom has nine sisters and three brothers, plus their spouses and even a few ex spouses (my dad, for one, was always invited too!) and then their children too, and even a few grandchildren from the older siblings so we used to have quite the crowd! My grandmother owned a laundrymat attached to the house, so us kids would would play in there until the food (turkey and a ham too! Plus an assortment of mashed potatos, gravies, and all sorts of goodies) was done, then we ate at a table in there while the adults ate in the front room. Then after that was pie and cookies, and more playing! Christmas was pretty much the same way, with the addition of one or two presents to open.
My grandmother got sick when I was still in elementary school though, and the big dinners were over. We’d have grandma and the few families that lived in town over to our house, up until my grandma died in fifth grade. We haven’t really had a big dinner since then. I’m hoping to do some big dinners of my own if we end up back near Michigan at any point.
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Happy Thanksgiving Tealah. Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving memories with me. I love to hear how others celebrated, and especially that they still have fond memories of Thanksgiving Day past.
I love that you had a ‘kid’s table’! We did too! It was such an honor when you were old enough to ‘graduate’ to the adult table! I remember one year, my Mom Mom had dinner at her house and there were so many of us (all the aunts, uncles and cousins), that she had to set up the kid’s table in the downstairs rec room. I suspect she did it to keep our noise contained. LOL While the adults enjoyed a reasonably quiet dinner in the dining room and kitchen, we were downstairs being the loud boisterous children we always became when we were all together! Such fun! Hahaha!
I’m sorry your grandmother passed away when you were still young, and the tradition stopped. I imagine you really missed her a lot on the holidays (and still do, I’m sure). But I’m happy that were old enough to still remember holidays past. Just talking about them (or writing about them) warms us and keeps our loved ones alive in our hearts.
Many blessings to you and your family this Thanksgiving.
Susan
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Comment by Tealah — November 22, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
Oh Airborne is so cute…how funny she found the catnip in the middle of the night! Someone felt like going on a bender! Hahaha! Brrrrrr…it is so cold up there, I can’t imagine those temps at this time of year. We have been having unseasonably warm temps here, its been in the 40s-50s for the past few weeks. Am beginning to wonder if we will ever get some snow or have the lakes freeze over. There are alot of people waiting to get out there and go ice fishing!
Your Thanksgiving memories sound like so much fun and so much love in the home. I can recall my holidays being like that when we were very small children…lots of relatives to visit etc..then we moved to northern MN away from all family and the holidays were never the same. We will be home with just us here this year…which I really don’t mind at all. I wish you and Steve a very blessed Thanksgiving!
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Happy Thanksgiving, Lynn. Have a most wonderful day with your family!
Airborne totally cracked me up. She did this a few times before, but I was never able to catch her with my camera because she’d run away (knowing she was in big trouble! LOL) This time, she was so out of it, she just continued to roll in the catnip while I snapped some photos. I had to laugh though. What a funny cat!
I totally understand the way that the holidays have changed since you moved to MN. Our holiday celebrations changed when I married Steve and moved to GA back in 1993. That first year, my father flew us to PA so we could be there for Christmas, but we had our first Thanksgiving alone and I was very sad. I gradually got used to it, and as my kids got older and made friends, we sometimes had some of their friends (or our friends) over for dinner.
Now, since it’s just Steve and I, it’s a hard time of year for me. I’m not really sad to only be celebrating with Steve, but all the commercials and TV shows about families getting together and spending time together makes me feel like I’m not doing it the right way. I know I’m not alone, and that many people celebrate either alone, or with only their spouse. So many families are spread out across the world now, and travel isn’t always affordable - or possible.
Tomorrow, I will cook for just Steve and me, and it will be just fine.
Blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving, Lynn.
Susan
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Comment by LynninMN — November 23, 2009 @ 6:39 am
Thank you, Susan, for sharing your wonderful memories of past Thanksgivings. It, too, have wonderful memories of family getting together. I had a favorite aunt, uncle, and cousin with whom we always shared Thanksgiving. My mom and aunt would be in the kitchen getting dinner. My dad and uncle would be in the living room doing what men do. My cousin, my sister, and I would be in my cousin’s room playing games, talking, laughing and having fun. In today’s helter-skelter world, I think we have to hold fast to those memories to keep us “grounded”.
Good luck with your stress test. I was concerned after your last journal entry. I’m glad to see that you appear to be feeling better, Susan.
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Happy Thanksgiving Marylyn. Thank you for sharing your memories of Thanksgiving past. I have fond memories of spending time with my female cousins too. Unfortunately, we only keep in touch with annual Christmas cards now. It’s a shame that as we grow older, we sometimes become distant (both geographically and emotionally), but I suppose that’s the way life is sometimes. I’m glad for my wonderful memories of holidays when all of my family was still on this earth, and we gathered and laughed and the house filled with love.
Thank you for the luck with the stress test. It went just fine! My results were normal (which made me breathe a sigh of relief), and the doctor said that if I continue to have palpitations, that I should be hooked up to a halter monitor for 24 hours just to be on the safe side. So far, I’ve been feeling really good. I’ve also made some changes to my diet already, to control my blood sugar, and it’s really helped. I think I’m just out of shape and old. LOL
Have a lovely day tomorrow, Marylyn.
Warmest regards,
Susan
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Comment by Marylyn Jessup — November 23, 2009 @ 7:41 am
Love your journal and love you guys…
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I miss you both and wish you were here to enjoy Thanksgiving Day with Steve and I. Especially because I’m cooking, and you know how much I love to cook!
Enjoy your holiday in PA with your friends. Travel safe.
Many hugs to you and Charlie,
xoxoxox
Susan
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Comment by Lisa — November 23, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
We also have fond memories of Thanksgiving in the past
When I was a lot younger My Grandmother did most of the cooking for that day What a wonderful cook she was
too Especially the home made noodles Not those store boughten kind When Shirley and I got married We would
spend Thanksgiving with my folk Then Christmas with her Family
We now want to Wish Everyone that reads your Journal and sends in comments A Very Happy Thanksgiving
Our Love to you both John and Shirley
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Happy Thanksgiving John and Shirley! Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving memories with me. My grandmother was also a wonderful cook. I think all our grandmothers were just naturally good cooks!
The home made noodles must have been delicious. I love noodles anyway, but I bet your grandmother’s were fabulous!
The holidays can be a bit melancholy when we remember those who are no longer on this earth with us, but at the same time, those memories bring us much joy too. I’m happy that we all have lovely memories of holidays past.
Enjoy your day, John & Shirley. We love you both!
Susan & Steve
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Comment by John&Shirley Strauser — November 25, 2009 @ 7:58 am
I loved reading about your Thanksgiving memories! Wishing you & Steve a nice Thanksgiving tomorrow!
Your Las Vegas trip is coming up in Dec. still? The weather here has been great, sunny and 70 degrees here at 3pm. It has been ranging from mid to high 60’s during the day, around 40 degrees or so at night. We do get a lot of windy days here, but the past couple weeks have not had much wind.
Sara is now starting on track break from school (year round school) so we will be going to CA. for family trip. Disneyland for her birthday, also Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo.
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Happy Thanksgiving, Heidi and family!
Yes, our trip is coming up soon! I’m glad to hear the weather has been good. We’re not going to wear our winter coats to the airport, but will carry our warmer fleece jackets to use when we’re at Grand Canyon and Bryce and Zion. I’m sure it will feel lovely after our cold winter. Thank goodness we warmed up to zero recently. That’s almost like spring! *grin*
How exciting that you will be going to CA! I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was 16 and I have the best memories! I want to go back again! You’re going to have an awesome time. I love Seaworld too, and I bet the zoo is exciting as well. I’m so glad you’re getting away.
Have a wonderful holiday, and travel safely!
Warmest regards,
Susan
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Comment by Heidi (Las Vegas, NV.) — November 25, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
Hi Susan,
Loved the picture of Airborn. Years ago we had two Moggie male cats that my son would give cat nip to, and they would get so drunk, and then chase each other around. It was so funny. My Ragdolls will act silly, but not like those old Moggies did.
We are leaving tomorrow morning for Michigan to spend yet another Thanksgiving with my husbands family. Sometimes I kind of dread the trip, but after reading your memories, it hit me that I am still experiencing the family you had. My parents are gone, but I have always been close to Dick’s family too. Tomorrow, there will be 33 people present at dinner. They had to rent a hall to find room for us all. We will have 5 generations present. My mother-in-law just turned 90, so we are having a party for her on Friday. I don’t know how many more Thanksgivings we will have her around, so I’m determined to enjoy this one like it could be the last.
I have spent the last week or so cooking and freezing food to bring, but it is a labor of love. I love cooking, and cooking for family is best. I hope you and Steve have a wonderful holiday, and take time to remember the Thanksgivings of the past.
Reading your journal since we were up by you, had become even more important to me. We have been lucky here with the weather. We haven’t gone below about 40 degrees. Living in an upstairs condo, we are stealing heat from the condo below us I think, because we have not had to turn on the heat yet this year. Usually I feel lucky to be able to hold off until the first of November. Maybe Wisconsin will have a warmer and less snowy winter than we had last year. I can hope anyway:-)
Take care, and enjoy the holiday.
Linda
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Happy Thanksgiving, Linda. I want to apologize for not responding to your recent email, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you writing. I agree with what you wrote, and I’ve been making changes to my diet to get my glucose levels under control. It’s going to take some work, but I have to do it. Your advice made a lot of sense, and I can see how it would work for better health and weight maintenance/loss. Thank you!
I’m happy to hear that you’re having dinner with Dick’s family. When our loved ones are still on this earth, it’s not hard to sometimes balk at the idea of traveling long distances. Thanksgiving is a hectic time of year! But it is true, that they won’t be here forever. Be thankful that you are still able to spend time with them. Being showered with all the love is worth it.
Thirty three people! Wow! That sounds like fun. Hectic and busy - and loud - but FUN! I loved large gatherings of my family. I miss those days a lot.
Lucky you for the ambient heat coming off your neighbor’s unit. *grin* When my kids lived in a second floor apartment, the guy below them used to crank his heat up so high, they barely had to turn those on either.
I do hope that Wisconsin has a warmer winter, because I’m visiting my kids in January!!!!! I just bought the tickets today, and will be posting about it soon. I’m so beyond excited!!! We’re also going to NC to visit Kayla and Colt in February. Lots of traveling this winter. It will be over before we know it.
Have a lovely holiday, Linda and Dick!
Love and Hugs,
Susan and Steve
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Comment by Linda Kauffman — November 25, 2009 @ 6:22 pm
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to you Susan! I’m happy you will be seeing your precious family in the coming months. As you approach NC you will be in my neck of the woods! What a gift to have your children love you so very much and vice versa. Enjoy all the memories to come!!! How exciting! xoxo from the East!
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too, Susan. Steve and I are so very excited about our upcoming visits with family this winter. Not only will it make the winter months fly by, but we’ll get to spend time with those we love the most.
Hard to believe Christmas is almost here. Time flies!
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Comment by Another Susan — November 28, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
Susan thank you having dinner with Bo and I. I will miss you all so much. You brought me back here to my home town with your beautiful pictures and opened my eyes in seeing things in a different way through the lenses of our cameras. I have enjoyed every minute I have ever spent with you. Whether in dance class, for lunch, our drives or even something simple as going to the greenhouses. Thank you so much for your friendship!
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susanstevenson Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thank you, Abby. I enjoyed our time together too. I know you were so busy with your boys and that limited our time together, but even so - the few times we could get together for a drive or a visit to the greenhouses, was very special to me.
I know you will make wonderful memories in your new home, and you and your family will thrive. We’ll keep in touch.
Safe travels to you and your family. Enjoy the views along the way. You’ll be traveling through some beautiful country!
xoxoxxoxo
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Comment by Abby C. — November 29, 2009 @ 1:04 am