I Love The Holiday Season!

How I love the Holiday Season!  The smells of Holiday Cooking, the sights of rain and snow outside. And the trees ablaze full of colors!  Fuzzy gray squirrels collecting the acorns out in the parking lot to eat now, and also to store for later. It's wonderful, isn't it?

Right now in the Sierra Foothills in Northern California where I live, it is gray sky and overcast. We have a big storm moving in today the TV Weather Person said. And they said it is the first big storm for us in November. They said that we will have snow showers starting this Sunday. Let it Snow!  I love snow!

I'm a Grandmother of two beautiful Grandkids. Alyssa who is 12 years old. And Max who is going to be 5 years old in December. I have 3 "Adult" kids all in their 30's. I am so thankful for God, Family, Friends, Pets, and Life!

I am entering another chapter in my life right now. And I am enjoying reflecting on my past and present, with contemplation for my future. And the future of all. Both of my Parents have passed on, and I miss them and think of them. As I get older, I wonder if my Parents or Grandparents ever went thru the things I am. Specifically, not only health issues which I know they also went thru, but mentally, emotionally, their thoughts and feelings.

In our generation of the Baby Boomers from the 1940's on (I was born in 1954), the focus was mostly on family, togetherness which included God and Church. It was about speaking and acting a certain way around others with courtesy and respect. It was also about being somewhat reserved and cautious of what we spoke and did.  It was, to me, a much simpler time.

As kids we could go outside and play. Holidays, when I was young, we all met at Grandma and Granddaddy Smith's house. The entire family met there....Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, everybody. We also met there after church each week end. These are memories I will always treasure. I wanted so much for my own kids to know these kinds of things. But it seems when the 1970's came in, it was a time of adventure for most of us just getting out of Academy (Private School).  I got married in 1974. And we moved away for the adventure of it. Or at least I did with my new husband at that time (I've been married and divorced twice. I'm not looking for marriage again. I'm not successful at it.). My Son (Mark) and oldest Daughter (Rebecca) are my first two kids. My youngest Daughter (Mary) was born during this adventure time of mine, in Pendleton, Oregon (Mary was born at Pendleton General Hospital). But my Son and First Daughter were born above Calistoga, California, in a little town called "Deer Park". I wanted you to know it is above Calistoga, because apparently there is another place in California also named Deer Park. Mark and Rebecca were born at the St. Helena Hospital & Health Center.

Since this is my first blog, I realise that not all of my thoughts are outlined and organized. I should know better because I am an experienced Freelance Writer and Newspaper Columnist. But I wanted to do an on line journal to think out loud, reason with myself. Not be professional here. And also for my adult kids, my grandkids and my friends and other family to follow if they desire. So many of these blogs may be random, emotional, non emotional, recipes, memories, and everything can be very very random. I do hope you can keep up with it all. But reality is, you will come to see inside me, the very being of me.

It's good, at this moment, to say "I am present".  Do you know, so many of us go on "automatic"?  I did that especially at work, or jobs were not writing and revealing. Sometimes, I think, younger people tend to go automatic as well. They may not always stop to think before making choices. This goes for every generation that has ever lived on this earth, LOL!  So if any of you readers are young folks, please do not think I am singling you out!

Okay, so this is my first blog....such as it is. Thank you for reading. In each blog in the future, I will be "thinking out loud" each time. I hope you come with me on my daily journeys. :-)