The holidays are coming and so is winter- brrrr.

Recently, I spent a few days in rural Virginia, visiting with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I love driving over there, as the rolling hills and farmland remind me of where I grew up - in western New York State. It's beautiful countryside. This visit was a good one, despite the fact that both my SILs and I are losing our hearing. What makes this worse is that my brothers are both soft-spoken. One mumbles and the other talks with his hand in front of his mouth. (Jack, if you are reading this, you'll know who I mean!) Many of our conversations are rather repetitive, with voices getting louder and louder until all of us heard what was said. Sometimes by that time, we aren't interested any longer! ; ) The weather was cold, but driving over and back was good - no rain, sleet or snow. One couple was on their way to Florida for the winter - lucky them. They should be safetly settled in by now.

I'm getting ready for hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week. It's a small group, just my friend Patty and her mother, and they help with food preparation, so it's not much work. I'm cooking a 21 pound turkey. Yeah, I know that's really big for three people, but we all want leftovers, so we cook the biggest turkey we can find. My house will smell of turkey and stuffing for days afterward - yum.

Today is the first rehearsal for the MAD (Music and Drama) Holiday Chorus. MAD is the amateur theater and singing group to which I belong. We will sing one concert at Goddard Space Flight Center (the rec. council there sponsors the group), a couple of concerts at local nursing homes and one at a business group's luncheon. I like the Holiday Chorus. The music is always enjoyable and we don't have to memorize it. (I really hate memorizing music). I love singing, and especially Christmas music, so this is going to be great fun.

I have to bake Christmas cookies soon as well, since I think I am involved in two 'cookie exchanges'. They are both the kind where we just bring cookies to eat and the recipes to share - not dozens and dozens to trade with others. Still, that is more baking than I usually do. The problem with baking Christmas cookies is that I keep too many and then, of course, eat them! I'm hoping this year to bake many different kinds, but give most of them away. Kate does this very well, fixing plates for friends and the children's teachers. Last year I helped her bake, although she hardly needs help from me, as her girls are old enough to almost do the baking on their own. Grandchildren grow up so fast!

Sarah, my oldest granddaughter, is now 11 (going on 15!) She took a test this month for admittance into a rather posh girls' school. She won't know until March if she got in, but if she doesn't make the cut, the local secondary school is a good one, so she'll be fine wherever she ends up. I do think that eleven year olds are too young for that kind of pressure, but that's the way the school system in England is set up. Mostly, I think the English schools are better than most here in the US. My grandkids seem to be learning things at an earlier age than my own kids did. Of course, I'm out of touch with US schools. The last time I volunteered in schools was back when I was working for USDA which gave us release time to tutor once a week. The school was in a less than desirable neighborhood in Washington, DC. Not somewhere I'd want to be after dark! The teachers were good, but the kids were several grades behind the suburban schools. Hopefully, things are better there now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!